It was starting to get dark when Sakiya drove up on her scooter and beeped the horn. I went out to meet her but my uncle was headed there too. I hoped he wasn’t going to embarrass me.
“Are you ready to go?” she said.
“I’m sorry, Sakiya, but Derek is not going anywhere right now” my uncle said. “He’s grounded until further notice.” My uncle had custody of me since my parents died with I was only a baby.
“What? Why?” I said.
“Because for one; you stayed out way too late last night and two; her father has forbidden you two to see each other” he said. My uncle was a United States Marine and, although usually very easy to get along with, didn’t want me causing an international “incident” by dating a rich business man’s daughter. He had been stationed in Okinawa, Japan for the last six months, ever since the news came out about the island sinking.
“Mr. McDaniel,” Sakiya said calmly, “father said it would be okay as long as we stayed at our house.”
“Be that as it may, he was still two hours late getting home last night.”
“That is my fault, you see,” she said, “father gave us long talk last night and we lost track of time.” I loved to hear her accent.
I knew she was lying, and doing a good job of it. I just hoped he was buying it. He seemed to think about it for a few minutes before he spoke.
“Where are you planning to go?” he asked.
“We only go to my house, sir. My mom is home and everything.”
“Okay, but this is your last chance, Derek. If you come home late one more time you’ll be grounded for the entire school year.”
“I’ll be back by midnight,” I said and immediately jumped on the back of the scooter and we were on our way. She gave a quick wave to my uncle as she circled the drive and headed down the street. I didn’t know where she was heading but it certainly wasn’t to her house.
We pulled into the familiar park we had been to a hundred times before. Usually on a Friday night the place was overflowing but since the island had started sinking many families moved to mainland Japan. Only a handful of teens populated the place tonight. It was quite enough to hear the wind blowing through the pink cherry blossoms.
I reached to put my arm around Sakiya but she pulled away. We sat on the park bench but her eyes stayed somewhere else. She looked up to the moon just rising and I wondered if she was making a wish or pretending she lived on another planet.
“Derek, we must talk,” she said. Everyone prays they never have to hear those words. They’re evil words that could break someone in half. The only thing left was to pretend I didn’t know what they meant.
“Sure, what’s up”? She finally turned to look at me. She took short breaths as I caught a glimmer of light reflect off a tear.
“We are not moving.” She still couldn’t look straight at me. She stammered the next sentence. “My father was born here as was all his ancestors. He believes it is our destiny to stay.”
“That’s bullshit” I screamed. “He just doesn’t want you to be happy. He’s been trying to break us up since I got here.” I got to my feet and walked around the bench. This wasn’t real. I couldn’t believe a man would let his only daughter stay on this damned island.
“No, that not it. Since he made decision he no longer care if we see each other.”
“You can’t stay here, Sy, it’s suicide.”
“I am sorry but I have no choice. Please say you will stay with me until your uncle is shipped home.”
We went to one of her friend’s house. They had left a week ago and Sakiya knew where the secret key was. The place was emptied save for an old leather couch that had seen better days. It was perfect. We stayed there in each other’s arms all night. When I woke up in the morning she was gone. I knew she would be. But that didn’t stop the pain.
I pulled up to my uncle’s house on the scooter Sakiya had left me. I walked into the kitchen to see Uncle Walt. He was standing by the sink in his camos. The vein on the side of his temple was pounding.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?”
I wanted to tell him to leave me alone. I wanted to be angry with him for bringing me to this place where it’s okay to let your daughter die because you think it’s honorable. But I couldn’t do any of those things. Uncle Walt had always done right by me. I’m sure it’s not easy raising a child by yourself. And I couldn’t afford to be grounded my last few months here.
“They’re…they’re not going,” I said.
Walt knew exactly what I was talking about. There were a handful of families that had decided not to leave their home. It made me think of those people who refuse to evacuate when a hurricane is coming through. Except there was no surviving this.
The island fell another fourteen inches today. The marines are staying until they are the last ones on the island. I’m glad of that; it will give me more time with Sy. Some families will never leave. Their life is tethered to this island.
“Derek” my uncle called. “Come give me a hand.” He was packing up his personal items in an extra foot locker to ship home. Today was the last day the postal service would be running. It wasn’t heavy, especially for him, so I don’t know why he needed my help. We took it to his truck and put it in the bed. I went to go back inside but he wanted me to drive with him.
“It will only take a few minutes” he said. “Besides I can’t take it in without your help.”
