The Royal Handmaid (33 page)

They continued walking along and finally stopped and faced the sea. The sun was high in the sky now, and the ocean was beautiful—emerald green with tiny whitecaps breaking and gentle waves rolling in. “I feel like God has put us in this place,” Travis said simply. He turned to her and asked, “How do you feel about it, Rena?”

Rena could not speak for a moment. “I feel like life is just beginning for me, but God can do all things. He’s changed my heart so much.” She turned to him and put her hand on his arm. “And He’s used you to make me into a different person.”

“I like the person you’ve become, Rena.” He put his hand on her cheek and held it there for a moment. She looked up at him, and the two smiled. “Come on. Let’s get back.”

****

For a month Cerny Novak had watched Lars and Charlie turn themselves into drunkards. The native men simply would not refrain from giving them liquor, and the native women apparently had different standards for morality, so the two of them had become womanizers from the very beginning.

Novak himself had tried the drink and several times had drunk himself into insensibility, but always when he awoke, there was something gnawing at him. Finally he realized he could not go on like he was. He had kept mostly to himself and had also kept close watch on his two friends. When he had found them drunk one day, he had taken the pistols away from them, afraid they would shoot themselves, or worse, one of the natives.

He had attended the weekly services and had soaked up
Travis’s preaching and Rena’s singing. He could not understand what was happening to him, but he knew he was miserable and unhappy.

“I’ve gotta get off this place,” he finally muttered to himself, as a scheme began to form in his mind.

It was several days after this that he went to Travis and said, “I’ve gotta get off this island. A ship’s never gonna come by here.”

“That might be true, Cerny. You never know.”

“No, and I can’t wait.” Novak stood there, a big burly man full of determination. “This situation is fine for you and Rena. You’re doing what you think is right, but I’m leaving, and I’m taking Charlie and Lars with me.”

Travis blinked with surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s bound to be civilization not too far from here. All we have to do is build a boat big enough to carry food and water, put a good sail on it, and let the prevailing trade winds carry us right into it.”

“Cerny, you don’t even know where we are. It’s too dangerous. You don’t even know what direction to head.”

“Sure I do. If we go west, we’re bound to hit either Australia or New Guinea. If we miss that, we’ll hit Borneo, but I don’t think it’ll come to that. The Pacific is full of islands, and sooner or later we’ll hit one where the traders stop. I’ve gotta do it, Travis.”

“Do you realize how big of a boat you’ll have to build to hold the three of you plus enough food and water for an indefinite period of time?” Travis asked. “And it’ll have to be stable enough to weather storms.”

“I know the danger, Travis. I’ve just gotta get out of here.”

“You may not make it.”

“Maybe not, but I’m gonna get out of this place one way or another.”

****

When Cerny Novak spoke to the chief through Chip, he
found that the chief was astonished that he wanted to leave, but he offered to help him make his boat. The chief and his sons spent the next two weeks helping Cerny build a small catamaran, and Cerny rigged a sail out of some canvas they had brought with them. Water was stored in empty coconuts that were stopped with wooden plugs, and the villagers were generous with their food. Dried meat and fruits and root vegetables were stored carefully.

Novak had tried to talk Charlie and Lars into going with him, but both men steadfastly refused.

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere. This is a great life,” Charlie said.

“All the women and all the liquor we want,” Lars added. “I’m stayin’ here!”

By late May, Cerny was ready to shove off. He stood beside the new boat as it bobbed with the tide. A large number of the natives had come to see him off, in awe that a man would try such a thing on his own.

Travis made one last attempt to stop him. “Don’t do it, Cerny. I feel like we’re friends, and I hate to see a friend throw his life away.”

Novak’s eyes were sober, but then he grinned. “That’s all right. I’ve decided to let you do something for me.”

“Decided to let me do what?” Travis asked.

“Why, I’m gonna let you pray for me.” Cerny laughed, adding, “Ain’t that square of me?”

Travis put his hand out, and when Cerny took it, he said quietly, “I haven’t waited for permission, Cerny.”

“That’s okay, then.”

Cerny turned to Rena. “You’re a fine lady, Miss Rena. You can pray for me too, if ya want.”

