Surviving the Dreams

Chapter 6 - Rainy Days

Greg and Susan hurried back to their hut with the leaky roof and the holes in the walls in the pouring rain.

"You recognized him, didn't you?" Greg asked as they climbed inside.

"Who, Raoul?" Susan asked as she set Jessie down on one of the finished mats to play. She took in Greg's uncertain expression. "Yes, I did. Didn't you?"

"I can not be sure," Greg told her.

"You don't think he is one of the men in the newspaper photo?" Susan asked.

"He may be," Greg said cautiously. "I would hate to jump to conclusions based on the indistinct image in that photo. The figures are quite small, and I believe a body type like Raoul's is quite common in this part or the world."

"That could be true," Susan reluctantly agreed. "But his boat is white, just like the one we saw, and you saw how Jessie reacted to him," Susan pointed out.

"I suspect a lot of boats of that type look white from a distance, and I suspect Jessie's reaction was merely a fear of strangers.  Raoul is a formidable man. I believe most children would be frightened of him. Besides, I doubt any of the men in the photograph printed by the newspaper were the terrorists," Greg said.

Susan furrowed her brow. Greg was forgetting that Jessie had just met them earlier that same day, and she'd shown no such fear toward either of them. "Why wouldn't they be?" Susan asked.

"Because, if they were involved in anything as illegal as that, I doubt they would go out of their way to attract that sort of attention publicity of that type would focus on them. It may simply be that Raoul was involved in the legitimate search ... finding bodies, that sort of thing," Greg suggested.

Susan regarded him doubtfully.

"He is our only way off this island, Susan. Nothing is to be gained by making an enemy of Raoul, despite our suspicions," Greg warned.

"I know that. But I don't think there is any harm in being careful. If he is who we think he is, Raoul could be a dangerous man," Susan cautioned.

"Innocent until proven guilty," Greg said. "I think that is the premise of most legal systems and I don't feel our judgment is particularly unbiased at this point."

"You're probably right," Susan said. "And I expect like you say, overweight, Polynesian men who own a white boat aren't that uncommon in this part of the world. I suppose I might be jumping to conclusions if I base my premise solely on that."

"That is my point," Greg said. "I suggest we assume the man in the picture is not Raoul until it is proven otherwise."

Susan sighed. "Very well. In the meantime we need to find a way to live here. Did you get the sense it would be okay for us to gather food from the jungle as we've done before?"

"It might be," Greg said. "If you will stay with Jessie, I shall see what I can find out."

"Do you want my net?" Susan asked, offering him a macramé collecting bag she'd had in with their things. "Just in case it's okay?"

"Please," Greg said taking it, and he disappeared out the door, leaving Susan behind to entertain the child while she continued working on their mats.

c

Greg was wandering towards the center of the village when he encountered one of the few men he actually knew by name. From what he could tell, Lagi was a middle-aged man, only a little shorter than himself and of moderate build. He seemed more typical of the population here than either Baja or his uncle were.

"Greg-go-ree," Lagi greeted him in a friendly tone, followed by a conversation in his own peculiar brand of French.

"Hello Lagi," Greg responded in kind and began to ask him their questions about gathering food.