Part 31 (1/2)
”And I don't want anything to change us again. No matter where life takes us. We could have a sick child, or you could be out of work. But even those things shouldn't change us, Josh. Not like the war did. I don't want to keep trying to go back to who we once were. I don't want to feel myself slipping away from you.”
Joshua considered her words. ”The last thing I took for granted is gone,” he said. ”And I miss that s.h.i.+p. I really do. And I'm not comparing you to a s.h.i.+p, but for a long time I've taken you for granted, and I'm not going to make that mistake anymore.”
”But the war. Even once our child's born you'll still have a war to win.”
”And I'll fight that war. For our child. For us. For Poles and Parisians and Jews and Chinese. For people we've never met.” He saw a flat rock and skipped it into the surf. ”And then one day it will be over. And, G.o.d willing, I'll come home that day.”
”You'd better come home, Joshua.”
He touched her belly. ”I won't leave you two alone.”
”Promise?”
”I do.”
She glanced at their surroundings. ”We could wait the war out . . . on this island.”
”No,” he said, shaking his head. ”Not us. That's not who we are.”
Isabelle nodded, knowing he was right, surprised at herself for even mentioning it. ”Then I want to ask you something,” she said.
”What?”
”After we're rescued, give me a week. I want a week of just you. A week in a place like this. Then you can go and do what needs to be done. And I'll have everything ready when you finally come home.”
Joshua tried to smile, but having grown so used to her presence, the thought of being separated was suddenly hard for him to ponder. ”We'll take two weeks,” he said, reaching over to draw her toward him. He held her tightly, kissing her brow, his hand on her belly.
”I think we deserve that.”
”I love you, Izzy. I love you, and I won't be pulled away from you. I won't let even this G.o.dforsaken war do that to us again.”
RATU SCRUTINIZED THE NEARBY beach with immense care. Bordered by tide pools, rocks, and the ocean, the section of sand was about forty feet long and twenty feet wide. Deciding on a course of action, Ratu took a spear, set its point into the sand, and began to walk. Dragging the weapon behind him, he created a rectangle that used most of the available sand. At each end of the rectangle he then placed a pair of coconuts set about five feet apart.
”These are the goals,” he said eagerly to Jake. ”If you kick the ball through the coconuts, you score a goal.”
”And you ain't gonna use your hands?”
”Only a goalie can use his hands.”
”So I can?”
”You're not a b.l.o.o.d.y goalie, Big Jake. In this game, no hands.”
Jake looked at the round sponge Ratu had found. Nodding toward it, he said, ”So I gotta kick that darn thing?”
”What have I been telling you? Of course you b.l.o.o.d.y well have to kick that darn thing. If you kick it through my two coconuts, you score a goal.”
Picking up the sponge, Jake tossed it up and caught it. He then dropped it and tried to kick it in midair. Missing badly, he lost his balance and had to step sideways to regain it. ”How about a larger sponge?” he asked. ”I'd rather peel potatoes with a spoon than kick that thing.”
”Just kick it, Big Jake. I tell you, it's not hard,” Ratu said as he walked toward the middle of his field. Setting the sponge down, he turned toward Jake. ”You can have the ball first.”
”I reckon we should call it a sponge.”
”b.u.g.g.e.r off, Big Jake. It's a ball. Now try to kick it by me and into my goal.”
Jake stepped toward the sponge. Seeing how Ratu had positioned himself between it and his goal, Jake attempted to kick the sponge around him. However, the kick mainly served to send sand flying into the air. The sponge went almost straight up, and before Jake knew what was happening, Ratu darted forward, kneed the sponge in midair, and sent it sailing over Jake's head. Ratu raced around Jake, shouting triumphantly. He kicked the sponge several times before blasting it through Jake's goal.
”The great Ratu scores first!” Ratu shouted, holding his arms up and spinning around in tight circles.
”That's good,” Jake said, ”get yourself real nice and dizzy. That ought to help me.”
”You need to learn how to kick, Big Jake!” Ratu exclaimed, laughing. ”How can someone as big and strong as you not know how to kick?”
”How can someone so little be so darn ornery?”
”Oh, put a sock in it, mate. Do I need to explain the game to you again? I'm happy to do so. It's not hard. I tell you, it's not. Just use that giant foot of yours. If only I had a foot like that! I'd be playing for Fiji in the b.l.o.o.d.y World Cup!”
Ratu again placed the sponge in the middle of the field. Though Jake managed to kick it forward ten feet, Ratu quickly intercepted the sponge, kicked it around Jake, and scored. ”Ha!”
”Ha yourself.”
”And another brilliant goal for the great Ratu!” he said, holding his fist before his face, pretending to be a radio announcer. ”Fiji leads America two goals to nil! And the crowd is leaping with excitement at this historic match!”
Jake smiled, suddenly remembering what it was like to be a boy and play such games. ”The Americans have put in their star player,” he added, trying without much success to impersonate another announcer.
”Yes, Jake the Giant has entered the game,” Ratu replied, laughing. ”His left foot is legendary. He's been known to kick cows from Missouri to the Big Apple Pie!”
”And the ball's in play!” Jake said, trying to kick the sponge around Ratu. To Jake's delight, the sponge rolled over Ratu's outstretched leg. Jake leapt forward, surprising Ratu with his quickness. After catching up to the rolling sponge, Jake kicked it as hard as he could. The sponge sailed into the air, rising above one of the coconuts that marked the edge of the goal.
”A miss!” Ratu shouted, giggling deliriously. ”A wide-open goal and a miss!”
”No, no, no,” Jake said, still pretending to be an announcer. ”A goal. It hit the post and went in!”
”Is that the official ruling, Peter?”
”Yes . . . William . . . that's what the umpire said.”
”The umpire?” Ratu repeated, laughing. ”He's a referee!”
”A goal! He said it went in.”
Continuing to giggle, Ratu retrieved the sponge. ”Jake the Giant has put the Yanks on the board,” he said, throwing the sponge to Jake.