A Man like His Grandfather

There was no more excitement, so William made his way down the mountain to the village. Most of the men were out fishing everyday so women and children occupied the small village when William returned from his watch. William enjoyed his time in the village. William’s shoulders were sore. He lost a lot of weight and wore only a pair of short paints. William and Rosas did not wear their Army uniforms on the island. To gain strength William would race the boys to the top of coconut trees to pluck a ripe coconut. The boys would wait for William because he made chores fun. The village women would make crafty things to send to Honolulu to sell for money. The younger women would dive in the ocean to gather seashells for jewelry. After two months, William’s shoulder was healed well enough so that he could join the younger women in the ocean. William became proficient at staying underwater for long periods of time, and for finding many valuable seashells. William felt at home in the village working with the women and caring for the children. All the women and children would run to the beach when the men came in with their catch of fish. The men and their women would celebrate a safe return from the sea by greeting each other with a loving embrace. Often the single men would find single women who were willing to greet them with a hug. That afternoon William was looking at the catch with the children. With everyone in the village watching, an old fisherman walked up to William and gave him a hug. The entire population of the village was laughing. William laughed too, but realized that the men thought of him as one of the women. William introduced the men to the ruff and tuff game of American football. He gained the tuff island men’s respect. The women showed William how to make necklaces and bracelets with the shells he gathered by tying and stuffing a string into each shell. William got good at making the jewelry and always donated his jewelry to the village to sell. A young village girl named Alanah asked William whether he had a girlfriend back home. When hunter told her no she returned a necklace to William and said in bad English: “For your Mother.” William wrapped the necklace and put it in a box to send home for his mother. The next time the supply boat came to the island William mailed the necklace with a letter describing how beautiful Hawaii is. William and Rosas slept in the radio tent at night and talked about how much they liked the island. William could have stayed there forever. William watched the supply ship make its way to the island. Normally it was at the beach for a few minutes and left. The ship stayed on the beach. William was wondering why the ship stayed when he heard Rosas and two other voices coming up the path. Rosas and William were being replaced. The island soldiers were going back to the war after six months in paradise.