IN THE VILLAGE centre William was surprised to see Managua among the injured islanders. ‘I thought you didn’t want any dollars,’ he said to him.
‘I is not want dollars is come in island, but if they is, then I is go need dollars. You is bring dollars, I is must have.’ William saw that Pilua was standing beside her husband. She was staring into the distance, as though she could see right through the surrounding huts, like Superboy with his X-ray vision.
They began the questioning of the claimants with William presenting the evidence and Beach battering away at it, trying to dismiss it. William wouldn’t have minded so much if Beach had acted like it was just a job. It was that he went at it with such a will that annoyed William. That wasn’t the only thing; Beach’s brusque insensitivity meant they were whipping through the claimants; William could see they’d be all done in a couple of days. It had been arranged in the States that he would leave the island on the helicopter with Beach and Gold. He was needed back in New York to get the case moving, he couldn’t linger. But he’d hoped for a few more days and some free time to look for Lucy.
It was another long day. A whole new crowd of fraudulent claimants had turned up. One man attempted to get money for a withered arm.
‘That is a congenital defect,’ said Dr Gold in disbelief.
‘What is mean this word con – con—,’ asked the man.
‘Congenital,’ repeated Dr Gold. ‘It means a birth defect, something you were born with. There is no way it can have been caused by a bomb.’
‘That is where you is make one big damn mistake,’ said the man. ‘My mamu is be frighten by bomb blast when she is carry me inside she. I is be born with arm like this.’
Gold sighed. ‘There is no way that can be proved. There is no record of your mother having made a complaint at the time.’
‘No, of course is not be.’ The man sniffed with frustration. ‘She is only think of this yesterday.’
‘She never mentioned it before? Isn’t that a little strange, my friend?’
‘Nobody is ever offer dollars before. Dollars is make you is think of they things.’
Gold dismissed the man with an impatient wave of his hand. ‘Nice try!’ he called after him.
The next customer squatted on the ground before him and mouthed some words but no sound emerged from his mouth.
‘What was that?’ said Gold.
The man stared at him blankly.
‘I said, “What are you claiming for?”’ repeated Gold. Again the man’s expression didn’t register any understanding. At this moment another man pushed his way through the watching crowd.
‘I is be he brother. He is be deaf,’ he explained. He squatted in front of the first man and began a series of elaborate hand signals. The other man watched intently, then looked at Gold and shouted, ‘BOMB BLAST IS MAKE ME DEAF. I IS NOT HEAR NOTHING NO MORE. BOMB IS BLOW EARS INSIDE OUT.’
Gold nodded. He picked up his clipboard and wrote something on it. He looked at the man’s brother. ‘When did this tragic event occur?’
More semaphore followed and again the victim watched carefully. When the brother’s hands were finally still the claimant shouted, ‘WHEN I IS BE SMALL BOY. I IS NOT CAN HEAR ANYTHING SINCE.’
Gold nodded and wrote something else on the clipboard. He looked up suddenly. ‘Want to take your dollars now?’ he said.
‘Sure thing, man!’ said the man. Everyone around gasped. Gold smiled. The man slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand. His brother launched himself upon him and began slapping him around the face. ‘You is be one bloody damn fool!’ he shouted. ‘I is tell you for let me put stick in ears but you is say, “Oh no, I is go get dollars and keep ears.”’
‘If you is be so smart what for you is not be one who is be deaf?’ screamed his brother back. He started hitting in return and the crowd parted as the two men fell to the ground and rolled around wrestling and punching.
Gold smiled at William. ‘Tricks of the trade.’
William waited until the day was almost ended and most of the villagers had grown tired of watching and listening and had drifted away to prepare their evening meal before he turned to Pilua. He thought about insisting her story be heard in private, but decided that as she would almost certainly have to testify in an American court one day, rehearsing the story before a sympathetic audience might not be a bad idea.
He sat her down beside him. Managua lowered himself stiffly the other side of her. Beach and Gold sat on the dirt opposite them. Managua shooed away curious onlookers and they mostly respected his desire for privacy and stood a little way off, close enough to hear still, but far enough away for Pilua not to be intimidated.
‘OK Pilua, when you’re ready, tell us what happened to you that day.’
‘Which day would that be?’ asked Beach. ‘Date?’
‘It’s in the written submission you have there,’ said William. ‘There’s no need for her to repeat it. This is not a cross-examination. It’s a preliminary presentation of evidence. Now perhaps my client can begin.’
