THIRTEEN

 

THE SUN IS ABOUT TO SET. Hundreds and hundreds of busy soldiers are walking around. Some are just talking. Some are running around with kitchen utensils in their hands. Some are just smoking away and looking at the ocean. Some are writing letters to their families. A typical scene in any military facility.

One soldier comes close to the compound. He calls out to everyone, “Food! Get your food here!” Then he leaves.

The islanders have no idea why the soldier was talking to them all of sudden. Then one of them says, “Hey, I smell food!” He sniffs around the fence with so much enthusiasm, other people start to recognize it, too.

“Yeah, I think I smell it, too.”

“It must be for them. Shit . . .”

“See? They don’t give a shit about us. They are eating for their own good. Not anything for us . . .”

“Well . . . It might be time for dinner, you know . . . It is kind of late, now . . .”

“Well . . . let’s see about that . . .”

The same soldier comes up to them again and yells out loud to the islanders, “Food! Food is here!” Then he makes a gesture: his hand is going up and down from his mouth.

After looking at the soldier, one islander says, “Doesn’t he mean that we have food?”

Everyone is still unsure about the gesture. Half of the islanders are wishing that it could be food, but the other half believes that it could be just more shit they will have to go through. But no one knows what the soldier is telling them.

The soldier who had announced the food to the islanders goes back to where the food is. He starts to complain about the islanders. “Shit! Those stupid people don’t even know that we have food for them. Now I’ve got to show them . . .”

He reluctantly puts some food on a plate to show them. As he puts food on the plate, he walks out and goes toward the compound. He shows them the food. His gesture is made to the islanders again. “See! This is food. You eat this! Okay?”

One of the islanders stands up from his bed and walks slowly over to the soldier. He can smell the food for sure. But he has to be careful. He does not trust these guys yet. With many guesses as to what the soldier is trying to say, he gets closer to the soldier. The food is clearly there on the plate. His eyes get big and are about to pop out. But with all the background thoughts, he is still not sure what he is up against. After a long pause, he finally gets it. Eureka! Then he yells out to the rest of islanders, “It is food! Finally it is food time! Wow! Come on! Check it out!”

Then everyone reacts and immediately gets closer to the fence.

“Really?”

“Good . . .”

“Well . . . They are now generous . . . Just too generous . . . Aren’t they?”

“It is about time!”

“Well, well, well . . . what do you know?”

“He better not tease us with that.”

Everyone jumps to the front side of the fence. A different soldier comes to the compound and opens the lock. Everyone is running to the soldiers. Anij is still sitting on the bed with a depressed face.

One of the islanders speaks to Anij. “Come on, kid. You’ve got to eat to find your parents tomorrow, right? I am sure that they want you to feel good even if you are not with them. Okay?”

Anij does not answer.

“Come on. Let’s go. I heard they have chicken today. You don’t like chicken?”

Anij finally gives in and speaks to the man. “Yeah? Okay . . .” Anij’s face gets a little brighter. His hunger has just summoned his brain. He slowly stands up from his bed and walks with the man.

Soldiers are carrying a few carts with big pots and plates and talking to each other.

“Shit, I was just about to get some rest.”

“Well, we’ve got to carry these and put them on the table right there, you see?”

“I’ve got to carry all these shits for them now? Why?”

“They get the same thing as us? Shit . . . Maybe they will get some massage as well, ha?”

“Might as well just turn myself into an islander to be in there. Then I wouldn’t have to do anything, right?”

“Haha, yeah. It sounds like a plan.”

“If I am missing sometime later, just don’t come here to find me, okay? Because I will be here.”

“Haha . . .”

“Well . . . They have to eat, too, you know. It is way past eight now. It is kind of late. Just shut up and do the work.”

“Well, well . . . Someone is trying to suck up some ass, ha? You want a promotion or something?”

“Just shut up. I don’t want to do this, either.”

“Whatever you say . . .”

While they make their whining comments, they get to the compound. Now it sure smells like food to the islanders, who are dying to eat everything all at once. Their eyes are sparkling like diamonds, and their mouths are watering.

“God. I am so hungry.”

“I guess the soldiers haven’t abandoned us yet.”

“Well, it seems like that is the case so far. But let’s wait and be prepared.”

