“What do you mean?” Hoku’s ministrations moved to her long neck. As he massaged her, his fingers encouraged her to speak her heart.
Yoyin sighed. “Being able to focus on physical pain distracts me. It’s more tolerable than emotional anguish.”
“Your suffering is over,” he said firmly.
Yoyin knit her brows together, considering his words. She wanted to believe him. Her thoughts strayed to the disquieting dream about her sister. “My sister came to me in a dream last night. She helped me,” Yoyin whispered. “In the dream, Amelia carried me to safety.” Yoyin sighed and shook her head. “In real life, I did the opposite. She needed me, but I did nothing to save her life. I stood by and let her die.”
“What happened?”
“We…my sister…” Her voice broke. Summoning the courage to tell the horror of her past, she cleared her throat. “My sister and I were on vacation in northern Ghana. We were visiting our father’s people,” Yoyin began. “My mother is white and from an extremely wealthy family. She inherited an immense fortune.” She paused for a moment. “I’m next in line.”
Hoku nodded.
“Though my parents were from different cultures, they fell in love. My father was a poor young man from Africa…Ghana. He became a football player, or soccer player as the Americans say. That’s how he met my mother. He’s considered an icon today.” Yoyin gave a wistful smile. “I’ve seen my father on television. His image is plastered on numerous products that he endorses, but I haven’t set eyes on him in person since I was a young child.”
“Why not?”
“My mother blames him for Amelia’s death. She stripped him of his custodial right and forbade him any visitation with me. It wasn’t his fault, but the courts agreed with my mum.”
“I see.”
Yoyin ran a hand through her hair. “Before the trip, my sister and I were never introduced to my father’s side of the family. We’d never visited Africa. He wanted that very badly, and we—Amelia and I—were eager for the adventure.”
“They need to know their heritage,” Yoyin’s father insisted.
“Why can’t they stay in the city in an air-conditioned hotel? The girls aren’t sturdy enough for rural life. All those bugs and that stifling heat will traumatize them for life.” Worriedly, her mother’s eyes darted around the room.
Her father laughed. “I grew up there, and it was good enough for me. Two weeks in the Motherland will give my daughters a taste of their African heritage.”
“Please, Mum!” Yoyin and her sister both squealed.
Yoyin shook her head, shaking away the horrific images before they appeared in her mind. “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s too horrible.” Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“You don’t have to speak.” Hoku reached for the pitcher beside the bed. He poured a cup for himself and Yoyin. “Drink, my love,” he said and then turned the cup to his lips.
Thinking the cup contained water, she took a generous sip. Startled by the tart taste, a puzzled look flashed in her eyes.
“The drink will put you in a relaxed state. The chef’s assistant prepared the elixir.”
“Louis?”
“Yes, his gifts exceed his culinary skills. He’s also a respected shaman.”
Awed and somewhat ashamed, Yoyin lowered her head. Despite her obnoxious behavior, Louis had treated her with tremendous kindness.
“Trust me, my love. Drink,” Hoku persuaded.
She drank the sharp-tasting liquid, emptying her cup. In an instant, Yoyin felt a woozy sensation. Somewhat dazed and a little frightened, she reached for Hoku.
“Lie down with me.” Circling his arms around her, he eased her head on his broad chest. “Close your eyes. Speak to me with your mind.”
“I don’t know how…”
“I’ll help you.” Hoku began a soft chant. The vibration of his voice guided her into an altered state, allowing her to revisit her father’s village. Her spirit lifted from her body, spiraling backward in time. She observed herself seated inside a hot, uncomfortable clinic.
She saw herself fidgeting and frowning. She was sitting on a hard bench next to her stone-faced auntie. The sight of her stern auntie made her recoil in terror. The next second, she heard Amelia screaming. Something was terribly wrong. Both sisters abhorred physical exams that required immunizations, but neither girl ever screamed with the volume and intensity that Amelia did.
Repeatedly, Yoyin beseeched her auntie to go look in on Amelia, to peek inside the unsophisticated cubicle serving as the doctor’s office. Growing more concerned, Yoyin stood up and yelled, “Stop! Amelia had a physical before we left England. We both did. Our inoculations are up to date. My mum said so!”
