Telesa - The Covenant Keeper (23 page)

“Leila, are you alright? If you don’t wish to accept the carving, I will understand. I can hold on to it for another time. For when you’re ready?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I like it. I would like to wear it. Thank you. It’s just that, this …” I waved my hands at the richness around us, “all this, it’s a bit much to take in all at once. I used to dream of having a mother you know. I used to pester my father to marry again and once I even signed him up on an online dating service.” I smiled at the memory. “He thought that was hilarious. And he even let me help him pick some possible listings to go on a date with. And then I hated them all in person anyway and he thought that was even funnier. Nafanua, I appreciate this, I really do. I just need time to take it all in.”

“Of course, I understand. We have all the time in the world. And you will find that I am a very patient woman, Leila. Now, come, it’s getting late and we both need sleep.”

Together, we moved back into the house, Nafanua pausing before going to her rooms.

“Oh, we won’t see each other in the morning. I will be off early on a project with my sisters. But Netta will be here to prepare breakfast. You can find your way to school from here can’t you? You won’t get lost? And if you are here tomorrow evening, there will be a dinner with my sisters.”

“Well, school finishes at 2:30 so I can get back here before 3 unless I get put on detention or something. I’ll try not to be late.”

Nafanua waved an airy hand carelessly. “Leila, one thing you must get clear. I don’t know what it was like to live with Matile but here in this house, everyone comes and goes as they please. You have the car. Take it where you will as you need it. You are not a child. I don’t expect you check in or out. I am glad that you are attending school because I think Western education is important but if you change your mind, you certainly don’t need to go. I’ve opened a bank account for you, here’s the card. So if you need money for anything, it’s there.”

Before I could protest she held up her hand with finality. “Leila, remember what I said to you earlier. I have been denied the choice of being in your life for 18 years. Please allow me some choices now. It’s not much. A home to stay in. Netta’s finest cooking for you to eat. A car to drive. Some money for expenses. At least allow me that much. Your father’s choices denied me your childhood, please allow me to do something to help you now!”

I couldn’t argue with her. How could I? Instead, I silently accepted the money card, resolving never to use it and went upstairs to bed. It was a night without dreams. A night without tears.

* * * *

The next day at school I was bursting with excitement, eager to tell someone, anyone, about the new development in my life. Well, I amended, I would be honest, not anyone, I wanted to tell Daniel about my visit with my mother. The morning classes dragged interminably. As soon as the bell rang for break, I was up and out of my desk, so quick that Maleko whooped as I bolted past him, “Hey, Leila where’s the fire, girl?” I ignored him, too impatient to even poke my tongue at him.

I walked quickly to block C where Daniel had English class, and couldn’t stop the huge foolish grin when I caught sight of his red gold perfection. I had to stop myself from breaking into a run as I moved towards him. There was an answering smile on his face as I came to a halt in front of him. Suddenly, awkwardly shy. “Hi.”

He had one eyebrow arched quizzically. “Hi, why do I feel like I’m in trouble or something? You look like you’re about to explode. You’re not going to attack me about being racist again are you? What have I done now?” His grin softened the words. I laughed, giddily.

“No. Nothing. I mean you have done something, you did do something. Already. Yesterday. When I was upset about that whole surprise mother thing? Well, you were right. And it worked out good.”

My tumble of words stopped as he started laughing, raising up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, hey, slow down. I can’t follow a hundred words a minute you know. Here, let’s go find somewhere to sit down and you can tell me all about it. Slowly!”

Shaking his head, he led the way down the hall and out to a bench under the palm trees swaying beside the rugby field. Once we were both seated, he looked at me sideways.

“Okay, I’m ready. Now let me have it. What’s happening?”

I replayed the previous day’s events, oblivious to the lunch break activity around us. When I came to a stop he didn’t speak. Just regarded me with inscrutable eyes. I waited, feeling foolish.

“Umm, what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m a certifiable lunatic or something? What is it?”

His smile assuaged my worries. “Nothing. It’s just that you’re so different when you’re happy, excited. So alive. When you first came here, I remember, you walked like a half-dead person. You
were
a half-dead person! Or a seriously attitudinal one.”

I narrowed my eyes at him warningly so he rushed to finish his sentence.

