The Island of Poa - 1. Arrival

(Adam)

I’m not a writer, never was and I don’t think I’ll ever be one, at least not in the professional sense. Unless you count drafting business documents and e-mails as writing. Still, what I saw and went through on the island of Poa made me “pick up a pen” so to speak, and record what happened there. I don’t know if this will be read by anyone other than myself, but I had to do it. I had to write about my time at this… amazing place. I want to have a written record of it in case I ever forget, which frankly, I don’t think is possible. How could anyone forget something like this? Even now, six months after I left the island, the images are still vivid before my eyes.

I still haven’t talked to anyone about this. One reason is that I don’t think many would believe me. I know my family, they’d think I was crazy. My friends would think I was high and ask me to give them some of what I’ve been smoking. The other reason is that I’m not sure I’m willing to share these memories with anyone else, at least not yet. I prefer keeping them to myself, sacred and safe inside my head. Once I finish this, who knows? Maybe I’ll let someone read it, see if they think it’s fiction or not. Maybe I’ll even go back to the island someday… Who knows?

This is how it all began.

We set sail for Poa on May 5. I took the plane to Hawaii, but had to continue to Poa by ship because there’s no airport on the island. Yep, that’s how small and remote it is. I kinda understand it, it’s not a well-known tourist destination, why would anyone choose to go there? Well, I guess there’s always some crazy guy like me who gets this sort of ideas in his head.

So, why did I even decide to travel there? Good question… I wanted to escape, as far away as possible. Leave everything behind, at least for a few weeks. Hawaii were distant, but too popular and crowded. Too many tourists. Yeah, I didn’t want that… So, when I got there and saw advertisements for ships sailing to nearby islands (‘nearby’ is definitely a stretch, some of these islands were hundreds of miles away), I picked Poa. It was the only island I hadn’t heard of before, so I thought it would be a good place for a (temporary) retreat.

I lived in Chicago at the time. By many standards, I was a very successful man. At the age of only 34, I had a great, promising job in a marketing company, my own apartment which I decorated and equipped to my needs, and I was in a 2-year relationship with a great guy, a reporter. Oh, and I had a dog that I loved so much!

Of course, as Dua Lipa would say, nothing’s ever perfect in paradise. The stresses of everyday life were starting to become too much. I often worked long hours, weekends, wondering if the enormous salary was worth my almost total absence of free time. I ended up giving my dog to my parents because I just hated leaving him alone in the apartment all day.

My relationship suffered as well. Both Patrick and I had crazy schedules and we hardly even saw each other. This went on for months, and we were both starting to have second thoughts and wonder how long we could keep doing that. He was the one who decided to pull the plug. It didn’t make sense anymore. He said we should break up, and I agreed. He was right. When he said he was going on a vacation to Europe, alone, to clear his thoughts and recharge, I realized I should do the same. Only I chose the other side of the planet. I wanted to be somewhere more isolated.

The island of Poa turned out to be perfect for that.

As I was standing on the deck of our ship, looking at the endless blue space all around me, I realized I made the right decision. I was a little scared, I’ve never been so far away from civilization. I guessed there’d be no expensive restaurants or spas. I was also worried if I’d even have Wi-Fi on the island, but to be honest, I never even thought about it once I got there. I quickly realized I was more excited than scared.

Everything was so peaceful. No traffic, no phones ringing… The wind was blowing strong, but I didn’t mind it that much. The journey to Poa seemed like it took forever. I enjoyed it, but I was glad to be finally there because I was excited to start enjoying my time on the island. I decided I would avoid crowds and go my own way, exploring the island at my own pace.

After a long journey, we were finally there, on solid ground. Having never been on a ship for that long, I appreciated it when we finally disembarked. It took us quite a long time to leave the ship. There were more passengers than I expected, and as we were slowly moving with our luggage, that’s when I first saw him. He came on the same ship as I did, but I never noticed him before that moment. He was standing in front of me, carrying several large suitcases, when one of them fell.

“Need any help with that?” I asked, bending down to pick up the suitcase that fell.

“No, thanks, I’m fine…” he started to say.

“It’s no problem, here you go,” I was back up, handing him the suitcase. Our eyes met and I smiled. I could tell he was a local. About my age, maybe a few years younger. His long, black hair looked amazing in the sunlight and matched his dark-ish skin perfectly. His face was handsome, eyes mysterious, but full of emotions. He smiled back.

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.”

“Don’t mention it,” I replied. I noticed that he had American accent, so I figured he must have been living in America for a long time. I wondered if he had family here. Maybe he came to visit them, or to stay? That was definitely a lot of stuff for just a short holiday visit. Why was I even analyzing him?

Anyway, we went our ways, and after leaving the ship I headed to the hotel. The place I would be staying in was right next to the port. In any other country, it would be called a large house, but here it was a hotel. There were three floors, and I can’t imagine there were more than twenty rooms. Having lived in America my whole life and enjoying my upper class life, I was sort of underwhelmed by the hotel. But, I mean, what was I expecting from a tiny island in the middle of nowhere? There certainly wasn’t going to be a Four Seasons here.

