Nalani

Ezekiel instinctively understood that such a feat must be unusual for Papuan women and just nodded thoughtfully. "That's truly great, Lehuanani. My parents want me to be a teacher... maybe I will be one after the war."

"Realllyyyy!?!" Ezekiel was now hard pressed not to laugh. Lehuanani was almost swooning.

"Here. You should protect yourself before touching him." That was Kaamia Angara, offering Ezekiel a piece of cloth.

"Huh... Thank you Ma'am. But, how come Towee and his team just carried him without such protection?"

"I'm sure they try to be careful but, anyhow, Towee and his tribe have been exposed to that disease since childhood." The conclusion seemed obvious to her and she left it unsaid.

"Ha... I see. One last question before I go: why did you and Towee all speak in English, even before my arrival?"

Lehuanani answered. "We do not speak Towee's language. There is a multitude of languages in Papua, Ziki... not just dialects, truly different languages. To keep things simple, we all speak either English or Tok Pisin, a pidgin of many tongues, to suit the Australian administrators."

Ezekiel seemed fascinated, yet he had a piece of mind for his ailing comrade in arms, who was barely conscious and quite oblivious to this budding relationship. "I guess I should go. Thank you for your service and for everything that you do. It was a real pleasure to meet both of you."

Lehuanani almost bowed. "Likewise, Ziki. See you soon, I hope..."

Ezekiel was now focused of supporting the sick pilot back to the jeep and already worried about him surviving the short drive back to 3-mile drome with him at the wheel. "So do I... come on, soldier... let's take you home."

They did make it back and Ezekiel never heard again about his brief charge.

2.- Bewitched

Late-June and early-July 1943 saw the Headhunters cover several low-level bombing runs around Salamaua, chiefly in support of an amphibious landing at Nassau Bay. However, these operations did not include Ezekiel, as his current place in the squadron's flight line was that of spare, and as of yet a spare that remained unneeded.

His only outlet to vent his frustration, right after landing, was always Earl Schmidt, his poor crew chief.

Once, while scrambling, an incensed Ezekiel was even ordered out of "his" plane to be replaced by Captain Cragg, as Porky II was not cleared to fly!

Nevertheless, in the greater scheme of things, the squadron was scoring its first kills with the P-38 and learning the tricks of the trade as a unit. So it was with unanimous cheer that the Headhunters were preparing to toast "Porky" Cragg's promotion to major on 6 July, in addition to the Fourth of July celebration that had been delayed due to combat duty.

Therefore, on that morning, as he was pedaling on a standard-issue US Army courier bicycle towards the village, the only regret in Ezekiel Molina's heart was for the prized Alcyone racing bike that he used to regularly travel all over Oahu, from Honolulu to Kawela Bay.

He stopped in front of Kaamia Angara's hut and, before entering, took a deep breath.

(Audentes Fortuna Juvat... come on, Ziki...)

"Hellooo... anybody home?"

Both women were preparing an upcoming meal. Kaamia silently welcomed Ezekiel in; Lehuanani, for her part, instantly smiled and seemed genuinely delighted by his presence.

"Ziki! It's so nice to see you again... how have you been?"

From that very moment, Ezekiel became self-conscious again, inwardly dictating himself to look at Lehuanani's beaming smile. Her breasts were so pert that Ezekiel thought she was some Papuan demigoddess of fertility. He was also trying to act nonchalant despite an embarrassing awakening of his loins.

"Fine, just fine... I've been flying lately..." he saw her smile quickly dim and he felt a pinch in his heart "... but no combat as of yet, so it's a little premature to worry about me." Her smile slowly took form again - Ezekiel had guessed right. "What about you? Not too many wounded or sick to treat, I hope?"

"I find there are always too many... will you eat with us, Ziki?" Kaamia seemed a little anguished at the idea.

"No thank you, Lehuanani. I just came by this morning to... huh... to ask you out tonight; with your mother's permission, of course!"

Her smile was now outshining the Papuan Sun. "I would be delighted, Ziki! Where will we be going out?"

"Only at the airfield for tonight, since we're scheduled to fly tomorrow. We will be celebrating both our Independence Day and our commander's promotion. It's a little last minute, but we'll do our best to organize some dancing." In fact, Ezekiel had been placed in charge of records collection and thus knew that the dance would be brief and mainly feature the recent hits of Glen Miller and his Orchestra.

