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‘Turn around,’ one of the women spat and now I could see it was Precious, her long sleek hair tied up and wearing a baseball cap. This was a different side to the woman than the one I had experienced on the beach earlier. Then the man turned back to face me. I could see now for the first time that there was fear in his eyes, and something else, a look of hopelessness.
‘Take three steps back, Sadie,’ came Avril’s command and I did as she asked, so that we passed each other. She was now in front pointing that massive thing at the man, and I was behind her.
‘Get on the ground,’ Avril commanded and the man sunk to his knees. ‘Hands behind your back.’
The man obeyed. Someone moved forward and I saw it was Kali. She produced some rope and quickly tied his wrists. Theman was dragged to his feet. Precious kept a rifle aimed at him. Avril gave a nod and they kicked him forward, the two women stayed behind him, and disappeared into the forest.
Avril kept her rifle aimed at the spot for a few more seconds, lowered it, and turned to look at me.
‘An unwanted guest,’ she said coolly.
‘Does that happen a lot?’ I asked. My voice came out a little shaky. I had been here less than twenty-four hours and already there was so much to take in. Should I be feeling more worried?
‘Not really. Rarely actually. But we must always remain vigilant.’
‘So I have a lot of questions,’ I said.
‘Sure,’ Avril said. ‘This evening, we will talk.’
We watched the sunset from the clearing in the camp and ate a supper of vegetable chilli with garlic rice and green beans. I was feeling sleepy but I wanted to stay awake, to have the conversation I was promised with Avril. I had been thinking about the man all day; about that look on his face and how quickly he surrendered. How had he got here? I hadn’t seen the other side of the island yet. Was that where he had moored his boat? Avril, Kali and Precious had been so efficient at dealing with the situation. But I wondered where he was now and what had become of him. What happened to those who came to the island uninvited?
‘How long do you intend to stay with us, Sadie?’ Ray, the older lady with her signature headband, was speaking to me. I was quiet for a moment, mulling over her question.
‘Well, I was invited here, so I guess until I’ve outstayed my welcome.’
‘There’s no such thing as that here.’ Ray laughed and flashed me those gaps in her teeth again.
‘You will reach a point where you have everything you need. And you will realise over time that amounts to just a handful of things. Food, shelter, relationships with people who care about you and who you care about.’
‘And that’s it?’ I laughed. ‘That sounds pretty simple.’ But I knew that was the only reason I had come here in the first place.
Ray shifted. ‘Here comes the kava; take it easy tonight, Sadie.’
I watched it being carefully carried in a large wooden jug. Half coconut shells were being handed around.
Ray was handed a coconut and it was filled halfway. She gulped down the entire contents.
I smelt the overpowering earthy scent with a bitter spiced undertone taste as I drained my coconut cup and placed it on the ground.
The next thing I knew, there was music from a speaker. I turned and saw an old boombox cassette player, probably running on batteries. Women had sprung to their feet. I recognised the song as Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’. Ray jumped to her feet and held her hands out to me.
‘Come on,’ she squealed.
And I was up. Dancing felt easier after the shot of kava, and I found that being in Fiji made my bones and muscles feel constantly supple, as though the warmth had made them so.
Within minutes, I felt my body relax even more than it had due to the heat and humidity on the island, so when a full coconut arrived again, I didn’t hesitate to swallow it down.
I had seen Avril moving around the circle, and when I turned around, she was in front of me. She put her hands on my face and stroked my hair back.
‘Sadie, look at you. You’re glowing. Totini is doing you good.’
‘I love it here,’ I said as I looked around at the big all-female disco that was happening around me. ‘Everyone is so chilled, so happy.’ All thoughts of the man were behind me and no one else seemed to be making a big deal out of it. Precious and Kali had dealt with it without a fuss, and I didn’t need to question it.
‘Why do you think that is?’ She slipped one arm on my waist, her finger grazed the skin between my vest and skirt. I felt my skin came alive under her touch, my drunken mind suddenly alert. Behind her, the young girl from her cabin was grasping at her shoulder. Avril turned and lifted her up into her arms, the girl’s legs thrust around her waist, and Avril grabbed her buttocks and nuzzled into her neck before swinging back around to face me.
‘This is my Lola,’ Avril said. ‘Have you met my Lola?’
Lola was looking into Avril’s eyes as though she were the only person here on the island.