He had a surprise for Augusta, but she wasn’t there, so he thought he’d try it on Casina.

“Mayong aga!” He said brightly. He’d learn his Samburan phrase. Good morning!

Casina looked at him with a frown. She wasn’t quite sure of what he was saying, so he repeated it. After three times of changing the intonation and growing more confused, Casina figured out what he was trying to say. Stupid man, it’s afternoon now, not morning.

“Hapon!” She barked at him. “It’s afternoon, not morning. Haaa – poon!” Why was she telling him how to speak Samburan? She shook herself a little.

“Three weeks, I say three weeks!” She admonished him.

Jack had started to smile, Casina was teaching him Samburan and he was rolling the syllables away in his head so he can surprise Augusta. Aga meant morning, hapon meant afternoon. He was strangely thrilled that he was learning Augusta’s language. Suddenly he heard her voice, a memory from the other day, speaking in the sing-song voice to her mother. His smile got wider, softer but Casina thought it made him look like a simpleton.

“Where is Augusta today?” He asked tentatively as politely as he could. He could tell Casina wasn’t too happy to see him. He also didn’t fail to notice how the ladies in the surrounding stalls all tittered in that bird song language, staring at him, obviously talking about him.

“Painting.” Casina smirked. “Your painting.”

“Ah.” It was all Jack could get out. “Well, then. “ He was debating whether to give Casina the message, he wasn’t sure she’d forward it to Augusta.

“I’m going away for a few days, but I’ll be back.” He started to say.

“Buh bye.” Casina interrupted and turned to talk to someone else who had approached the stall. Jack knew when he was dismissed.

“She doesn’t seem to like you does she?” Danny, the accountant asked.

“Not so much.” Jack answered.

“What’s the deal? Usually the ladies all love us here.” Danny said with a smirk.

Jack wanted to hit him in the mouth. But didn’t because he knew he was guilty of the same sentiment. They called it, yellow fever. It was an insult to every woman on the island and for the first time in 18months since he’d arrived, Jack felt insulted too.

“You know, they aren’t all like the boom-boom girls in Mabini.” Jack explained. Mabini was the red light district, known for its strip clubs, bars, pool halls and the gambling dens. Unfortunately, that’s where a lot of the foreign businessmen would go to relax after enduring the grueling heat of this tropical island. They spent their days hot and they spent their nights bothered.

Samburan sits like a fat toad just east of the South China Sea. It’s resemblance to a horny backed toad is uncanny. A ridgeline of mountains cut through the longitudinal length of the large island. There are dormant volcanoes that haven’t erupted in hundreds of years, but the island still sat over a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Earthquakes have rumbled and some rumble so often, watches have been set to 230pm.

A large island with abundant resources including a steady and sturdy river system that they hoped would provide the burgeoning population with some hydroelectric power plants. It was Jack’s responsibility to oversee that the proper materials and work was done to the building specs Jack had helped design for the dams. Danny was there to account for all the expenditures and make sure the Samburan government was billed properly.

The next day Jack, Dan and a translator took the company helicopter up to the mountains. They didn’t have time to waste on the road trip. What would have taken 7 hours by car, took only 2 hours by helicopter. The helicopter didn’t need to wind around the mountain roads that started out as goat passes. It was as the crow flies.

Jack had been on the helicopter plenty of times, it was spacious able to hold 6 to 7 passengers. The three of them would be comfortable. He’d never noticed on the paperwork he’d sign when he’d board that the type of aircraft was listed. He noticed it this time because it sprang from the page like a slap on his face. The corporate helicopter was an AGUSTA A-109.

No shit! Thought Jack as he looked at the words and he laughed. What the hell is going on? What kind of spell has this girl put me under?

to be continued...