Kaamia had a severe look of rebuttal, so Ezekiel ended his invitation while looking directly at her. "I would be honored to enjoy her company. As far as I know, the villagers who help around the airfield will also attend."

"Thank you very much for the invitation, Ziki!" Lehuanani was obviously not about to let her mother interfere with her date. "When will you come get me?"

Ezekiel was almost jumping in place. "At... huuuh..." but he still had the awareness to notice the absence of any timepiece in the Angara's hut "... right after sundown. Would that be OK?"

"Of course! See you then, Ziki!" Lehuanani, on an whim, offered her hand, and she was not waving goodbye with it.

Ezekiel, seeing this, blushed deep enough for the red to show on his naturally tanned complexion. He took her hand in his and planted his lips ever so softly on it, as if she was a forbidden fruit of passion. "See you then." He had whispered his farewell like a conspiring thief.

---

On the evening of 6 July 1943, Ezekiel had his sense of wonder divided between the majestic serenity of the sunset over Joyce Bay and the expectations of his first date with Lehuanani. At that moment, war was absent from his mind, his heart and his soul; he was thankful to God for that. He was also very pleased with the result of his search for a flower to offer to his Amor.

As was getting his habit, he knocked beside the opening of the Angara residence. "Lehuanani?"

She slowly walked outside and suddenly there was no sunset: the only stellar body in the universe was standing in front of Ezekiel. Lehuanani was wearing a long sarong tightly wrapped around her breasts and tied with a belt-like vine around her waist. Her evening attire was not grossly woven fabrics, it was a fine white cotton cloth with brightly colored flowers and Lehuanani's dazzling curves were showcased to perfection by it. She had also managed to style her long nappy hair all to the left and was wearing a tiara made of seashells to hold them in place. As a final addition, Lehuanani was wearing four long, golden, round earrings on her right ear, a golden shade over her eyes and a blood-red color on her moist lips.

As she was standing barefoot in front of Ezekiel in full service uniform, Lehuanani had to raise her head a little to meet his mesmerized gaze. "Good evening Ziki... you look very handsome tonight... but you must be so hot under all this clothing!"

Ezekiel completely missed the unintentional double-entendre of her greeting - his conscious mind was barely functioning. "Lehuanani, you are... huh... so... oh God, I don't have the words to describe your beauty... Lehuanani, you are by far the prettiest woman I have ever seen! Thank you for agreeing to be with me tonight. Here... this is for you."

He offered her a large multi-petal flower of many shades of dark pink with a small white iris. She accepted his offering with a grateful smile, smelled its fragrance and then carefully placed it in her hair. "Thank you, Ziki... it's lovely."

Ezekiel then pointed awkwardly towards the aerodrome. "I... huh... I'm sorry, but all the jeeps were already taken by officers tonight. We will have to walk together."

"That's quite all right, Ziki... it's a beautiful evening and I don't mind having you all to myself for some time." She had an impish smile that completely unsettled her date; she offered her hand. "Shall we?"

Ezekiel was befuddled and harboring an appropriately dumb smile. He offered his hand and they started a walk that, they did not know it yet but both secretly hoped, would last them a lifetime. In doing so, both completely forgot to wish good night to Kaamia, who was looking on from inside her home.

"Ziki?"

"Yes?"

"I see that the markings on your sleeve are different from the other flyers. Why is that?"

"Because I am not an officer, which is the normal custom for our Air Force. I enrolled, very young, right after our nation's declaration of war and I had only completed one trimester at College, so the Army selection board sent me directly to flight training. Then I was assigned here."

"How old are you?"

"I turned 19 last February... and you, Lehuanani?"

"I will also turn 19 on September. So, if you are not an officer, what are you?"

"I am a technical sergeant."

"Is that a high rank?"

"Well... yes and no... I got that rank because I graduated first in my class at flight school..."

"Bravo, Ziki! So you must be a very skilled flyer, then..."

On professional matters, Ezekiel realized he was immune to flattery. "We'll see about that; anyway, except maybe for the pay, rank doesn't matter to me... I don't intend to make a career of this."

"You don't? So you are not a warrior, then?"

He chuckled. "No, Lehuanani... I am the only son of pineapple pickers from Hawaii and I fight because it is my duty, just like my father did in World War I." She looked at him with a blank stare and Ezekiel instantly felt like a heel. "Sorry... huh... there was another Great War like this one, involving many nations but not yours, almost thirty years ago. Australia, however, did participate heavily in it, as it does now."