I simply nodded and got into the passenger side. When he started the truck the radio came on. It was the same one he listens to at home.
“Do we have to listen to this?” I asked. I wanted to be spending time with Sakiya but her father had her visiting family. If he believed in the after-life so much what did it matter if she saw them now or later?
“Not at all” he said as he turned it off. “As a matter-of-fact, I was hoping we could talk.”
It took all my strength not to turn the radio back on.
“Are you doing okay?”
I just shrugged. I wanted to tell him I was fine. Nothing was wrong with me. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone. But I kept quiet.
“You know you can talk to me, right?” he said.
“I’m fine.” I said. Those words took their toll. Even I didn’t believe them. I just hoped he would stop talking now. I could feel a lump rising in my throat.
“You remember when you broke your dad’s new fishing rod?”
“No,” I lied. This was the first time he had spoken to me about my father in a while.
“You were so afraid he was going to spank you. You came crying to me and wanting me to hide you. You couldn’t have been more than six.” He paused and thought for a minute letting his story sink in.
“You remember what happened then?”
“You told him you broke it.” I said only to get the story over with faster.
“Yeah,” he said. “Your dad was so mad at me. He didn’t talk to me for a week. Not until I bought him a new rod.”
“I didn’t know you bought him a new one. I’ll pay you for it.”
“Nonsense. I didn’t want my favorite nephew to get in trouble.”
“I’m your only nephew.” I hate when he uses that line.
“True, but it doesn’t make you any less my favorite.” That was a new one.
He stayed silent for the rest of the trip. We stopped just outside the post office. There wasn’t a long line like I had been expecting. We unloaded the footlocker with ease and took it inside. The Japanese man behind the counter smiled when we came in the door.
“Ordinarily the postal service does not take packages of this size” he said.
“We spoke on the phone earlier. I’m Mr. McDaniel.”
“Of course. The past couple days the postal service has lifted restrictions on packages for this island.” The two continued to small talk while I headed for the truck. I thought about going for a walk but I knew Walt would worry about me. I got in the truck and was going to turn on the radio but I didn’t have the keys. Life sucked.
I don’t know how long I waited but Walt finally came back. He didn’t say anything. Just started the truck and headed in the opposite direction of home.
“Where we going now?” I asked.
“I thought we could get us some lunch while we were out. What do you say?”
“Fine.”
I wasn’t hungry but why bother saying no? It wouldn’t have done any good. We pulled up to a noodle stand. It’s was a lot like the old diners back home. You sit on the outside on stools under a canopy while they wait on you from inside. Sakiya had taken me here a few times. It had really good noodles. It was owned by an elderly man and his wife who seemed pretty nice. I noticed we were the only customers during the lunch hour. Maybe that explained why they were so happy to see us.
My uncle ordered two bowls of noodles. I wasn’t going to order but he did it for me. The food was ready before Walt could start up a conversation. I was thankful for that. We ate in silence for the entire meal. I only had eaten a few bites by the time he finished his.
“Is that all you’re eating?” he asked.
“I’m not that hungry.”
The owner came over to us and started talking to Walt. I tuned them out as best I could. I overheard the owner talking about how he and his wife will never leave. They have no family and nowhere to go even if they did want to leave. I couldn’t stop thinking of Sakiya. Some of the families that said they would “never leave” ended up leaving as soon as the water came within a foot of their house. I kept hoping that would be the case with Sakiya’s family.
On the way home Walt told me the island had sunk another eight feet. That was the biggest amount so far. It was getting more and more rapid every day. After I few minutes Walt told he had went and talked to the embassy on Sakiya’s account. My hopes started to climb until I saw that look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, son, but she’s not an American and in this country she’s bound to her father’s law. I tried my best to protest but it wasn’t doing any good. The only chance I had was to talk to her father and make him change his mind. I hated him so much.
When we got home Sakiya was there. I could tell she had been crying but she started smiling when we pulled up. Walt made a b-line for the house and I went to see her. She wrapped her arms around me and held me tightly. Even though it had only been two days since I last saw her I missed her deeply.
When I told her my plan to talk to her father she said he would be away for a couple of days. He was helping with the preservation of the temples of the island. Making sure all the relics and scrolls were packed and properly marked for delivery to the mainland.
“Father will think you are honorable to face him but it will not change his mind,” she said. “Let us not worry about what will happen; instead we shall be together until the marines leave.”