“I will, Cerny.”

Novak turned and climbed into the craft. He quickly ran up the sail, and the wind puffed it full. The villagers pushed the catamaran away from shore, and then they stood in the surf calling out as they waved good-bye.

Cerny returned their waves, and then when he was about
fifty yards out, he called out, “Hey, Travis, I’ll remember what you said about Jesus.”

The villagers waded back to the beach, but Travis and Rena watched until the craft was a mere dot. She turned to him then, with tears in her eyes. “I wish he hadn’t gone,” she whispered.

“So do I, but God can take care of him.” He looked back at the tiny dot. “He’ll have to, I think. But He’s a big God, and He’s on Cerny Novak’s trail.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

A New Day

“Shep, when do you suppose Travis and Rena will come back?” Maggie asked. “They’ve been gone an awfully long time.”

Shep looked up from the fish he was cleaning. “Gosh, I don’t know. I thought they’d be back by now.” As he looked at Maggie, he thought again about how much she had changed since he first met her. His mind went back to the first day on the ship when she had come aboard. He remembered her as an overweight woman who seemed shyer than anyone he had ever known. Since her loss of weight, the bony structure of her face made definite strong and pleasing contours. Finally he shook his head. “You know, Maggie, you’ve changed so much nobody would recognize you for the same woman.”

Maggie smiled, and a small dimple appeared at the left side of her mouth and a light danced in her eyes.

“Well, I lost the woman you saw. You know, Shep, it was like there were two of me. I was so overweight I couldn’t bear to look at myself in the mirror, but in my mind that heavy woman wasn’t me.”

“What do you mean, Maggie?”

“I mean I thought of myself as being slender or, perhaps
dreamed
might be a better way to put it. Under all that excess weight there was another woman who always wanted to get out, but couldn’t. Every morning I’d wake up thinking I’m going to lose weight today, I’m not going to eat so much, but I was never able to keep it up.”

Shep filleted the fish with quick motions of his razor-sharp knife and laid the fillet in a bowl that sat on a simple table he had made. He picked up another fish but did not begin to work on it for a moment. “Well,” he said with a quick grin, “you turned out fine.”

Maggie flushed at the compliment. “Thank you, Shep. You’ve been a big help to me. You know,” she said, “you’re the first man who ever seemed to like me in spite of how much I weighed.”

“Why, sure I did! I really didn’t notice your size.”

“That’s a rare gift you have, Shep. You see past the skin and into people’s souls.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’ll say one thing. You sure have become a good-looking woman.” He tilted his head to the side. “You know, you and me never could have become friends if we hadn’t gotten shipwrecked.”

“That’s true enough. It’s a shame that there are barriers between people.”

“Well, there still are. I mean you’re a fine lady, and I’m just a rough sailor.”

“Oh, Shep, don’t be foolish! Those differences that matter so much in the world don’t matter here at all.” She put her hand on Shep’s arm. “You’ve made me feel like a woman for the first time in my life, Shep.”

He looked down at her hand on his arm. Her hand was tan now and strong, and her arm was firm but slender. The thin canvas she had fashioned into a garment revealed the strong figure of a woman who wasn’t afraid of hard work. He swallowed hard and said, “I guess I never was much of a ladies’ man, Maggie, but I gotta tell you . . . I never knew a woman any sweeter or any finer than you.”

Her eyes misted over at his compliment, and she whispered, “It’s so good to hear that.”

Shep laughed and said, “Look at us out here talking like a couple of teenagers.”

“We’re not so far off, are we? How old are you, Shep?”

“I’m twenty-eight.”

“Well, then you’ll have to be more respectful to me.”

“More respectful? Why?”

“Because I’m twenty-nine, and you’re supposed to be respectful to your elders.”

Shep dropped the knife and grabbed her by the arms. His eyes were dancing, and he said, “You talk to me like that and I’ll turn my elder right over my knee and spank her.”

Maggie began laughing, and she pretended to struggle, but Shep held on to her. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. As he pulled back, she put her hands behind his neck and pulled him forward for another kiss. “There,” she said, “let that be a lesson. You start chasing an old maid and you’re liable to get into trouble.”