Lehuanani could easily see how he felt. "It's quite alright, Ziki... please do not feel bad... we will talk and I will learn. For tonight, why don't you talk to me about Hawaii...?"

Thus, time and distance did not matter to them, as they were slowly, but very surely, falling in love while walking at dusk.

When the young couple made it to the mess hall, the festivities were already underway: the air was blue with tobacco smoke, multiple inebriated clamors were heard over the gramophone and there were so many people dancing over A String of Pearls that they looked like one gyrating human mass. Ezekiel, when told that their leader was about to be toasted, accepted a glass of punch - which Lehuanani wisely chose to refuse - and they inched their way towards the table where Major Cragg was holding court. Greetings, congratulations and thanks were exchanged.

"Do you want to dance, Lehuanani?" A new record was just beginning, and its fast tempo was greeted with universal approval.

In truth, looking at the improvised dance floor and the crowd, she was dreadfully afraid for her feet, but Lehuanani shuddered at the thought of disappointing her first date. "Of course... what music is this?"

"It's swing... the song is called American Patrol."

"How appropriate!"

Ezekiel laughed heartily and, delighted to discover that his date had a witty sense of humor, joined his body to the swinging mob. Lehuanani, however, was continuously surprised by her paramour's groove: Ezekiel, who knew by heart and obviously loved the song, kept on loudly mimicking the trumpets on all the brass accents and miming the drum rolls with his hands. Gone was the shy son of pineapple pickers and, for her own safety, she danced at arm's length from him.

After the song, the Headhunters toasted their newly promoted battle leader. When Ezekiel swallowed the punch that he had kept handy for the occasion, his face squinted and his lips visibly shrank.

"What is it, Ziki? Is everything all right?"

"Eurghhh... this stuff is awful! And it's spiked!"

"You drank spikes?"

"No... alcohol was put in the punch... a lot of it, I think..." Ezekiel had a visible flash of insight and looked at his watch.

"What's wrong now?" Lehuanani feared that her first night of adventure was about to be cut short.

"We're on the board tomorrow... we'll be flying... we shouldn't be dr..." but Ezekiel, looking at the revelry all around him, realized the futility of air discipline at the moment "aaah, crap... never mind... dance with me some more, please."

Ezekiel silently led Lehuanani back to the dance floor and quickly immersed himself in the new song. He sang while trying to dance. "I've got a gaaal, in Kalamazoo-oo-oo!"

Lehuanani's heart was crushed. "Do you?"

"Nooo, sweetie! You're the first girl I ever asked out in my whole life! It's just the lyrics of the song!"

Lehuanani joined in his booming laughter, with a slight tone of embarrassment. The intensity of her emotions, including an ardent thrill from being called sweetie, troubled her. Then she noticed, near the end of the song, that Ezekiel had turned deadly serious, as if mentally solving a complex problem.

"Ziki?"

"Mmmm... oh sorry! It's just that I know this record, and the other side is..." he cut his thought short as he noticed that the designated disk jockey was indeed turning the 78rpm record on its B-side. Ezekiel was now seemingly standing at attention in front of a completely mystified Lehuanani.

A much slower melody started and Ezekiel asked solemnly, while offering his hand. "Lehuanani, may I have this dance, please?"

"Of course, Ziki... but how do we dance this?"

"It's a slow foxtrot. Here... place your hands like this..." and in no time they were both carefully dancing a modified waltz. Ezekiel was in heaven, inwardly thanking his mother for patiently teaching him social graces and bedazzled by the pure beauty in front of him. Lehuanani was still flustered by all this novelty, but also euphoric from seeing the very obvious joy in her partner and leading man.

Whatever was her uncertainty towards her emotions, she had an epiphany when Ray Eberly started singing. Lehuanani was stunned by the lyrics.

- At last my love has come along

- My lonely days are over and life is like a song

She whispered in wonder. "This is beautiful..."

Ezekiel was equally captivated. "It certainly is..." he had whispered right back, looking straight at her with beatitude.

- I found a dream that I can speak to

- A dream that I can call my own

- I found a thrill to press my cheek to

It was as if Lehuanani had heard an order: she slowly pressed herself against Ezekiel. Her cheek was now leaning on the top of his chest and she heard his heartbeat quicken. She was nestled inside his arms and Ezekiel was on the verge of panic: he was mindful of her feet, which were now wedged between his, and he was overwhelmed by the feeling of her breasts pressing against him, full of softness and with the exciting tingle of her hardening nipples. Lehuanani was just as shocked by the touch of his bulging groin against her. Both were breathing heavily and silently sharing their undeclared and unspoken desire.

