The perfume of love (rain-bi)

chapter 38

Christmas night on board the yacht was a spectacular occasion, but it was the Fijian meke a few nights later which jenna found the more memorable.

The meke, an evening of songs and dances, was being given by the people of a village where the elderly chief had been a friend of Captain jung and had known jihoon all his life. The singing was to follow a feast provided by jihoon and cooked in a lovo, a traditional underground oven, supervised by youngji.

Already staying on the island was an elderly Australian woman who had become friendly with an expatriate Fijian family in her native Queensland and was visiting their relations. She had come all the way from Lautoka sitting under a large umbrella on the deck of the small fishing boat which the islanders used to take produce to Viti Levu. The voyage has taken ten hours.
Miss Evans, as she introduced herself, reminded jenna of her Aunt. She asked joon's permission to bring her new friend on board for lunch and to offer her the chance of a hot shower which, although not necessary in that climate, was a pleasurable luxury, expecially for washing hair.

It was after Miss Evans had used jenna's shower and they were having a cup of tea together in the cabin that she startled jenna by saying, "The Fijian couple you have on board are a very striking pair, aren't they? How long have they been married?"

"youngji and Eleni? They aren't married. What made you think they were?"

"The jealous way he keeps an eye on her," said Miss Evans.

"when she was in the village this morning, a couple of the young men tried to chat her up, as they say now. Youngji wasn't having that! They were sent off with a flea in their ear."

"you misunderstood him, Miss Evans. Eleni is...... Spoken for, and youngji knows it. But he isn't the man in her life."

"If he isn't, he'd like to be. Haven't you noticed the way he looks at her? You can't mistake love when you see it." Miss Evans assured her, with the conviction of someone who knows she can't be mistaken.

By late afternoon the weather, which had been perfect since they entered Fijian waters, showed signs of fulfilling the morning's weather forecast of possible storms.

In spite of the clouds overhead, the yacht party went ashore and the feast took place as planned, with everyone's plate piled high with good things from the lovo.

Most people had finished their meal before the first large drops of rain gave a few moments' warning of the deluge to follow. Among the Fijians the downpour was an occasion for cheerful exclamations among the adults as they hurried their visitors to shelter in their bures. To the children it was a great joke.
Joon and most of his guests took it in equally good part. Only hana and a few other women who were very dressed up, were put out at having their hairdos reduced to rats'-tails and their finery drenched.

As the island had no bure large enough to accommodate everyone for the meke, and anyway most people were to wet to enjoy it without changing into dry clothes, as soon as the rain eased off the yacht party went back on board where the meke would be held later on.

An hour later, by which time the top afterdeck had been cleared for use as a stage, and the saloon and part of the central lounge deck had been filled with seating for the audience, the islanders and Miss Evans came on board. Those who were going to perform were dressed in costumes derived from the banana leaf or shredded hibiscus bark skirts and leafy anklets and bracelets of their ancestors.

They had brought with them many leis made from threaded frangipani flowers, mostly white but some pink and red. They had made one for joon and each of his guests, and it must have taken a long time for the women of the island to pick and thread so many flowers without bruising the tender petals with their subtle fragrance.