But her auntie scowled and yanked her down to her seat. “England is not Africa,” her auntie scoffed. “Your father has forgotten the ways of Africa. He’s raising you as Europeans. It’s my duty as your auntie to make sure that you and your sister know who you are. You’ll return to England as proper African girls.”
When her sister stopped screaming, a chilling fear washed over Yoyin. She tried to wrench her arm from her auntie’s grip.
“Stop acting like a baby. Behave yourself. Sit still and wait for the doctor to call your number,” her auntie chastised, clenching her arm. Her auntie’s fingernails dug angrily into Yoyin’s tender flesh.
Tears spilled. “I want to see Amelia. Something’s wrong. We have to help her!” Yoyin looked around at the other adults who were accompanied by innocent-faced, little black girls. Numerous pairs of dark eyes hardened and then glanced away from the obstinate child.
The silence on the other side of the cubicle frightened her even more than Amelia’s screams. Propelled by fear, she became much like a ferocious animal, scratching and growling at her auntie, trying to break her painful grasp.
“Amelia!” Yoyin shrieked and found the strength to yank her arm free. She raced to the quiet cubicle and ripped back the curtain. Horrified, she observed an elderly man with wrinkled, black leathery skin standing over Amelia’s still body and reciting mumbo jumbo. Yoyin’s seven-year-old ears realized that this was no ordinary doctor. His medical tools were blood-encrusted and crude implements—torture devices that had been used on her helpless sister.
Frozen with fear, Yoyin’s eyes shot to the blood that soaked through the white sheet covering Amelia. The blood stain grew wider and was located at the apex of her thighs. Amelia was mutilated. Her genitalia had been cut out and disposed inside a rusted metal bowl. And this was done at the request of her auntie who believed that she was helping Amelia change into a proud and clean young African woman.
Against her mother’s better judgment, Yoyin and her sister had traveled to their father’s country. Her mother, having never heard of the centuries-old custom of female genital mutilation, thought mosquitoes and tainted drinking water would be her privileged daughters’ greatest dangers.
The cruel practice was rampant and was conducted openly. The screaming girls were looked upon with the indifference of a child yelling while being given an inoculation.
The man with the crude blade and Yoyin’s auntie considered Amelia’s demise as an unfortunate accident. Yoyin was still expected to take her turn. It was their custom. But she broke free from her auntie and ran from the clinic. Yoyin ran and ran, leaving her sister, cold, alone, and mutilated on the table of a witch doctor.
Under the intoxicating influence of the elixir Hoku had given her, she traveled ahead in time and sadly watched her father being banished from the family mansion, witnessed her mother grieving for Amelia, and observed her mother’s eyes, perpetually swollen from endless crying and drunken binges. She saw the irrational indulgences that her mother lavished upon her surviving daughter, Yoyin. She saw her mother turning a blind eye to her bad behavior, even ignoring the self-inflicted cuts on Yoyin’s arms and legs and the reports of her daughter engaging in brutal sex.
Still, the pain was constant and unrelenting. She’d faile
d her sister and could not forgive herself.
Yoyin’s eyes popped open.
“I heard your thoughts. Saw the images of your past.”
Emotionally shaken, she edged closer to Hoku. “How?” She shot a nervous glance at their empty cups. She shook her head, her bewildered eyes traveled back to Hoku’s face.
“Yes, the elixir helped me see. I could also see fragments of the dream you had of your sister.”
She’d had the dream in bed with Kina. Yoyin felt a stab of guilt as if she’d been unfaithful to Hoku. She pushed the thought away.
“Spiritual lovemaking is healing, particularly after a powerful awakening,” Hoku said as if he’d once again read Yoyin’s mind. “The dream of your sister was part of your awakening. Your sister was trying to assist with your healing, to persuade you to let go of your painful past and to run toward happiness.”
“Do you think she forgives me?” Yoyin asked.
“She never blamed you for her destiny. But she wants you to stop hurting yourself—to forgive yourself.” He looked at her deeply. “Can you?”