- You smiled, and then the spell was cast

- And here we are in Heaven

- For you are mine at last

When she realized the slow dance was about to end, an urge overtook Lehuanani: she stood on her feet and nervously planted her lips on his. The electricity of this first contact was evident to both of them, but Ezekiel was stopped short from responding by the loud howl of approval and the wolf whistles erupting from all around them. Both of them realized then that few couples had slow danced so, in effect, their discovery of love had been an open spectacle for the celebrating crowd.

They smiled in merry guilt before dancing on Chattanooga Choo-Choo, this time closer to each other and with more assurance.

However, Ezekiel's train would obviously not be reaching Tennessee. He visibly paled and, when noting her questioning look, he admitted in shame "I need to go outside..."

She followed in silence, under a brief ovation from the more inebriated seated cronies. She could hear the overlapping cheers. "Go go go, lover boy! Show her a good time! Make sure your dingus doesn't turn blue, ha ha!"

Ezekiel took no notice, however, and kept looking for a place to both sit down and vomit if need be. At once, Lehuanani became again the helper of the village healer and took her flower out of her hair. Her voice was even and tender. "Was it the spiked punch?"

"I think so yeaaa... oh Annie, I'm so sorry!" Ezekiel was falling into a drunken misery and felt the need to explain. "Me, my family... we're all teetotalers!"

"What does that mean?"

"We never drink alcohol."

"So the punch was your first time?"

"Second time, actually... Earl... my crew chief... got me to drink some bourbon tonight, before I left for your home... to settle my nerves..."

"It will be alright, Ziki... here, eat this..." she handed him two of her flower's petals crushed into a pink mush. He ate without hesitation and the effect was immediate: Ezekiel retched all over the high grass. She kept on reassuring him. "Mother and I use impatiens to treat belly aches and many other sorts of minor ills. You will soon feel better."

"Thank you Lehuanani... and I apologize... I ruined all this... it was so beautiful!"

"Chhht... it still is, Ziki... now, while you catch your breath, please tell me why do I make you so nervous that you would drink alcohol for the first time?"

"Are you kidding? Have you even looked at yourself? You are the prettiest woman on the airfield right now, certainly of the village, probably of the whole world! And you're smart and a kind healer and... I'm nobody next to you! Even now, when we were dancing, I was expecting to have dozens of guys cut in to dance with you!"

"No Ziki... you have got it all in reverse: you are the first man to ever ask me out, or speak to me with heartfelt kindness for that matter, and you are making me extremely happy tonight..."

"I'm the first? That doesn't make sense, Lehuanani..."

"Oh, but it does, Ziki. To the soldiers, to paraphrase one who came to us for help and discretion, I am one who can make balls fall off. To the people of Papua, I am a sanguma."

"I remember Towee calling you that... what does that mean?"

"A sanguma is..." she sighed in resigned apprehension "... a witch, in English. We are not to be trusted and, if accused of kaikai lewa, we will be tortured to stop it... maybe even killed outright. The gift is supposedly passed down the generations and I am the daughter of a witch." She had said that in shame, like if she was stricken with leprosy.

Probably due to the alcohol slowly washing away, Ezekiel was now quite relaxed and rationally discussing this. "Accused of... what did you call it?"

"Kaikai lewa... a curse: eating a man's heart to capture his virility."

"Ho... I see... is it part of your religion?"

"No, Ziki. I am a Roman Catholic... like many in Papua. But the roots of the old wisdom are strong and its beliefs have... blended in."

"Well then... if we all worship Jesus Christ, surely you could explain to people that it's all rubbish..."

A slightly wicked smile emerged on Lehuanani's face. "But it's not rubbish, Ziki... I AM the daughter of a witch."

"Okeeeeee!" Ezekiel looked at his watch and got up. "Come with me, please, Lehuanani."

"Where?"

"To my barracks."

"Whyyy?" Her smile was replaced by tense apprehension.

Ezekiel was maybe slightly numb, but not dense. "No worries, sweetie, my intentions are entirely honorable! I'm going to sleep soon... I'm on the board, remember? I want to properly kiss you good night and I certainly won't do it with this vomit breath! I need to brush my teeth..."

Lehuanani stopped breathing and felt her heart wanting to burst out of her chest. "Kiss me? Ziki, you want to kiss me after what I've just said?"