grazed unperturbed. Hannah felt
completely safe in the company
of this man. He maintained his
businesslike, respectful ways. He
also told her that his wife had left
him many years ago, and he had to
bring up his son all by himself.
Tane promised to see her off at
the airport, and as they said their
good-byes he asked her to come
back.
And so started their romance.
Hannah visited Tane a few more
times, and a year later they were
married in a tropical garden.
Hannah wearing a beautiful
flower crown. She had given up
her home and her job in Australia
to be with Tane and be a mother
to his teenage son, Paulo, who had
the same deep brown eyes and
wavy black hair as his father.
Hannah felt happy to have a
husband again after many years
on her own; and also a young son
to care for. Her own children had
flown the nest a few years ago.
So good to be needed again. She
looked after Tane’s accounts while
he did tour guiding.
Not long after the wedding, there
arrived in the mail a number of
long-outstanding invoices. “Don’t
worry about that,” Tane replied
laughingly when she asked him
about it, “it’s only money. They can
wait.”
Hannah didn’t like having debts
and quietly paid the bills out of
her own savings. Tane never said
a word of thanks. Often, he came
home late, saying,” how lovely to
have wife at home now,” but when
she asked where he had been he
replied harshly that was none of
her business.
‘Business? That late in the
evening?’ she mused but didn’t
dare to press the matter any
further. She spent most of her
evenings alone, sitting on the
veranda, sipping a rum and coke,
and watching the waves chasing
each other along the reef.
One day Tane told her he had to
fly to an outer island to visit some
relatives. “Can I come?” she asked.
“No, you must stay here. I don’t
want you to come.”
“Ok, but I’ll drive you to the
airport, no need to pay money for
a taxi,” Hannah offered, but Tane
firmly refused. Paulo had listened
to the conversation and looked
very confused.
“Ok,” Tane relented, “you two can
drop me off.” As they got to the
airport Paulo and Hannah came
with him to the counter, but Tane
got very angry and sent them
home immediately. Hannah did
not understand why Tane had
become so aggressive and harsh to
her. Lately he had verbally abused
her,” you white people only come
here to take our land,” he had said
at one time. Totally ignoring the
fact that Hannah had poured all
her savings into his business while
Tane would spend big and then
make debts.
Paulo went to spend time with his
7
friends, and Hannah settled down
at a coffee table, still smarting
from Tane’s odd behaviour at
the airport. She picked up a
newspaper from the shelf under
the table, and a white envelope
fell out. Hannah opened it. Inside
were several handwritten pages.
‘My dearest Tane,’ the letter began,
‘I cannot wait to be together with
you again and am so looking
forward to our time together in
the outer islands’ Hannah felt the
bottom of her life dropping out
as she sank to the floor. When
she investigated the next day, her
suspicions were confirmed, and
when she confronted Tane with
the truth about this relationship
with another woman after his
return he became ragingly angry
and beat her viciously — pulling
her hair, slapping her face and
kicking her in the stomach.
Hannah ran for her life.
Now she was saying goodbye to
her only friend, Natia. Soon she
would fly back to Australia to start
a new life.
Hannah’s island dream was
shattered.
Elisabeth Puruto lives on the East
Coast of Australia. She is a born-
again Christian of mature age
and has taken part in a number
of part-time mission outreaches.
At age 67 she obtained her Ph.D.
in Linguistics and is currently
studying for a Master in Divinity.
Copyright E. Puruto 2013.
DOZ Magazine | November 2019