Beach shrugged, as if to say, OK, if William wanted to be tough about it, he wasn’t going to bother to argue because it wouldn’t make any difference in the long run anyway, so they might as well get on with it, get it over and get on to the kassa.
Pilua looked at Managua. He took her hand in his and William saw her squeeze it until her knuckles showed white. She looked at William and he nodded. She licked her lips and began to speak in a hushed tone, staring straight at Beach, or rather not at but through as though he wasn’t there. In a way, thought William, he probably wasn’t, least not for her. She was seeing something long ago.
‘I is be young girl. I is have all my life before me this day when I is walk out for water. Is be very hot day. I is fall asleep so I is not go water hole same time as other girls. I is meet they come back when I is be on my way. “Hurry up,” they is say, “is be poto game tonight.”
‘When I is be near water hole I is hear voices. I is not recognize they voices, so I is think is mebbe boys from outside village on way for poto game. I is walk into clearing around water hole and is find three American soldier is be sit there. They is take boots off and is dangle feet in water. They is each have rifle on they back. I is not know is be call rifle then. I is know now.
‘When they is see me, one of they is smile. He is jump down in water and is reach out hand towards me. “Give me you pot,” he is say. “I is get water for you.” I is smile back, say thank you. I is pass he my pot and he is fill.’
‘He spoke to you first, you claim?’ snapped Beach.
Pilua lifted her eyes from the floor and stared at him. ‘Is be what I is say. Is be something you is not understand?’ Beach lowered his own eyes at this onslaught of dignity.
‘Go on,’ whispered William. The clearing was quiet now. Even the distant noise of children playing had been stilled. The villagers had lined up around the edges of the clearing to listen, keeping the respectful distance Managua had demanded of them.
‘He is hold out pot for me. I is bend my knee for lower myself and is take pot. At this moment I is hear noise behind me. I is turn. One of they other two is give third one he rifle. He is undo he – he—’
‘Belt,’ whispered William.
‘Yes, he belt. He leg clothes is drop on ground. He is show me he pwili. I is be too shock for think clear. Is be thing of great disgust for man is do this. I is never expect for see such thing in my whole life. I is drop pot. Pot is land in water. American in water is jump on bank and is grab my arms. He is push me on ground. One who is undress is lie on top of me. I is struggle, but other one is hold my arms, like so—’ here she extended her arms above her head. It made her look suddenly young. She had the careful intensity of a child explaining something. ‘One on top is enter me. Is make fug-a-fug. I is turn head one side so I is not have for look in he eyes. He is call me names. I is not remember words. Most of them I is never hear before. I is look in eyes of other one, not one who is hold my arms, but one who is hold they rifles. He is smile at me. I is stare in his eyes for ask him what for he is allow this for happen and in end he is not can stare back. He is turn eyes away.
‘When soldier on top of me is be finish, he is get up and is dress heself. Then he is go take rifles from one who is hold them. Then that one is undress and do same as first one. That is be how is happen. One is make fug-a-fug, one is hold rifles and one is hold me. I is lie there and is not can believe this is be happen for me. All I is can think is one is hold rifles, one is hold me, and they is treat guns with more care.
‘When third one is finish first one is start again. He is do other things against me, things I is not ever dream man is do with woman. One who is hold me is lose grip for one moment and I is try for get free. One who is do things is hit my mouth with he fist. Is knock out tooth.’ Here she lifted her upper lip to reveal a gap between her teeth, although in fact there was almost no gap now, the adjoining teeth having grown together to close it, but you could tell there was a tooth missing because of their crooked alignment.
‘My mouth is bleed. My nose is bleed. Every part of me is bleed. With this blood I is feel all my dignity is drain from me. All my strength is be in that blood, all my hope is be wash out of me, all my future is flow away.’
‘And when it was over?’ asked William. ‘How did it all end?’
‘When they is all finish, when they is not can think of any new things for do with me, one of they who is hold me from behind is move he hands from hold down my shoulders and is put they underneath me and is lift me up. He is lift me and I is have no strength left for resist. When I is stand up one who is speak first is jump in water hole. He is take my pot and he is fill up. He is climb out from water hole and he is lift pot on my head for I is carry. He is smile. Is be a kind smile as if nothing that is happen is happen. “There is be you water,” he is say. I is lift my hands for make sure pot is be firm on my head. Then I is turn and I is walk away.’