Yoyin tilted her head. Can I? “If that’s what it takes to stop hurting, I can try, but I honestly don’t how to begin.”
“You could recite the forgiveness prayer. Repeat after me,” he instructed. “I, Yoyin…”
Feeling completely self-conscious, Yoyin repeated her name.
“I, Yoyin, lovingly forgive myself for all errors in the past that were made knowingly and unknowingly. I also forgive those whom I perceive to have injured or harmed me and my loved ones in any way.”
She spoke the words and hoped that her lack of enthusiasm didn’t stop the prayer from working. “How do you know so much about spirituality?” she asked, brow arched curiously. “Are you a shaman?”
“No.” Hoku chuckled. To Yoyin, the sound was musical. “I received a mysterious invitation that promised I’d be reunited with my soulmate. I’ve been here for nearly a year, participating in magic rituals, learning the chants, and calling you.”
Yoyin recalled the wording on her own invitation—where you’ll always be the center of attention. Had her invitation mentioned rejoining her soulmate, she would have deemed the lofty invitation as pure rubbish and would have never left Philadelphia. She brightened. Mr. Merrick was crafty. And she was glad he’d chosen the right words to lure her to Ka-le’a. “You’re not from here?”
“No. I’m from Malosai.”
“I’ve never heard of Malosai—where’s it located?”
“About 2,200 miles south of here. It’s an island in the South Pacific Ocean.”
“Oh.” Malosai didn’t sound very appealing, but with certainty, she knew that if Hoku invited her to share his life, she would move to his tiny country in a heartbeat. She reflected on an earlier conversation with Kina, when she’d vowed that she’d live with Hoku even if he dwelled inside a cave. Yoyin’s eyes lit up, and her lips spread into a sweet smile. And in one blazing second, she realized the process of self-forgiveness had already begun. Her willingness to love and be loved was proof.
Yoyin and Hoku stood on the tarmac together. They lowered their heads respectfully as Kina and Palila placed a garland of hibiscus around their necks.
Kina held a round wicker box. “This box contains your jewels. Will you be taking them on your flight or would you prefer that I bury them beside the pua aloalo that adorned your hair on the evening of your awakening.”
“Bury them,” Yoyin murmured. Mutilating devices were no longer necessary. She hugged Kina and then Palila and whispered, “Thank you.”
Michael and Greg came forward. “Aloha,” the two men said at the same time and smiled generously.
“Aloha.” Yoyin and Hoku said in unison and returned their gleaming smiles.
Looking past her former escorts, Yoyin noticed the two women who’d shared her arriving flight. She tossed a pleasant smile in their direction. The pretty blonde and gorgeous black woman waved at her and to cheerful throngs of islanders before boarding the plane. They appeared changed. Happier. Lighter. As if great weights had been lifted from their shoulders. The blonde had a glow. Her blue eyes sparkled with confidence. The faint smile on the tall black woman’s face was as mysterious as the Mona Lisa and hinted of a pleasant secret. Yoyin wondered briefly what the two women had discovered about themselves during their stay in Ka-le’a.
Adorned in a brilliant white suit, the man named Mr. Merrick came forward and shook Hoku’s hand. “Your journey is complete.”
“Yes, sir. It is,” Hoku responded respectfully, casting a warm glance at Yoyin and draping an arm around her shoulder.
“And you, madam? I understand you won’t be boarding my plane.”
“No, I’m going to Malosai with Hoku. We’re getting married.” Yoyin felt her cheeks flush with pride as she shared the happy news.
Merrick nodded knowingly, unsurprised by the information. His eyes sparkled with kindness and wisdom as he gave Hoku a fatherly smile. “No doubt, your people will be pleasantly surprised when they hear your good news.”
“Yes. It’s very likely that a great celebration is being prepared as we speak.”
“Really?” Yoyin asked wide-eyed. She smiled, imagining that Hoku’s people were primitive and that their version of a great celebration would be dancing around a fire or some custom she’d have to get used to.
