In
her hut, Marta lay staring at the grass roof; it had been a fitful sleep. Bouts
of fitful tossing were triggered by images of John. She wasn’t sure if he would
fit in, or remain on Irian Jaya, but she hoped he would stay. She couldn’t
believe her feelings for this man, and passed them off as curiosity. After all,
he was fresh and full of conversation. But she had met men and women who came
to visit as evangelical missionaries, preaching for a short time before moving
on. Pilots, doctors and other medical persons came, as well as the Peace Corps
and United Nations workers. None had the allure that John already had over her.
He seemed to own some part of her, and she wasn’t ready to give it over.
She
had to get him out of her mind....her heart. No, she couldn’t admit he had her
heart. She finally rolled from her bed for the short trek to the stream where
she washed. On the way, she saw John and the old man.
She
saw John smile, John get up and trot toward her. He looked like he had also had
little sleep, something she attributed to being in new surroundings. She
wondered if he could tell she hadn’t slept either.
“I
just shared a strange sunrise with that man over there. He is the saddest,
quietest person I have ever seen. What’s his story?” John asked.
“He
does that every morning without fail. He wakes and watches the jungle until the
sun comes up. Several years ago, some of the villagers were kidnapped. He
believes if he keeps up his vigil that his wife and son will return,” Marta
replied.
John
looked back in time to see the sad man shuffle sadly away.
Jeffrey W. Bennett, is the author of Commitment-A Novel and other non-fiction books, novels and periodicals.
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