Dark Price of Paradise

Time to Speak Out

Mike Hatta had secluded himself in his house at the docks. Until he heard from one of his loyal constituents that the Waka Police thought a sailor had tried to burglarize Teuila's house. Mike hadn't just been afraid of being found out, he secluded himself because he was nursing bruises Nash had given him.

When Mike heard about the engagement between Teuila and Nasher Spencer, he laughed. He would play on the prejudices of the islanders. The townspeople might support Teuila, but the farmers and fishermen would never accept an outsider as their King. He would have his revenge on Teuila Arihi after all.

Nehili smiled at the fisherman who came to report Mike's latest propaganda against Teuila and her engagement. He was one of Mike Hatta's people, but she had been paying him to keep an eye on Mike. Knowing what Mike Hatta was up to, Nehili worked quickly to counter his efforts. Reminding the population that Mike Hatta was the ancestor of an outsider. His great grandfather had been British.

Teuila had admired her engagement ring as she walked to her bungalow. She had to clean up the remains of the uneaten meal. The pork had been put in the oven to stay warm, it was removed by the police who checked on the bungalow. Sitting on top of the stove, the dried up pork spoiled. The sides were cold and unappetizing after setting out for hours. Only the unopened wine was salvaged from the meal.

Nash had gone to his shop to make sure his morning edition of the Waka Post made it out in his absence. Teuila found her bedroom was as much of a mess. The bedding had been messed from Nash sleeping on it. Blood was on the floor from where Nash had been bleeding. A small table by the window had knocked over by the fight. It's contents had fallen on the floor.

Teuila sighed and picked up the broken shells, the crushed coral. She had picked up from the beach, while she was feeling better. For some reason Teuila found herself crying. She couldn't stop herself. Finally, Teuila wiped away her tears, picked up the mess left by the fight.

As she picked up the broken shells, Teuila saw her diamond engagement ring flash in the sunlight. She looked at the ring. It pierced her dark thoughts. She was going to get married. To the man she loved. More importantly. Teuila would bear an heir to succeed her.

"Isn't she a little old to bear a child." Mike said bluntly.

"She's only thirty-three." Eddie said. "She's got ten years at least before she's 'too old'. If she bears an heir, as some people suggest she might, it's going to mean a continuation of the monarchy which is bad for your plans to capitalize on the islanders."

"I serve the islanders, I don't capitalize on them." Mike said.

"Save that speech for your constituents." Eddie told Mike.

"You say you are already starting a campaign to discredit Teuila because of her engagement to Nasher. Do you think that we could use the fact that Nasher is a outsider to dethrone his child from the throne of Waka."

"No. First of all the child won't be considered Nasher's. It will be Teuila's. The woman bears the child, so the woman is considered the one the child actually belongs to, not the man."

"Wait, men participate in the act. Without them women can't get pregnant." Tony said.

"Yes, but no one can be sure who the Father actually is. Only the Mother and Father know for sure, and sometimes the Father merely assumes that is his child." Most outsiders had to have this explained to them. "But, everyone knows who the mother of a child is, since she carries and bears the child."

"Are you saying that all that matters is that Teuila bears the child, not that Nasher is the Father." Eddie hadn't expected this. "What about Teuila's Mother. What if she didn't bear King Moaro's child, but someone elses."

"Won't fly, Teuila acts too much like her Father." Mike said.

"Acting like her Father, and being of Moaro's blood are two different things." Eddie liked the idea of discrediting Teuila's lineage.

"It's a bad idea to try it. You know what happened the last time we tried to discredit Teuila." Mike had taken the fall for that one too.

"Maybe we can just get the rumor started. In such a way that it's not traced back to you." Eddie knew that Mike couldn't have such a rumor connected to him if it backfired. No amount of money and bribes would save Mike a second time.

Nash paid for a dinner with Teuila, Sefina, and Charlie. They discussed wedding plans. Teuila didn't want to marry right away, but a date was determined for sometime in August. With Sefina as the brides' maid and Charlie as Nash's best man.

Lola came up to the table with the two couples. Lola congratulated Teuila on her engagement. "Jill may be on her way to having another baby."

"How wonderful." Teuila was happy that the couple had another chance.

"She missed her flow for the month. It's not definate. Of course, but it's a usual sign." Lola explained. "If she is, there is no reason she shouldn't be able to bring a healthy child to term this time around."

"I hope so. I guess there will always be that fear, won't there." Sefina said. "As long as the testing goes on and the threat of more radiation is there, we'll be afraid of tainted children being born."

"I think it's time we began speaking out against these tests." Teuila had been considering this for some time. "To make a statement about the toll on people in the Pacific that these tests are taking."

"The United States is one of the primary testers of nuclear weapons, if the island takes an official stand against nuclear tests, the United States Government won't be happy about it." Charlie spoke up. The United States already had problems thinking that Teuila might be communist, she didn't need to call attention to herself by speaking out against nuclear testing.

"The United States already is unhappy with my 'communist' stand as they call it." Teuila said. "What more can they do."

"Withdraw their protection." Nash suggested.

"No." Teuila smiled. "I've already had discussion with the British Ambassador in Hong Kong. If the United States withdraws their support, the British will happily step in and continue with the same agreement that Waka has with the United States."

"The United States may want to displace Teuila, but they want to keep the island as a possible base in any future Pacific conflicts." Charlie knew this to be true. "No matter what happens, the United States won't withdraw it's protectorate status."

"I guess the United States will just have to be unhappy." Sefina laughed. "So, how to you plan to protest these nuclear tests."

"I'm going to have Charlie make a video recording about what happened in 1954." Teuila explained. "How it has affected us. To reveal the dark secret that haunts our paradise."

*The End*