Merrick caught Yoyin’s eye. “Be prepared. The good people of Malosai will undoubtedly roll out the red carpet for you.”
Yoyin nodded and lowered her head. She gawked at her ostentatious Christian Louboutin heels. Living in a place where the people were barefoot would have a positive effect on her shoe addiction. She smiled and shook her head at the irony.
“In Malosai, you’d better get used to always being the center of attention.” Merrick gave Yoyin a playful wink.
Yoyin considered the lifestyle she’d be sharing with Hoku. She’d agreed to marry him without a clue about his circumstances. She hadn’t had an opportunity to Google Malosai to learn about the country—its customs, its history, its resources. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. She loved Hoku and would help him milk cows, slice coconuts, or do whatever was required.
Pulling away from her musing, she met Merrick’s gaze. “A red carpet won’t be necessary. And I don’t need to be the center of attention.” She shook her head. “Not anymore. I have my true love. I’m complete.”
“You’ll always be the center of my world,” Hoku said, drawing Yoyin closer to plant a kiss on her cheek.
“We’re both truly grateful that you brought us together,” Yoyin said sincerely.
“I merely assisted,” Merrick replied. “Though separated by oceans, those who’ve known true love always manage to reunite. True love is eternal. Your hearts are bound. With or without my help, you would have found your way back to each other.” Merrick was briefly quiet. “If not in this lifetime, then in the next lifetime.”
Yoyin shuddered at the very thought of having to wait until her next lifetime to be with Hoku.
“It worked out for the best,” Merrick added, patting Yoyin on the shoulder.
Throughout the three-hour flight on a private jet, Hoku and Yoyin were treated like royalty. Apparently, Mr. Merrick extended his generosity to his guests even after they’d left Ka-le’a. After disembarking, the couple was quickly whisked away in an official state car. The long arm of Merrick was quite impressive. The luxury vehicle took her by surprise. She had imagined that in Malosai, people traveled by horseback or donkey.
She was particularly impressed by the courtesy and efficiency of the people who were hired to escort her and Hoku to his home. Yoyin looked out the back window and noticed a string of official cars behind them. Bloody, wow! They were really getting the royal treatment and it was being poured on thick.
“Welcome back, Your Majesty,” said the driver.
“Thank you,” Hoku replied.
Did I hear the driver correctly? Yoyin’s throat caught. “What…did he call…�
�� she sputtered. “Am I still feeling the effects of that drink we had yesterday or did I hear your driver refer to you as…”
“Yes, my love. I forgot to mention that Malosai is a constitutional monarchy. I’m King.” He shrugged in apology.
“You’re what?” Yoyin was floored. She locked eyes with Hoku.
“I’m the king of Malosai, and after your coronation, you will be queen.” His tone was matter of fact.
Instant regret shot threw her. Her mouth pursed, and her face grew hot. “Hoku, how could you keep something so important from me?” She looked around the car in a panic, feeling trapped. The walls were closing in on her. “I’m unconventional, you know that. I don’t like living according to social standards. I can’t be queen. I’d break under the pressure of being scrutinized day in and day out. It was bad enough in England with the press covering my every move. The paparazzi harass celebrities in the United States, but they don’t give a bloody hoot about the fabulously wealthy. Hoku, I really can’t be queen! I mean…I love you, but I can’t…” Yoyin heard the fear and desperation in her tone. She’d resigned herself to life as a pauper but she had to put her foot down about being his queen. She hadn’t bargained for that type of responsibility.
Hoku cradled her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Didn’t you tell Kina that you’d live with me anywhere? You said you’d be with me even if I lived in a cave.”
Yoyin nodded.
Hoku shook his head. “Then, why does living in a grand palace cause you such grief?”
She shrugged.
“Why would paparazzi come to Malosai? There’s no violence. There are no scandals. And now that I’ve found you, total bliss and happiness will prevail throughout the land.”
Yoyin squirmed. “Suppose your people hate me. I’m an acquired taste. People don’t typically take to me right off the bat. It takes a great deal of time.”
“They’ll adore you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I adore you. You’ll see.” He sat back with his arm around her trembling frame.
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