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I glanced at the two burly men standing opposite the front steps of their hut holding sharp spears in their hands.
"How could we do that? Your father doesn't seem to want either one of us out of his sight, much less both of us at the same time."
"It shouldn't be too difficult to stretch your legs for a moment. It's me that he's primarily worried about. He knows you couldn't fend for yourself very long if you ran away. He'd probably be happy if something were to happen to you, so I'd stop pining for you. We just need to find a way to get you out of the hut. Then all I'd need to do is create a distraction and slip away. I know this island better than anyone. There are lots of places where we could hide out for a few weeks."
"I don't know, Te'," I said. "It sounds risky. What if we get caught? Your father doesn't seem like the kind of man to let that sort of challenge to his authority go unpunished. There's no rule of law on this island. It wouldn't take much for him to have me put down. I have a feeling he's already at the end of his patience."
Teuila paused for a long moment as her eyes studied my face. As much as I was concerned for my own safety, I was far more worried about the consequences to her if we got caught. The worst thing would be for her to see me tortured or killed for disrespecting the chief's power.
"Do you think you could find your way back to the waterfall we visited yesterday?" she asked.
"I don't know, maybe. I suppose if I followed the same path—"
"If you can find your way there, I'll meet you in a couple of hours. Worst-case scenario, you can hide out in the jungle and live off pineapples and taro root until your ship arrives. My father won't harm you with other Westerners around. He knows it would just bring more visitors to the island and threaten his position as chief."
I shook my head and sighed heavily.
"But on what pretense would he let me out of the hut? And what if he sends an armed guard with me? How would I escape?"
Te' paused as her eyes darted from side to side.
"We'll need to relieve ourselves eventually. My father isn't such a brute that he'd insist on our doing our business right here on the floor of the hut. You can ask to be escorted to the women's bathing lagoon, then ask the guard to let you take care of business behind a clump of palm trees. When his back is turned, do you think you could climb to the top of one of those trees like I showed you? He'll never expect you to do that, searching the trails and beach for your footprints, not looking up."
I closed my eyes, reflecting back on Te's technique climbing the pineapple tree. She'd made it look remarkably easy, and I was still in decent shape from my regular trips to the gym.
"I think so. But how long will I have to stay up there before it's safe to come down?"
"My guess is that if the guard can't find you within a few minutes, my father will tell everyone to forget about you. He'll be far more concerned about letting me out of his sight."
"And how will you manage that?"
"Let me worry about that," Te' smiled. "I'm very resourceful. Just make sure you find your way back to the waterfall. It's a big island, and it will be very difficult to find each other again if you get lost."
"I can't believe I'm considering this," I said, feeling my heart beginning to pound in my chest.
For the first time in many years, I'd never felt so alive. The idea of running away from an angry tribe on an isolated island with the girl of my dreams was beyond any fantasy I'd ever imagined. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins and the hairs on the sides of my arms standing on end.
"I'm in," I said.
Teuila turned to speak with her father for a few moments, then he paused as he appraised my demeanor. I tried to remain as calm as possible, but I could feel the veins in my neck pulsing like crazy as he glared at me. Eventually, he gave a single nod of his head, then rose to give instructions to one of the guards standing outside the front door.
"Alu," he said to me, jerking his head towards the open door. "Le maua manatu."
"What did he say?" I asked Teuila.
"Pretty much what we expected. He's going to send a guard with you who won't give you a lot of space to maneuver, so you'll have to choose your position carefully. Find one with enough cover to protect your modesty, but also close enough to a tree so that you can climb it without him noticing you. I'll come for you as soon as I can."
"Be careful," I said, standing to exit the cabin.
"You too."
I paused at the door of her hut and looked back at Teuila one last time. I didn't know if or when I'd see her again.
When I got to the base of the front steps, one of the guards looked sternly at me then motioned with his spear in the direction of the women's lagoon. As I walked down the same sandy path where all the tribespeople had welcomed me so warmly two nights ago, I noticed the women and children tracing my movement with vacant expressions.
It looks like I’m on my own again, I thought.
When we reached the edge of the lagoon, the guard motioned to a shallow depression at the edge of the brush.