As I entered and stood at the reception, there he was again. He wasn’t checking in, but talking to a woman who seemed to be working there. I could tell by her uniform. They hugged, sat down for a few minutes and talked. They seemed to be on the verge of tears. I guess they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

The receptionist appeared and I had to focus my attention on him.

“Hello, welcome to Poa! Is this your first time here?” he asked. His English was good, but he clearly had an accent. Not like the mystery man from the ship.

“Yeah, it sure is,” I said. I signed in and he handed me the keys.

“Here you go, sir, room 11 for you. We’ll deliver your luggage to your room right away.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary, thanks. I only have this with me,” I pointed to my suitcase and the backpack on my back. I decided to travel light this time.

“As you wish, sir. Enjoy your stay here,” he said politely. I nodded and turned to see if the mystery man was still there. Nope, he had left.

“I hope I will,” I thought as I headed to my room.

(Kaleo)

My world came crashing down as I sat in the doctor’s office. I felt so many emotions at once. I felt sad, confused, but most of all, scared. The doctor was sitting opposite of me, taking my hands in her own, trying to comfort me. How do you comfort someone when you just told them they have a tumor and that it’s too late for any treatment? I felt claustrophobic, as if the walls were closing on me and were about to crush me.

I was afraid to open my mouth and speak, but I knew I had to ask.

“What is the prognosis?” I paused for a few seconds. “How much time?”

“We estimate about four months,” she said softly.

I couldn’t even cry. I was too scared and shocked, I felt completely stiff. The only thing I knew at that moment was that I needed to get out of there. After a hug from the doctor, and an arrangement to come back for another check-up, which I had no intention of doing, I left.

A thousand thoughts passed through my mind each second, and I knew I had to go somewhere to calm down and think rationally and calmly.

I am 31 years old, and I’ve been living in L.A. for about 18 years. It was my second home and I quickly got accustomed to living there. However, I was not born there. I was born on Poa, a small island in the Pacific. I lived there with my family for ten years and thoroughly enjoyed my childhood. I was a happy child who enjoyed the trees, sky, animals and all the beauty nature had to offer. I still do. Even after I moved to L.A., I remained connected to nature and the serenity it provides.

When I was ten, my family and I moved to America in search of a better life. After a few years of moving around and finding our own place, we settled down in L.A. It was tough at first, but you know what they say, it’s easy to get accustomed to something better. After finishing college, I got a job as an English teacher, which I immensely enjoyed. English literature is another great passion of mine.

However, after experiencing some health problems, pains which were more and more frequent, I scheduled an appointment with a doctor. The news were not what I was expecting, to put it mildly.

When I got back to my apartment, I locked the door, turned off the phone and just sat there, in silence. I needed to think, alone. I thought about my life, my family, friends, my students. No boyfriend, unfortunately. Or should I say fortunately, given the circumstances? Where do I begin? How do I say goodbye?

After thinking for what seemed like hours, I decided to write a letter, an e-mail to my parents, which I would send eventually. I sat down at my computer and looked at the empty page. It was much harder than I thought. I had no idea how to start. What I did know was that I wanted to go back home, to Poa. I wanted to go alone and… spend my time there. I had been there only once since we moved to America, and I missed it terribly.

I decided to write the e-mail another day and went to book a ticket. I would go to Hawaii by plane, and then to Poa by ship, that’s how I travelled the last time, too. Just one more week and I’ll be gone from here.

The week went by slower than ever. I took time off work and told my parents I was leaving, but didn’t tell anyone the real reason. I just told them I was homesick, which was the truth, just not the whole truth.

The journey to Poa was nice, if uneventful. I appreciated the fact that I had time to just sit there, in quiet, and reflect. The closer we got to the island, the more I started to remember about my life there. Not just memories of people and places, but also everything that made Poa such a magical place.

And I do mean magical in every sense of the word. Even though we were poor, we had a great life there. Even after I left and built a life in L.A., I never forgot the island. I kept studying its culture, traditions and beliefs. One of the oldest beliefs was that spirits of our ancestors still resided on Poa, protecting the good people living there.

However, I had another reason why I wanted to come back. I did not want to think too much about it, did not want to raise my hopes… But the idea was constantly somewhere in the corner of my mind. The possibility... I decided to revisit it when the time comes… Not yet.

Seeing my island on the horizon overwhelmed me. I almost couldn’t bear it. I was back home. The feelings got stronger the more we approached the island.

After what seemed like forever, the ship finally anchored and we started to disembark. I obviously took too many stuff with me, I could hardly carry my luggage. Of course, one of my suitcases fell. Whether that was destiny or an accident, I am still not sure. But that is when I met him. The stranger.

“Need any help with that?” he asked. I started to respond with “No, thanks, I’m fine…” but he already picked up my suitcase and handed it to me.

“It’s no problem, here you go,” he smiled at me politely. I was grateful, but also somewhat surprised.

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you,” I replied, smiling back at him. He was tall, with short brown hair and hazel eyes. His beard was neatly trimmed. Although his face portrayed kindness, his eyes showed insecurity, maybe fatigue? He was clearly not from here, and I wondered why he chose to come? For a brief moment, I thought about whether I would see him again, but then realized that there is no point. No point in starting anything new now…

I took my luggage and carried on, leaving the ship and stepping onto the island where I was born, and where I came to… say goodbye.