“Come on . . . Prepare for what? We don’t even know what they are talking about. What are you going to do anyway? Let’s just enjoy the food today. Okay?”

“Yeah, he is right. Just enjoy the food, and no more American conspiracy, okay?”

“Shut up . . .”

While the islanders are standing in line, the soldiers are preparing the food to be served. A soldier is waving his hand to the islanders to signal that the food is ready. The islanders follow his direction quite well. As long as the islanders are fed, they are orderly, or at least trying to be orderly, as such. It is human nature. Nothing wrong with that. As the islanders line up, one soldier hands each person a plate and a bowl, and another soldier gives them a knife and a fork. The rest of the soldiers pour some soup in the bowl, putting a few boiled potatoes and other food items on each plate. As food is piling on their plates, their faces bloom fully.

They all take the food and go back to their beds. Anij looks at his plate. A little bit of soup, two small boiled potatoes, two pieces of chicken, and a slice of bread. He takes a moment before he starts to eat. After seeing the food on his plate, he is a happy kid. He just puts his head down to the plate and starts to eat with blazing speed. Everyone is eating with turbo chargers on their arms and mouths. Surely, no one is talking.

It feels like this compound is more like an open-space prison with an ocean view. In a way, it is not too bad at all. Free food, free accommodation, and basic supplies for everyone. You just have to like this place, or it might end up being like hell.

Anij is almost finished with the soup. He looks up at the sky over the horizon. There are a few huge ships leaving the port. The ships make loud horn sounds. He is afraid that the horn might bring back the dark memories of the chaotic days. Before it drags him down again, he looks at everyone. They are all eating. No time to think about sorrow. That would be just too luxurious here and now. As Anij suspects, a few islanders stop eating and look at the ships leaving the port. They, too, are listening to the horn. Their still faces tell too many stories: some show smiles and some show inevitability.

Right in front of the port, a few soldiers are saluting to the ships and standing still till the ships disappear.

The islanders are also watching the soldiers. They don’t really want to think about anything at this moment. They have already experienced enough shit so far. It is just a gaze. Nothing more. Nothing less. They have eaten; they are content.

The sun is almost nowhere to be found. It is already pitch black.

There is a romantic soldier who loves to watch the sunset and enjoy the moment. He takes out a cigarette and starts to smoke slowly, with all the time in the world.

One islander approaches the soldier and does some body language to get a cigarette. He must have been very desperate to smoke for a long time. A few islanders are watching this from their beds.

“Hey, he is going to get a cigarette from the soldier.”

“It will never work. Even if it does, he will not give him one.”

“Oh, it looks like he is reaching for his pocket.”

The soldier gives him one cigarette. As soon as he gets one, a few guys who are sitting nearby on their beds run to the soldier and ask him for their share. The soldier looks at them all and throws a pack to them. Guys are fighting and pushing each other to take the pack. A bride bouquet time. Finally, they all share and smoke their first American cigarette, forgetting all those accusations they were throwing toward the soldiers. The people inside the compound are quite stunned. The direction of the arrow has just changed for the smokers.

“Why did they do that?”

“Why do they want to get involved with the soldiers?”

“That is just pathetic, begging a soldier for cigarettes. That is just embarrassing.”

“Well, that is the first contact that anyone has made. It might be for the best.”

“What? How can that be good? They are lowering themselves just to get some cigarettes!”

“I don’t see no harm in that. Maybe they were really craving for one all along, just like us to get some food. There was just one more thing left those guys needed.”

“Yeah. It is not that terrible.”

People are talking about what those guys did. The comments that people are making seem to go in various directions. Some conservative. Some radical. Definitely something meaningful. This has changed lots of things. Without the chief’s guidance, they don’t seem to know how to come to a mutual conclusion. Now everyone has their own freedom to cross the line or step on the line. They are free to do whatever they like and think. Dangerous? Confusing? Well, no one is sure just yet.

The guys are smoking their American cigarettes as they are watching the black ocean.

One of them says, “How many more days . . . guys?”

They all look at each other and raise their eyebrows. No one bothers to answer.

Anij also is watching those smokers. He is humming the old song that his mom used to sing all the time. It is about the only thing that soothes him just now. He is looking for something that is reminiscent of his parents.