“I mean – don’t shoot me yet – what I meant to say was, you’re beautiful. Watching you talk with all the hand motions and the emotions coming out everywhere. You’re beautiful.”

Whatever I had been expecting, it wasn’t that. Shock had me speechless. Stunned silent. What do you say when a gloriously beautiful boy tells you that
you’re
beautiful? If I’d been white, I would have blushed red. But since I was brown, I just sat and my every thought stuttered. I dropped my eyes and longed for a rock to crawl under. Somewhere to hide. So I could process what had just happened. What Daniel had just said.

In the heavy pause, someone called Daniel’s name.

“Daniel! Are you coming?”

We both turned. It was Mele, looking petulant with one hand on her hip. “Everybody’s waiting for you, prefects meeting remember?!”

Daniel groaned and stood quickly to gather his things. “Damn. Sorry Leila, I forgot. Manuia, the Head Girl, called a prefects meeting for lunchtime today and I kind of need to be there. That’s awesome news about your mom though, can we talk about it later today? After school?”

I nodded, just thankful for the reprieve from the awkwardness. The chance to recover from being sucker punched by a compliment
you’re beautiful.
That’s not something I heard often. Correction, that’s not something I heard ever. Double correction, my dad told me I was beautiful all the time, well, he used to. But then he was monumentally biased and not to be believed. A dark scowl plagued me as I walked slowly to join Simone and the others beside the canteen. Because I was remembering that there were other things that my dad obviously couldn’t be believed on either…

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. My feet dragged as I made my way to the student parking lot under the mango tree beside the back tennis court. Not even the sight of the black Wrangler jeep could slice through my dread. I was supposed to meet Daniel here. Daniel who had told me I was beautiful and I still hadn’t figured out how to respond to that. At the jeep, I chucked my gear in the back and unzipped the canvas cover. It was another hot afternoon and I wanted to drive with the wind in my face. I didn’t hear Daniel come up behind me until the long low whistle had me turning.

“Nice ride! Since when do you have a Wrangler, Ms Leila?”

He walked over to run his fingers lightly along the side of the jeep, until he stood far too close to me for breathable comfort. Unconsciously I backed up several steps.

“Oh it’s not mine. It’s my …” I stumbled over the word, “mother’s. Well, it belongs to Nafanua. Just letting me drive it to school since there’re no buses up our way.”

“Oh have you moved?” His eyes were curious.

“Just for a bit. She invited me to stay for a while, so I took her up on her offer. She lives up at Aleisa and I’m just going to hang out there while we talk, maybe till I know a bit more about her. Before I go back. Home.”

A huge smile lit his face, “Hey that’s great Leila, so you’re going to give her a chance? Your relationship a chance? That takes courage, I like that. I’m happy for you.” Then he faked a huge frown. “But can you please not park next to my green bomb next time you come to school? I mean, heck, don’t make him feel bad! You’ll be giving him inadequacy issues next to this beauty.”

The light banter was a relief. It was as if the lunchtime conversation hadn’t happened. I rushed to fill the gaps with more ease. “You want to go for a ride? I’m still not used to driving it yet, so don’t expect Mario Andretti skills or anything.”

“Leila, Andretti driver skills are the last thing I would expect from you, from any girl. Haven’t you heard that female drivers are absolutely shocking?!”

I parried his gibe with a threat. “If you keep that up, the closest you’ll be getting to my Wrangler, is when I run you over with it.”

He just laughed as he lightly flexed and climbed into the passenger seat, making a big deal about adjusting the seatbelt. “Bring on the worst that you got girl, I’m all buckled up and ready for the ride.”

I merely rolled my eyes at his drama and started up the engine. “Where do you want to go?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment then lightened, “I know, let’s go to my place, I want you to meet my grandmother.”

He gave me directions as I drove out of the school compound. Studiously ignoring the curious spectators. I wasn’t sure if they were gaping at the car or the ruggedly beautiful boy sitting in the front seat with me.

