Surviving the Dreams

Chapter 7 - The Chinese New Year

The rain continued for another month or more, beyond Christmas Day. Flooding in January kept Greg, Susan, and Jessie isolated from the rest of the community for the better part of three weeks as cyclone force winds prevailed over the island. Finally, the winds began to wane, the rising waters subsided, and they managed to get out, rejoining the community once more. As they did, they began to realize that a major event in the Asian community was fast approaching: the New Year or as Susan thought of it, the Chinese New Year was only a week or so away. It was the major celebration of the wet season, and all the village was in the midst of preparations for the occasion.

Susan and Greg were determined to participate this time, not just as guests, but as members of the community. Susan planned to prepare some of her best dishes while Greg and the other men worked in the pouring rain to ensure that the Long House and the all-important locally brewed beverage were ready for the day. Even the children got involved, making decorations out of red and gold bits of cloth and plants to bring them all good luck in the coming year. Finally, all was ready, and everyone went home a bit early in order make sure their own households were in order for the day.

Baths were a must in preparation for the occasion, and Susan made sure that both herself and Jessie had proper baths; complete with soap she'd gotten by trading with one of the other women in the community. Greg opted for a shower in the rain, but the result was the same. By bedtime they were all smelling better than they had in a long time. Susan put Jessie to bed in her own little alcove and made some final preparations for the dishes she would finish for the celebration in the morning before she and Greg lay down. Greg blew out the light, but they lay in the dark, awake but not speaking afterwards for a long time.

Greg breathed deeply, trying to shed the activity of the day in order to induce sleep, but Susan lay so near all that did was to remind him how good she smelled after her bath. She had crushed some wild orchids into the water she'd used to wash her hair, lending that beautiful scent of the jungle to her own, intriguing smell. He smiled to himself as he thought of that. He was almost certain she would be offended if he told her. She seemed to be convinced that a woman should not have a smell, but Greg himself was of another opinion. To him the scent of a clean woman was her own, exotic perfume. No other scent could be quite so personal nor quite so enticing as the scent of the woman herself. He lay on his side thinking of this when Susan sighed.

"Can't sleep?" he whispered in the darkness.

"No. I can't stop thinking about tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it," Susan told him.

"I am too. Everything is so different now that we've been able to be a part of it."

"Humm. Did you know that the whole island is coming? Not just the villagers, but the farmers who live in the flat lands too?"

"I didn't until this evening. Baja mentioned to me that his uncle is coming."

Susan frowned in the darkness. "A lot of the women don't seem to like him."

"I got that impression from the men too," Greg replied.

"I wonder why?" Susan mused. "Do you think we were right about Raoul?"

"Not necessarily. They don't seem to trust him, but I'm not sure of the reason. Some say he doesn't pull his weight in the village. Aside from the one time we met, we haven't seen him at all since we've been here, so that may be true. It doesn't seem like he participates all that much in life in the community."

"He is the richest man on the island. Maybe he has enough money that he doesn't need to."

"Perhaps, but some even question how he got that money," Greg told her.