“I’m in trouble, all right. I guess we’d better get these fish cleaned,” he said, but he didn’t move. They held each other for a moment, and then he released her and picked up the knife.

He began cleaning the fish, and Maggie saw something was troubling him. “What’s wrong, Shep? Did I do something wrong?”

“You? Why, you can’t do nothin’ wrong, Maggie. It’s just that, well . . . I might as well tell you I’ve had feelings for you, but—”

“What is it?”

He lifted his rich brown eyes, and the breeze was ruffling his wavy black hair.

“I mean you’re educated and a fine lady, and I’m just a sailor.”

Maggie touched his cheek and said, “That doesn’t matter, Shep, especially out here.”

“Don’t it, now?”

Maggie Smith had been lonely all her life, and this man had come to her bringing life, telling her she was attractive, and she could see the love he had for her. “No, it doesn’t.”

“But if we got serious about each other and then we got
rescued off this island and went back to the States, that would be different.”

“I’ll never go back to the States. I’m going to stay in the islands. Even if we get off this one.”

The words seemed to sink in to Shep, and for a moment he could not speak. Then he grinned broadly and said, “Well, in that case, you can look for me to come courtin’.”

“And you may look for me to welcome you.”

Maggie watched as he picked up his knife and started on the next fish. “I’m still thinking about Rena and Travis and Chip over on that island with Chief Lomu.”

“I know. I can’t believe they’ve been gone for four months.” His brow furrowed. “To tell the truth, I’ve been gettin’ a little worried about them.”

“So have I. Anything could have happened.”

“I miss them. I think everybody’s worried,” he said. “Nobody talks about it much, but they coulda been wrecked in the storm that hit the day they left.”

“Somehow I just don’t think so. I think God is in all of this. I think He was in our being shipwrecked here, and it may have been for the purpose of getting the Gospel to Chief Lomu’s people.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Maggie watched as he finished the last fish and said, “Let’s go back. It looks like you filleted plenty for a nice meal.”

“You know what I miss? T-bone steaks,” he said wistfully. “That’s my favorite meal.”

“Well, maybe we can get a T-bone, of sorts, out of one of the goats.”

Shep shook his head and grinned woefully. “It ain’t the same thing, Maggie. It just ain’t the same thing.”

****

Two days after this conversation, Maggie was sitting in front of her shelter sewing a bit of canvas into a bodice. She was sleepy, for it was a warm afternoon, and she had stayed
awake the night before. Oscar had cooked a big meal and afterward they had sat up talking about the Scriptures. The professor had come to know the Lord better in his heart during their year on the island. He had spoken enthusiastically about his favorite subject, which was faith, and the rest of them had listened and then had a talk fest. Maggie and Shep had sat together, aware that the others were curious about the subtle change in their relationship, and afterward they had gone down to the beach and sat watching the moon make its way across the sky. Now she closed her eyes for a moment, leaned back, and dozed off.

A sharp cry brought her out of her sleep, and she looked up to see Pete Alford emerging from the woods, running and shouting. She could not make out his words, but she immediately feared that something must be wrong. Jumping up, she ran over with the others who were converging on Pete.

“They’re here!” Pete shouted. “They’re here!”

“Who’s here?” Jimmy Townsend asked. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s Lomu’s ship—only this time there are two of them!”

“Travis and Rena and the others must be with them,” Meredith said, her face alight.

“They’re landing farther down the beach. Come on, everybody.”

The entire group hurried toward the landing site, and when they arrived, Maggie cried out, “Look, it’s Travis and Rena! They’re in that first boat. And so are Chip and Chief Lomu.”

Indeed, the two catamarans were being steered into the beach. It was low tide, and there was not much surf. Maggie cried out, “Travis—Rena!” and ran to meet them. She was followed by all of the others, and when the first craft nosed into shore, both Rena and Travis leaped out and came running forward. Maggie grabbed Rena, and the two women hugged, and Pete did the same with Travis.

There were several native men on the other boat. She did
not see the other crew members who had left, however, and knew that something had happened.