That same evening, in Tagataya three German Army officers walk into Princes Koji’s establishment. The leader looked exactly like Reverend Tenboom, except for the uniform. He walked up to Todo as he stood guard near a door discretely concealed by lush foliage in large pots.
“I vish to see the Princess. She iss expecting me.”
Todo bowed to the officer, but somehow it seemed more mocking than respectful. He opened the door and slipped through before the Germans can move to follow. The door closed firmly in their faces. A few moments later the door opened allowing a young girl to leave, who looked at the three men, hiding a soft giggle behind her ceremonial fan. Todo opened the door wider.
“You may enter.”
As the first officer stepped into the office, Todo stepped past to the bar and closed the door behind him. The remaining two officers, startled, begin to protest. Todo placed his hand on his sword.
“Silence. You wait here.”
Seeing no choice, the Germans step back not knowing what to do with themselves. Todo merely stood there smiling. It was not a nice smile.
Inside, a beautiful woman stepped from behind a desk and moves forward. Some called her Dragon Lady. Others called her a Princess. Both were right. She glided toward the Army Officer with a mocking half smile on her face. She’s wearing a form fitting silk sheath dress that looks like cherry blossoms cascading all the way to the floor. The low neckline and long slit up the side of the skirt teased the eyes away from the woman’s face. Which was the intent.
“Willi, how nice to see you.” She stopped to look him over from head to foot. “You know, I haven’t decided if I like you better in uniform or in your priest garb. Which is the real you?”
“You should consider a man without his clothes, Princess.”
The flash of an instant leer. “Oh, I assure you I do, Willi.”
Willi sputtered. “That is nodt what I meant, Princess. The man is vhat he iss midtout the clothes.”
“I completely agree.”
The mocking tone and knowing smile defeated Willie. The Princess changes the subject. “I trust the arrangements for your vessels have been satisfactory.” Even this business-like query had the tone of another ribald comment.
Willie decided to duck. “Most excellent, Princess. The fuel deliveries have been on time, und most discrete. Our sailors are getting tired of smoked fish, but of course, that iss what ve haff. And the Japanese weapons are almost as good as those of the Reich.”
“What do you know about the American Destroyer at Boragora?” Koji knew this was as much a concern to Willi as to her own interests.
“Would you believe that they are there to collect Jake Cutter?”
“Jake? Why ever for?”
“It seems he iss to return to China. As a Captain in their Army Air Corps.”
“Do you believe that?”
“Nein, Princess. I believe it is a ploy to search the islands.”
“Hmmmm. That … would … seem more logical. Do they plan to carry our Jake away?”
“Not even that. They merely delivered his orders.”
“So much effort for just one man, even our Jake?”
“Exactly, Princess. I believe they are using Jake to spy. If they come here, they could start snooping around our sub tender. I cannot have that. They must be stopped if they come too close. But I cannodt have supposedly neutral Swedish sailors walking about with German arms. Ve would like some assistance mit security on der docks.”
“That can be arranged, I think. My mercenaries could do that - for a price.”
“Of course, Princess. I’m sure the Fuhrer would agree to anyting reasonable.”
“But Willie, I’m always reasonable.”
“Of course, Princess. Just tell me the price.”
The Princess moves very close to Willi. “Let’s consider the man instead of his clothes.”
Later, two Wermacht officers turn from the bar where they stand
waiting, to see Willi leaving the Princess’ office. He is still trying
to get his uniform straight.
“That woman und her demands. Vat I do for the Fatherland.”
The next day, Jake and Sarah ate breakfast on the veranda, enjoying the cool air of early morning. They were both subdued, but trying gamely to carry on a conversation. One of the sailors had, the night before, provided Sarah with a paper with recent baseball scores. Jake was grateful, but couldn’t help wondering what she had to do to get them. A certain innocence had left the relationship, one not knowing how to deal with it, the other not knowing why. Finally they walked down to the Goose and prepared for take-off. As the Goose lifted out of the water of the lagoon, Sarah leaned back in the co-pilot’s chair. Jake, chewing on the ever present stub of a cigar, used the pretense of adjusting the throttles to look over his sleeve at Sarah. He admired the trim look of the khaki slacks and tailored white shirt.
Sarah turned and caught him looking. He flushed and turned away.
“Jake, it’s going to be hard, not flying with you until you get back.”
“I probably won’t be coming back.”
“What?” Sarah turned fully to face him, curls flying. “You just gotta come back.”