I was thankful for the firm grip of the steering wheel, which was the only thing steadying me. I had only limited experience with grandmothers, and they weren’t positive. The thought of meeting Daniel’s grandmother made me feel slightly queasy. And since when did teenagers want to take their friends to meet their grandparents? Back home, meeting grandparents was something only old, engaged people did. I kept quiet and shrugged. Oh well, maybe this was another of those weird cultural habits that I didn’t know about yet? Maybe everyone at school had met Daniel’s grandmother and vice versa? Maybe I was supposed to invite people to meet
my
grandmother? I stifled a giggle as I thought of the First XV traipsing into Grandmother Folger’s white-on-white living room. Sweaty and shirtless. I had to laugh.

Which had Daniel looking at me. “What? What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing. Just thinking about my grandmother back home. I wouldn’t want anyone to meet her. She’s a dragon lady. What’s yours like?”

“We’re each other’s only family. She’s everything to me.” He spoke simply, an obvious truth. “I was born in Tonga. I didn’t know my father, and my mother died when I was a baby. She had been their only child so I became their only son. We lived in Tonga until I was about five, then we moved here. Grandfather was a welder and started his own workshop. I worked with him every day after school. He taught me everything I know. When he died two years ago, I kept the business open. So it’s been pretty much just me and Mama.”

His openness caught me off guard. I snuck him a sideways glance. In that moment, he looked every inch his nineteen years and then some. I couldn’t imagine having to take on a business at the age of seventeen and was impressed again by his sense of responsibility. He spoke so matter of factly about death and the loss of loved ones that I felt almost ashamed of my own struggles to cope.

“So let me get this straight. You run a business, play sport, and go to school? I don’t get how you manage it all? How do you do it?”

“It’s a lot of work – what with school and training – but we’ve got three welders that work with me. So as long as I’m organized properly – I manage to stay on top of things. Grandfather was sick for a long time before he died and so I was already helping out a lot at the workshop. Then when he died, I took a year off school to run the business. I wasn’t planning on going back but grandmother wouldn’t let me give up on school. So we worked out an arrangement so I can still manage the shop and school. I’ve really had to be organized – but then Mama wouldn’t let me NOT be focused! Usually I don’t take a lunch break. That’s when I do my assignments because there isn’t much time for homework after school. The coach was great. I talked to him about my situation so he moved rugby training to the early mornings so I could still be on the team. I
was
going to quit but Mama wanted me to still play – besides, my chances of a scholarship are better if I keep up the rugby. I had a few offers last year for rugby scholarships at some high schools in New Zealand and one in Australia, but I wasn’t prepared to leave Mama. If I can get a contract at the senior or professional level, then I can afford to close the business, take engineering as a part-time student and even take Mama with me. She doesn’t know about
that
part of the plan though – she would hate the idea of moving!”

I didn’t know how to respond. He had clearly thought out every step of his long-term plans for at least the next five to ten years of his life. Clearly, his desire to provide for his grandmother was a key factor in those plans. And his every daily decision
now
, revolved around those plans. I was awestruck at his vision and commitment, which I had never encountered in a teenager before. I thought of the girls in my year at Washington Girls, planning as far as what dress they would buy for their sweet sixteen, how they would spend their graduation presents, whether they would summer in Aspen or Paris. And I thought of my own self-absorption as I had carried out my decision to sell my car and come to Samoa – no matter what Grandmother Folger said or how she tried to stop me. Guiltily, I confessed to myself, that concern for my safety and my happiness would have been paramount on her agenda as she had tried to block my attempts to come here. Sitting there listening to Daniel share his visions and dreams for the future – his future and his grandmother’s
together
– I was confronted by my own contrasting selfishness and an uncomfortable reality. This boy was far too good for me. Thankfully, he distracted me from my morose thoughts. “Turn up here, my house is up this way.”

Daniel lived in Moata’a village, only a few minutes’ drive from school. “Some of the best rugby players in the world come from Moata’a.” he announced proudly as we pulled up in front of a green brick house with a sweeping breadfruit tree in the yard. To the right was a grand old church with gleaming stained glass windows and lacy spires. On the left was a steel frame warehouse with a faded sign blowing in the wind. ‘
Daniel’s Welding.’
The double doors were wide open and a man in blue overalls, his face obscured in a steel helmet, was welding a chain link gate. I stood mesmerized by the golden red sparks as they danced and fizzed on the concrete, and was sorry when the man noticed our arrival and abruptly extinguished the hot blue flame of the welder. Lifting his helmet, his weathered face lit in a smile, he walked to greet us.