As much as I wanted to argue with her I knew we would be wasting precious moments together. She told me there was a dance being thrown by the remaining teens in the area. The parents are sponsoring it; kind of a last party for everyone. It sounded depressing as hell to me but I didn’t care as long as we were together.
When we arrived we discovered we were the only teens left on the island. This only further pissed me off. How could Sy’s father be the only one who was making his kid stay behind? I wanted to go find him right then but she pulled me out onto the dance floor. There were a few adults there but they stayed to themselves.
The music was a little old fashioned but it still sounded nice. It was slow and soft and we danced close in each other’s arms. When one song finished another one would start and it was slow too. The music man, whoever they were, knew we didn’t need any fast music. It was midnight when I took her home.
Walt was waiting for me when I got home. I knew I wasn’t in trouble because I hadn’t broken my curfew. The news was much worse. He told me the marines were being shipped home tomorrow morning. I stood there not blinking, afraid of moving because it might make it real if I moved. He told me the Navy had found a fissure in the fault line below the island and they believed the sinking would be complete any day now. The U.S. had already informed the Japanese government and they were going to issue a final evacuation tomorrow.
I wanted to call Sy and tell her but the phone lines had gone down weeks ago. I asked Walt if I could go back to her house now but he assured me there would be plenty of time in the morning to say my final good-byes.
It was almost four in the morning when I snuck out. I pushed Sakiya’s bike down the street so as not to wake Walt. I drove all around the city. Everything was so deserted. The only life was on the military base and I stayed clear of that place. I wanted to go to the beach where I first met Sakiya but it was long gone. The beaches were the first thing that went. I could almost feel the island sinking beneath my feet now.
I drove the scooter until it ran out of gas. When it finally stopped I was at her house. I knew that’s where I wanted to go all along. I stayed there and stared at the place. It was peaceful. I looked for signs of movement but didn’t see any. I wanted to be there when she woke up and try and talk some sense into her hateful father. I could see the first light of the sun growing in the east.
There was a sudden noise that almost made me fall off the bike. Sirens were going off all over the island. I was confused until I felt it. The island was starting to sink faster now. In the distance I could hear the waves as they made their way over the once dry land.
I looked down the street and saw my uncle’s truck headed toward me. I looked around for a place to hide but I’m sure he had already seen me. Walt was to me before I realized it.
“What are you doing?” he screamed over the sirens and waves coming in. “The Island is starting to sink too fast. We’ve got to get to the plane before it’s too late.”
“Sakiya,” I said with all my breath, my fists clinched tight.
“I know you want to say goodbye but we don’t have the time, son.
“I can’t leave her,” just then I say movement in her house. “Sakiya!”
“We don’t have time for this.”
“This is not honor,” I yelled at the house. “You don’t let your only child die because this is where she was born.” I fell to my knees and kept screaming her name. Walt kneeled down beside me and told me it was time to go. The water was getting close now, only a few blocks away by the sound of it.
I rose up and turned to leave with a final look at the house. Walt took me to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for me.
“Mr. McDaniel-san,” a deep voice called from the house. I looked up and saw Sakiya standing there with her father. I slammed the truck door and ran over to her with Walt right beside me. My only thoughts were of her.
“Mr. McDaniel-san, your son speak of honor when it is not his place. I know right decision for my family.”
“How can you be so stubborn?” I said.
Walt put his hand up to tell me to shut-up but I didn’t want to. I started to mouth off again but something in Walt’s eyes told me to stop now.
“As I was saying, I know right decision for my family. And now I want you to take my daughter with you.” Sakiya’s and my eyes grew wide and I couldn’t believe what he was saying.
Walt asked him if this was what he wanted and he only bowed to my uncle. Sakiya’s mother and come out and was smiling.
“Father, you must come with us, you and mother.”
“Our place is with our ancestors, Sakiya.”
“No, father, please come.”
Sakiya’s mother came over and told her how proud she was of her and kissed her on the cheek. For the next several minutes Sakiya tried to convince her parents to come with us. While she was talking to her mother, her father talked to me.
“You have a long way to travel in your journey to become a man. I am pleased to see you are on the right path. Take care of my daughter.”
With that the island shifted again and Walt made us leave for the base. It took a couple more hours for the island to finish sinking, or so we were told. It took both Walt and myself to pull Sakiya away from her family. I never understood why they wouldn’t come with us. But I’ll always be grateful they let Sakiya leave that place.
Fifty Blue Million 