Chapter 57

Fiji, cyclone season a month gone, is hot ... humid and wonderful. Green greens ... all the greens one can imagine ... and blue blues ... colorful people, houses and boats.

But ... the pace was faster than I thought a tropical island paradise should be.

The main roads are paved and there’s Traffic. I mentioned it to daddy.

“They’re making up for the cyclone season, Tyche. Nobody got much done during the storms.”

Zoe said, “The marina is a disaster. There’s a hundred eighty footer just sitting on the bottom ... and nobody willing to take responsibility.”

Daddy said, “Boaters with insurance left before the season ... the boats remaining were uninsured.”

“May I look?”

“How you going to get there?”

“Bike.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Look to see what needs to be done.”

“And what then?”

“Salvage it.”

“Good luck with that.”

“I’ve done it before ... made a million clear after expenses.”

That stopped Zoe in her discourse.

“A million? From salvage? When?”

Alice butted in, “My parents bought it. First winter in Pentwater. They couldn’t find a proper summer cottage ... and the boat was large enough to suit mom.”

“We’re talking about a wreck.”

“So is Tyche ... she saved it from sinking ... just. The local salvor didn’t even try.”

Mom looked daggers at me, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

And I said, “You never call ... never write ... I’ve had no contact since I got sent to Surprise. Ten years, Zoe ... ten years. Why would I?”

To keep up appearances ... and my temper, I hopped on my Kona and headed for Nasoso road. Alice followed. The hill of the bridge is steep but we made it and turned right at the first opportunity. Well ... it Looked like a street, but ... it was three houses on the left and four on the right and a sorta dead end.

But not for bikes.

Then I learned that cutting through was doing something to get yelled at for. Twice. Once for the little path at the end of the dead end and again at the new construction on Waga Circle.

Alice was keeping up ... good thing ... I wasn’t slowing down.

Bingo! We were talking to two armed men in a Jeep.

“What the hell are you doing.”

“Going to the Marina.”

“You’re trespassing. Go around.”

“Around is too far and I’m working off a mad.” “I know I’m trespassing. I went through that hole in the fence.”

“What hole?”

“By the thorn bush at the corner.” I pointed behind me. “You could call Corporal Mali ... he knows me.”

“How do you know Mali?”

So ... he called us in. That didn’t have the expected result.

“Get in the jeep.”

“What about our bikes?”

“Rack at the back.”

And we were politely escorted to the Airport Security Office ... again. Mali looked the question.

“All I wanted to do was go to the Marina and look at the carnage. I’ve had some small...”

“Small’s ass,” said Alice... “She saved a sailing yacht from sinking.”

“Like I was saying ... before the peanut gallery ... I’ve had some success in salvage.”

“Why didn’t you take the bus?”

“Fiji has local busses?”

“Yes?”

“Is Naisoso a regular stop?”

Mali laughed, “I don’t know about regular ... but the driver will stop if you flag a bus down.”

“You mean ... in the middle of a block? Just signal?”

“Yup.”

“How about a schedule?”

“No ... but there are a lot of buses mornings and after closing. People going to and getting off work. Cars are really expensive here.”

“Daddy says fuel isn’t cheap ... cars too?”

“Uh huh.”

“I didn’t know ... And I was mad.”

“Mad? About what?”

“Remember when I got sent home to my aunt?”

“I do,” Mali confessed.

“Until you called daddy, I hadn’t heard anything from or about the parents. Imagine my surprise when the flight attendant gave me the National Geographic.”

“I’d say you were better off. Your Aunt raised you?”

“When Daddy abandoned Zoe in Australia ... she was pregnant ... Auntie Surprise took care of us both. I was two when they married ... in Hong Kong. I will give him credit ... he didn’t know.”