The Atua Man: A Novel

After two days and nights at sea, Mata‘i sailed through the Avatoru Pass into the lagoon of Rangiroa, and continued down the leeward shore of the main motu, Tahitian for “tiny island,” and dropped anchor near the Tiputu Pass. The captain and crew dined ashore that night and while Larry talked to the village chief about the weather and politics, the boys encouraged Melanie to tell them more of Larry’s history. She was a good story teller, and the boys were captivated by more than just her story telling.

Melanie confessed that she had never been very close to her father. Her parents divorced when she was two and her mother could not let go of hating Larry. It wasn’t for anything particular; it was just a general hatred.

“Dad worked for J. P. Morgan in New York during most of the ‘50s. He married again and in 1959, quit his job, bought a classic Sparkman & Stephens schooner, and took his new wife back to Tahiti.”

“No. I don’t even know her name. They ended up back in Bora Bora, where Dad formed a hotel company with his former partner from after the war.”

“I don’t think so. I think she was a New York socialite. Dad wouldn’t talk to me about that time. He divorced whatever-her-name-was and sailed his schooner solo to Hawaii where he met my mom.”

“You were born in Honolulu, then?” Jason and David looked at each other, both having the same questions on their minds.

“Yeah, in 1968. I graduated from Punahou School and just got my journalism degree from Arizona State. What else do you want to know?” Melanie was growing resistant.

Melanie looked at the boys, took a breath, and decided to go on. “Mom and I kind of raised each other. She came from a kamaaina family, deep roots in the islands, and Dad loved that. Then he found those spiritual books and no longer cared about anything Mom liked. I barely saw him, and we lived in the same town, except in the summers when he made me spend every August on the Mata‘i in Hanalei Bay in Kauai with his new wife Helen. I think Helen always hated me.”

“Really? I can’t see that in Helen. She was so kind to me,” Jason said. “And, she really practiced forgiveness around Larry.”

Melanie didn’t want to get into that relationship. “I think the reason we didn’t go to Bora Bora and the Leeward Islands is because of bad feelings down there. I know Dad says it’s because he didn’t want to sail against the wind, but I don’t believe it. This whole trip was to show me the islands, so why not those?”

“You dad is obsessed by the Marquesas,” Jason said. “All he talked about while preparing the boat was getting back to those islands before they got ruined by tourism and everything. That’s why he didn’t want to go to the Leeward Islands.”

“My mother, of course. I think there were a number of Tahitians on many of the islands that wanted the French out and were arming themselves. Maybe it had to do with atomic testing, or something. And I guess he got in trouble with the government.”

“If your mom wouldn’t talk about it, why do you think there was something subversive going on?” David asked.

“Well, this Tahitian came up to Honolulu when I was fourteen. I’ve always been nosey, and I overheard him begging Dad for money.”

“Yeah. You know how Dad feels about money.” Melanie grew serious. “Well, the man left angry, shouting that Larry would get it. It scared me. Island people have long memories. Then he left for Mexico.”

“That’s a lot of speculation just because Larry wouldn’t fund someone’s trip to Mexico,” David said.

“I know. I’ve got to watch that if I’m ever going to be a reporter. But when I asked mother about it, she said I was better off not knowing. She could be right.”