The Empty Hammock (22 page)

Colón flinched and dragged his hand away. She looked in his eyes and smiled. “What’s your real name?” she mouthed.

Colón fainted again; stayed on board his ship for the day with his eyes closed in prayer. When he was leaving the island of Santiago, he saw her, she stood at the beach side awaiting him, “Cristóbal Colón,” she called out.

He spun around.

“Non confundar in aeternam –– “I will not be forever confused.” She winked. “Those are the words on your headstone.”

He fainted again, this time she was not around when they found him.

Colón and his men left the village that very night. His men treated him wearily, jumping to do his bidding, afraid that the madness would make him snap. But he went on to explore other islands, finally collapsing when he reached Española.

Her words rang in his head; the truths in her statement made him close his eyes in fear and he spoke about her in his fever-induced hallucinations. But no one took heed; they just thought he was too ill to know what he was saying.

******

Juan stayed at the village, which he learned was called Bieke. He tried to talk to Ana but she would just look at him and smile. There was one ship left where they had docked yesterday and only twenty men remained. The men were walking with natives who were supposed to be showing them the source of the gold. Instead, they found a small waterfall in the hills and little pieces of what looked like gold wash.

Juan was wandering around the village taking in the sights and the smells. He offered the Chief a breadfruit plant, which was firmly fixed near his hut in honor of the gesture.

Juan was really looking for Ana but it seemed as if she was deliberately avoiding him.

Pablo remarked on his obsession with her but he growled at his friend. Then he found her, down at the beach sitting under some wild grape trees, she was looking at his ship and pushing her toes in the sand.

He hunkered down beside her and looked toward his ship too.

“Are you going to tell me what you said to Colón?”

She looked at him as if she was weighing him up, and then sighed.

“Does that sigh mean you trust me enough to talk to me too?”

They weren’t in plain sight of his men or any of her villagers. He could force her to talk he realized but he did not want to use force, there was something about her that said he had to treat her gently.

“Okay I’ll talk to myself,” Juan said grinning at her.

She gave him a blank smile in return.

“My name is Juan Perez. I am from the province of Andalucía in Spain,” he looked for her reaction; she still had that smile on her face. “Spain is beautiful too, but not like here, she has her own brand of beauty. She has majestic mountains and coral blue seas. Your weather is better than ours though. I own many ships. We are merchants who trade with Asia and Africa. My father became rich because of the trades and married my mother, a noble lady, and daughter of a Vizconde.”  He paused, “at least nod to say you understand.” He shook his head up and down.

Ana imitated him. He touched her hand but she pulled away.

“Okay,” he held up his hand, “I have three sisters. I had a brother but he died in the war in Granada. That’s where they were driving out the Jews. We are all good Catholics, but not as devoted as Colón. That man prays at least five times a day,” he held up his fingers and counted them for her.

She held up hers and he counted them.

“That’s five. Repeat after me, uno…dos…tres…cuatro, cinco.”

She repeated after him and Juan grinned, he leaned over and kissed her on her lips. “You are muy bella, magnifique, in my language your name means gentle. I would say you are un flor, in bloom.”

She jumped but did not run as he expected she would. She licked her full lips her eyes wide and she turned away from him.

“I am not married nor do I have any one waiting for me back home.” Juan whispered behind her. “I am sorry about the kiss. I know you are married to the Chief, Ana,” Juan said seriously, “I want to take you back to Spain with me. I know this may sound ridiculous but I have not felt this way before. I saw you and I wanted you. Please say something.”

Ana continued to ignore him, her heart breaking, he was so handsome in his little historical costume. She was attracted to him but she loved Orocobix. Just a few days ago she wanted to stay in the past for him. Then there was her undeniable attraction to Guani, who had looked at her with sad eyes, when he left for Maima.

If she went to Spain with Juan she would probably never wake up from this dream. The Spanish were the enemy here, how easily she had forgotten that glaring fact. It would be prudent for her to pretend that she was ignorant of the language and that Colón was indeed hallucinating. After all, didn’t history record him as going insane in his latter days?

As for Juan, this want of her, as he put it, would just have to disappear. The little part of her that enjoyed his kiss, she tried to squelch.

Juan stared at her, she was thinking deeply. Sometimes she would bite her full pink lips and fidget with her hands on her lap. At times she would gaze at him deeply and then hesitantly look away.

Right now, she was gazing at him with a sort of regret. The feeling that she understood everything he had said came back to him swiftly. He was not leaving this island without her, that was for sure. When he sailed tomorrow, she would be with him.

She was his destiny; the silken strands of connection had called him, all the way from Cádiz in Spain, to this new land.

******

“So are you going to do it?” Pablo asked Juan, as soon as he came back on the ship.

“What?” Juan asked absently.

“Carry the slaves for Colón.” Pablo said eying his friend.

“No,” Juan said shortly, “I know the Queen won’t be pleased with that idea, but there is no talking down Colón from this imprudent venture.”

“What about the King?” Pablo asked following Juan into his cabin.

“No,” Juan shook his head again, “the King listens to Isabella most of the time.”

“Well you know them best.” Pablo straightened his collar. “Colón asked Méndez before they left this afternoon.”

“Méndez will do it,” Juan snorted, “he is hungry for gold and he doesn’t care how he gets it.” He sat at his desk and leaned back in his chair, he was mentally exhausted. He had never felt so disconcerted by a woman before. He could see her big brown eyes staring at him wisely. He was carrying her to Spain; she was the only human cargo he was bringing back for his personal pleasure.

