Part 10 (1/2)

He replied to her letter promptly. To try and see her would be futile. He was still very much married with five children.

Chaul Roong had his family, his debts, and Bong Sik to consider. Paltry though his salary might be, every penny was sorely needed. He couldn't afford to quit. Maybe in a year or two he would be financially secure and able to leave Kohala once and for all.

But how long could he stand to work for such a monster? And how long before the monster remembered him as the man who hauled him off to Patrick O'Malley after the rape of Tomiko? Would he recall the man who stopped him from hitting his pregnant wife?

One day, while Chaul Roong stood next to the company car discussing business with Jeff, his wife Lucille rolled down the car window and called out, ”Mr. Han. It's Mrs. White. Do you remember me?”

Chaul Roong fought down his panic as Jeff looked first at his wife, then at him. Jeff's eyes narrowed.

Chaul Roong bowed. ”A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. White.”

What else could he say?

Two weeks later, Chaul Roong lay on his stomach as Dok Ja walked up and down his back. It had become a ritual every evening after work. Relegated to the field for a week now, he felt ten years older. The humiliation of being demoted after being boss luna for all these years along with the brutal physical labor almost broke him.

”Manager White is pupule,” Dok Ja complained as she marched in place on his back, ”only a pupule man would replace the best boss luna on the Big Island with a stupid haole who never saw sugar cane before.”

”It's the way things are,” Chaul Roong turned his head to the wall.

”We must leave Kohala and go to Honolulu,” Dok Ja muttered.

”I can't.” Chaul Roong shook his head. ”What will we do? At least here we have the pool hall, the diner, and the bathhouses.”

”Is it good for our sons to see their father brought down?” Dok Ja stepped off his back and stood with her feet apart. ”You say to the children we must always move up. What lessons do you think you are teaching them? Why work so hard when some stupid haole can come along and destroy everything you took years to get? Is that what you want our sons to learn?”

”And what would you have us do?”

”Let me go to Honolulu first. It's easy for a woman to find a job. You stay here and sell our property. I'll take the children with me.”

”What will you do?”

”I could be a maid.”

”You don't speak English.”

”Who has to speak English just to clean houses?”

Chaul Roong closed his eyes. ”Dok Ja, in many ways you are a wise woman.

Chapter Fifteen.

Jeff White became a regular patron of Aunty Lani's wh.o.r.ehouse in Hilo. Rumors leaked to Kohala and Chaul Roong heard Jeff now took his perversion to wh.o.r.ehouses where he spent a fortune on the youngest girls he could find.

Chaul Roong did business with Aunty Lani. Realizing men couldn't live for decades without a woman, Chaul Roong discreetly brought women to the plantation once a month to service the bachelors. He didn't judge Aunty Lani. Life was hard on everyone who wasn't haole. Like everyone else, Aunty Lani and her wh.o.r.es had to survive in a merciless world.

Chaul Roong met with Aunty Lani and they came up with a plan.

One Sat.u.r.day night, Jeff's usual time at the wh.o.r.ehouse, Chaul Roong hid inside a closet in her room and witnessed Aunty Lani crooking her arthritic forefinger to Jeff with a sly grin and a wink. ”I have special girl for you. Top dollar for da kine. You like?”

Jeff raised an eyebrow. ”How do you know she's a virgin?”

Aunty Lani put her hands on her broad hips and pursed her thick lips painted crimson to match the round spots of rouge on her wrinkled cheeks. ”Aunty Lani not cheat you. Virgin for sure. Only eleven year old, look nine. You like see?”

Jeff wet his lips and took the bait. ”Show me.”

Aunty Lani smirked. She turned and swayed her broad hips like the hula dancer she'd been and led him to a peephole hidden behind a garish black velvet painting of a seductress. Her blood-red claw tapped on a peephole in the wall.

Jeff looked through the hole. Chaul Roong and Aunty Lani had set the scene prior to his arrival. A lovely, young, dark-haired girl lay on her side atop of a sheet less bed wearing a red kimono. Her face was scrubbed clean she screamed of innocence and purity.

Jeff licked his lips and sucked in his breath. Tearing his eyes from the peephole, he asked, ”How much?”

”Seventy dollas.”

Jeff raised his eyebrows. ”Ridiculous.”

”You no like, somebody else like. I show you first because you good customer. Maybe I get a hundred dollas in Honolulu. Lots of men like da kine from young girl.”

Jeff turned back to look through the peephole. He breathed heavily. ”Fifty.”

”Seventy dollas, not one penny less. She worth it.”

Jeff wiped his forehead now beaded with perspiration. ”Okay. Seventy, but I have her the whole weekend.”

Aunty Lani put out her bejeweled hand. ”Deal. She can lose da kine only once, so might as well. You have money now?”

Jeff shook his head. ”No. I have to go to the bank. I'll come back next weekend. You'll have her here?”

Aunty Lani jabbed him in the ribs. ”Give you best room in the house.”

Chaul Roong followed Jeff the next weekend and saw him hand Aunty Lani the money. Her long, red fingernails peeled back one bill at a time as she counted aloud. When she was done, she lifted her blackened eyebrow and smiled. ”Okay, come with me. Girl ready. Her name ”

”I don't care what her name is.” Jeff snapped.

”Okay. No Name waiting for you.” Aunty Lani turned. Jeff rubbed his palms together as he followed her swaying hips to a room on the bottom floor.

Chaul Roong left the closet and sped down the back stairs just in time to hear the door open to a darkened room.

”Why is it so dark? I want to see her.”

”Girl scared. Give her few minutes get used to idea then Lisa come and light the room so you can see mo betta.”

”She'd better be here in five minutes.” Through the shaft of light coming from the open door, Chaul Roong saw Jeff fumble with his s.h.i.+rt b.u.t.tons and toss it on the floor. ”I want my money's worth.” He pulled down his pants and threw it on top of his s.h.i.+rt. Then he crawled into bed stark naked.