Jake held up one finger off the yoke of the Goose’s control column. “Not really. If I get shot down, I won’t be coming back.” He extends a second finger. “If I survive crashing, I’ll probably end up in a Japanese prison camp. So I won’t be coming back then either.” A third finger joins the first pair. “If I survive the war, my unit will be mustered back to the States. I doubt they’ll allow a detour to the Marivellas.”
“Jake! You’ve simply gotta. We’ll all miss you. Think about Corky, ‘n’ Louie, ‘n’ me, and … and Rev. Tenboom. You have to come back to us.”
“I’ll send money for Corky to join me in … wherever I’m stationed.”
“But what about the rest of us?”
Jake looked out the windscreen. “We’ll all just have to get on with our lives.”
“Well, Jake Cutter. You can’t just let all this go. I for one don’t want to even imagine a life continuing with out you.”
Jake looked defensive, and confused. He thought about his personal history.
“Sarah, your life will definitely go on without me.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Well, you’re high society. You’re popular. Men are attracted to you.” Jake’s feeling very uncomfortable with the conversation. There’s nowhere to run in the cockpit of the Goose.
“What do other men have to do with us?”
“Well, you know … “
“Actually, I’m not sure I do!”
“Sarah, I saw the sailor coming out of your room the other evening. Just before your first set.”
“Jake, surely you don’t think I’d … you don’t think we … OH!”
“Well, what am I supposed to think?” Jake’s voice contained more than one question. “You sneaking out of your own room and him a few moments later.”
“Nothing happened. He was up there to ….” Sarah paused.
“To what? Go on.”
Sarah looked at her hands. “I can’t tell you that. He … he knew my father.”
Jake grips the yoke too tightly. “He didn’t have to go to your room for that.”
“Jake, I can’t say any more.” Her eyes pleaded for him to understand.
Jake, staring back out the windscreen denied the appeal. “Fine!”
The rest of the flight Jake kept thinking that he was missing
something. And the silence gave him a lot of time to think. He knew he should
say something but didn’t know what. He saw Sarah off when he landed and
she promised to radio for him to pick her up before he had to leave on the Clipper.
But the conversation is stilted, too formal, and neither was willing to make
the first move to break the barrier grown between them.
When Jake arrived back at Boragora, Josh was loitering on the dock. He’d been pawing through some of the paraphernalia collected, including spare parts for the Goose.
Jake was glad to have something legitimate to be upset about. “Hey, buddy. What do you think you’re doing?”
Josh tried to look innocent. “Doing? Nothing. Just looking around. By the way, my name’s Josh Winters. Do you really call this stuff spare parts? It wouldn’t pass as junk in the Army.”
“We do OK, Winters. Parts are hard to come by out here.”
“Sure. And this is preferable to flying in the Air Corps?” Josh made no effort to conceal the disbelief in his voice.
“I got news for you.” Jake picks up a piece of worn wiring harness. “In China, some of these parts would have looked as good as new. We swapped parts on planes depending on which one had the fewest holes in it that day.”
Josh examined some neat, evenly spaced patches Corky had applied to the skin of the Goose. There’s some interesting patches on that plane of yours.”
Jake didn’t even need to look to know what Josh is hinting at, or spend any time remembering how the holes got there. “Yeah. Sometimes the natives don’t like us.”
Josh decided not to reveal his observation that the “natives” would have had to been behind and above him. Instead, “You know, I’m kinda surprised you came back. You could’ve kept going.”
Jake’s startled. It hadn’t even occurred to him. “Why do that?”
Josh looked at him more closely, suddenly not believing what he was about to say. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you’re gun shy.”
Jake didn’t recognize the lack of conviction in Josh’s voice – he wanted to take the statement at face value. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to be offended with this guy. “No. But I’ve been face to face with the guy trying to kill me, Winters. Can you say the same?”
“Once or twice.”
“All right. Then you know what it’s like. I don’t look for it, but I won’t run from it either. There’re important things to do here as well.” Jake turned to start unloading the Goose and reloading for the next flight.
“Those don’t concern you, Cutter.”
Jake stopped lifting one box to turn and look at Josh. “What would you know about that?”
“Oh, Nothing. This just isn’t where you’re supposed to be.”
Jake picked up the box. “Pal, where I’m supposed to be is not any business of yours.”
“Guess not.” And Josh walked away leaving Jake mystified
and angry. He starts unloading some boxes from the Goose to work off his anger.
Return to the Monkey
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