Dark Price of Paradise

Making Her Escape

Among the people Teuila met at the clinic that day was another Chinese woman. Daisy Chun. She was one of the prostitutes brought to the island by Victor Thrayer. Held prisoner at the underground complex that Victor was using to house his gambling operations, prostitution, drugs, and other illegal activities on the island.

Daisy was in for her weekly check-up for contagious diseases. She still maintained her same occupation. Only now it was sanctioned by the island government. Among the things she had to do was pay taxes and come in weekly to make sure she didn't have any diseases that could be sexually transmitted.

"Miss Tay, you are here." Daisy was so excited that she literally jumped up and down. She then hugged Teuila. Who returned her hug with some affection. "They say you sick."

"Not that sick." Teuila could see that Daisy was actually worried. "How are you?"

"Doctor say, okay." Daisy smiled. "I want to thank you. You let me stay on island."

"It was the least I could do." Teuila said. "What they did to you was wrong. They made you a prisoner."

"Yes, but you could send me away. Back to home." Daisy shook her head. "Only me can never go home."

"Don't be silly, Daisy. Of course you can, if you want to. I'll see to it that you are sent home." Teuila wouldn't let expenses stop Daisy from going home, if she wanted to.

"Miss Tay, you don't understand. My parents, relatives, village no want me home. I am disgrace to them. I go home, I disgrace them because of what I am." Daisy shook her head. Staring at the floor.

"You are not a disgrace. Daisy, you are a fine person."

"I am what Americans call a whore. Disgrace to all." Teuila saw the tears flow down Daisy's face.

Teuila forgot about her own problems for the moment. She cupped Daisy's chin in her hand and raised Daisy's eyes to meet hers. "Not on this island. You don't have to be a whore, unless you want to be."

"What else can I be?" Daisy said.

"Any thing you want to be." Teuila assured her.

"In that case I want to be like you." Daisy was confused when Teuila suddenly stepped back and turned away. Her hands covering her face as she began to cry.

"I can be an awful person." Teuila said as she tried to get a hold on herself.

"I am an awful person. Miss Tay. I play on people's emotions. To get what I want. Even my cutsie little accent is a fake." Daisy spoke with an English accent. "I was made to come here. It's true, my parents will never speak to me again, nor will any other relative. It's the least I deserve for what I've done to other people."

Teuila had control of her emotions again. "So, you don't want to be like me." Turning back to face Daisy.

"No, that is true." Daisy said sincerely. "I wish I could be like you. You have been kind. Do you know most people cringe when I touch them. You don't do that. You let me stay on the island, when I had no where to go. Then you acted like I could be something more than I really am."

"You can be, Daisy." Teuila got her emotions back under control. "If you want to do something else, other than be a whore, then I will help you."

"I don't know how to be anything else." Daisy hung her head again.

"Doctor Bao, you need help. If nothing else Daisy can help you keep your clinic clean. You can teach her to handle patients, administer medicine, and tend to the patient's needs." Teuila said. "I'm officially employing Daisy at the clinic. What she does here is your discretion."

"All right, Daisy, I'll show you what we need to have done." Kane wasn't sure if employing Daisy was wise, yet she was proud of Teuila. She had just given Daisy a chance that no one else would have, not even Kane would have been so generous.

Teuila left the clinic while everyone was busy. She made sure to instruct Li to offer any of the prostitutes who wanted, a chance to do something other than prostitution. He was to send them to her. Daisy was working hard the last Teuila saw her. Doing whatever was needed to be done.

Teuila felt she wouldn't regret her decision.

Kane was busy with Daisy who kept slipping into her 'cutsie' accent. Kane figured that Daisy had used it for so long that to Daisy it was second nature. Kane would let the woman clean up, let her learn what she could, but Daisy was one of the heroin addicts that the clinic was treating. She would never be allowed to handle any addictive substance.

Li didn't know that Teuila had made her escape until he had taken a moment from his work to check on her. Neither the Nurse nor Kane had noticed. Teuila, according to Kane must have been gone for ten minutes. Li wondered if he should take that as a sign that Teuila was getting better since she had taken off without informing anyone. That took some initiative that she hadn't been showing lately.