“You are thinking of the girl again, amigo.” Pablo shook his head. “First Colón goes berserk and then you.”

“No, I told you about her writing the date in the dirt and then Colón heard her speak.”

“In our language? I always thought that Colón was a little bit loco. Today proved it.”

Juan ran his fingers through his short black hair and sighed, he wanted to go back home. The new world was getting old. Half the men who came to the new world were already sick. They were stupid to stay. He had enough gold as it was. Spain was not that bad, and besides, he was an only son of a wealthy family. He was tired of this adventure. Maybe, his adventuring days were over. He was not as keen as Colón to find new countries for Spain. These islands didn’t have much gold anyway, when the men found this out, Colon would have hell to pay. What the little islands had, were people who were alternately hostile and accommodating.

“You are dreaming again,” Pablo watched Juan, “whenever I bring up her name you have a far away look in your eyes that I don’t trust.”

“I like her,” Juan frowned, “she knows me.”

Pablo laughed hitting his thigh repeatedly, “‘she knows me?’ Juan she is a native, you met her yesterday. She is a bit more attractive than the rest, but she is a Tay…no, or whatever they call themselves.”

Juan shook his head. “She is mine. I am leaving for Española tomorrow. I am going to get the cargo that Colón has for Spain and leave.”

Pablo nodded. “I have a hankering to stay but I will come with you, maybe I will come back when this place is more settled. I am reluctant to catch the bug that has some of the men on Española groaning.”

“They groan over everything,” Juan said savagely, thinking of the young royals who had come to the new world with wide-eyed wonder and bloated egos. “I am so happy my vessels are made to transport goods not people. They would drive me crazy. As it is, I am not looking forward to carrying those dogs, which the men said tasted like goat meat. It seems slightly sick to me, to eat them.”

Pablo got up to leave. “I hear a certain native calling me in her language.” He grinned at Juan. “Quench your thirst with some other girl and leave that one alone.”

Juan smiled slightly and watched his friend leave. For the first time in his life he could not do that. He could not stop thinking about a woman.

CHAPTER TWENTY- EIGHT

“Ana,” Orocobix stood behind her as she stared out at Juan’s ship. He had stormed off to his ship after Basila had found them sitting under the trees. Basila had given Ana a sad look as if she knew all the thoughts that were floating around her head.

Ana looked at Orocobix for a long while, he was still her handsome Cacique: bronzed, tall, gentle and yet she sensed defeat in his stance.

“What’s wrong?” Ana asked stealing herself against the answer.

“You,” Orocobix’s long eyelashes lowered over his eyes and he squeezed Ana’s hand.

Ana moved closer to him and hugged him. She didn’t need to say anything; she knew that he must have heard that she was alone on the beach with the white man. His body stiffened and he released a shuddering sigh.

“I love you,” he whispered in her hair, “I loved you even when I thought you were not right in the head.”

Ana looked up into his eyes, “I love you too.”

He stared at her intently, until Ana felt uncomfortable. “Don’t you believe me Chief?” Ana asked playfully.

Orocobix smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yes I think so, but I think you are too friendly with the pale men. Especially the one you were seen with on the beach.”

Ana stepped away from her husband, “he wants to take me to Spain with him.”

“Never,” Orocobix said savagely. His eyes blazed with a vicious light and he tightened his fist. “I will never let you go.”

Ana quivered at his determined stance.

“I am going to ask my men to keep a watch on you.”

Ana frowned. “Orocobix, you do not have to be so jealous. They will be gone soon anyway and will not return for many summers.”

Orocobix stood straighter. “You are mine. That pale duck-smelling man, who seems as though he wants to eat you alive, will not touch you. Neither will Guani, the young pup.”

“Are you going to be joined with Tanama?”

“No,” Orocobix said abruptly. “My mother was pressuring me and I merely said I will see.”

Ana nodded.

They stood together in silence.

Orocobix felt out of control, the strange men were tramping all over the village enquiring about the yellow stones that they put around their necks. That was the only thing they were interested in.

The pale one with the mosquito bites and very light eyes, who seemed to be the leader, had left looking at Ana as if she was from the spirit world. He seemed eager to leave the island.

The one whom he did not trust, who looked at Ana with such intensity was still here. Orocobix felt the stirrings of war in his heart. He must be half Carib.

He smiled at his thoughts and Ana leaned toward him relieved.

She could not believe that she was in the middle of history in the making. She wanted to find out more from Juan about the present century but she couldn’t speak to him and not create a stir among the Spanish men. They would either fear her or treat her like a performer in a three-ring circus.

She was beginning to trust Juan and was on the verge of speaking to him, when Basila had interrupted them; he had seemed so earnest, as if he really wanted to get to know her.

She was going to see him tonight to do some historical investigating.

******

Juan swung in his hammock on the deck of the ship; the night air was really cool. He could see the stars and hear the lapping of the sea on the side of the ship. He could smell the pungent smoke of the substance that the natives smoked all the time. It wafted in the breeze from their campfire on the hill. They were having some kind of ceremony, their silhouettes could be seen in the night and they were laughing and gesturing to some of the men who chose to join them.

Juan felt bereft. Just yesterday his heart was his and today it belonged to her. He could not bear to sit around the campfire with the rest of his men and communicate by hand gestures to the natives. He could not bear to see her sitting beside the chief, laughing happily while the lights flickered in her chocolate brown eyes.

He was jealous of a native chief. He laughed softly in the night. This man in the primitive wildness of the world had something that he wanted and he was not sure what to do. Should he kidnap her and take her to Spain, the scandal would be fierce. He could just see his mother swooning when he carried her home.