Apples and Serpents in Paradise

Love, Flu, or Poison

It was well into the evening when Nash Spencer showed up with take-out from the Victory Cafe. Nash had ordered burgers and fries. Nash had brought chicken broth for Sefina. He had taken one of the security Jeeps. No doubt bribing Needham to let him have the Jeep. Sefina was still asleep, so the two sat at her small dining table in the kitchen.

"Thank you." Teuila said. "Charlie was here earlier. He brought flowers."

"Charlie is fond of Sefina." Nash dipped a fry in ketchup. Twirled it.

"Sefina is a big help with his business." Teuila bit into the pork burger.

"Not just that. Charlie loves Sefina."

Teuila choked on her burger for a moment. Drank down the water. Coughing. "Love!"

"You didn't notice?"

"Charlie is in his forties. He is more like a mentor to Sefina. She is only in her twenties. Don't be silly. Charlie couldn't love her. He's too busy with his electrical toys and the station." Teuila simply couldn't believe it.

"I'm in my forties. You're younger than me. It's not silly. I'm not too busy with my toys to come bring you food while you sit with your sick friend." Nash shook a french fry at Teuila while he lectured. "You mean you didn't notice."

"Of course not. It's not like she shares it like I do yours." Teuila thought she would regret saying that. Since nothing could really come of that love. "Sefina is too wild. You know how you whites are particular about women who sleep around. Charlie would know better then to fall in love with a girl like Sefina."

"Sefina is an awful flirt. I don't think she sleeps around like some of the islanders say she does." Nash had heard the rumors. "Besides, love is like blinders on a horse, all the horse sees is it's goal, not the distractions to either side."

"Charlie wouldn't see it. Is that what you are saying." Teuila shook her head. "It's hard to ignore that Sefina is pretty loose. She is my best friend. I see it clearly, even though I rather not."

"Charlie may not care." Nash said. "That is what I'm saying. Despite everything, I still love you. Even if you won't marry me. Who are you to criticize Sefina anyway. You slept with me."

"I slept with you, no one else." Teuila threw a fry at Nash. "Sefina doesn't seem as particular about who she sleeps with as long as he has muscles. Which, I will remind you, Charlie is not her usual muscular type. He is fit, but lean, not bulging like Sefina likes them."

"You know. It is possible you underestimate your friend."

"Not bloody likely."

Sefina's fever broke just before midnight. With the worse of it over, Teuila took a nap on the sofa in the living room. As the sun came over the horizon Teuila woke up to hear Sefina crying. She threw off her blanket and went into the bedroom to find Sefina sitting in her bed holding strands of hair in her hands.

"What's happening to me." Sefina's melodious voice was a mere scratchy whisper.

"It's alright. You had the flu that has been going around." Teuila went over and hugged the younger woman. "It's nothing that won't grow back."

This wasn't one of the symptoms that Bao had described. Of course, Sefina seemed to have a much worse case of the stomach flu. Bao had said he hadn't seen symptoms as bad as Sefina had. It was possible that the hair falling out was just a reaction of the body to the severity of the flu.

"It appears to be cyanide poisoning." Doctor Bao had given Sefina a sedative when he arrived to check on her in the morning. Sefina was now sleeping. "I wonder how it happened?"

"Rat poisoning. Some chemical that Charlie uses. She got some on her hands, it got into her food, or what she drinks." Teuila thought how easily a virus was transmitted. How easy was a poison to pass into the body in a similar way.

"Sefina kept asking me if her hair would grow back. I promised her it would." Bao said. "I'm sure once the poison runs it's course her hair will grow back."

"I'll hire a woman to look after Sefina until she gets better." Teuila knew there were island affairs she had to get back to.

Sefina recovered quickly. Much to Teuila's relief. Charlie King was happy to have her back. She had been three days absent. Coming back, Charlie had her trade shifts with Jane who was now fairly familiar with broadcasting. Once Jane had begun doing it, she found she liked it. Her voice was 'fair' according to Charlie. Trading shifts with Jane helped Sefina conserve her voice, which was still not completely healed from the trauma of the flu.