TERROR IN PARADISE

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK THOSE WHO LEFT SUCH WONDERFUL COMMENTS FOR ME. IT HELPS ME TO CONTINUE WRITING, KNOWING THAT I AM BRINGING SOME HUMOR TO YOU. NOW, THE TITLE DOES NOT SHOW MUCH HUMOR, AND THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT. THERE IS ONE REALLY AWFUL INCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE RUINED MY LIFE FOREVER, AND I WANT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU. WHEN JESSICA WAS ABOUT 9 MONTHS OLD, SHE, DADDY AND I WENT TO DINNER AT THE NCO CLUB. (NCO STANDS FOR NON-COMMISIONED OFFICER). WE WERE HAVING A GREAT TIME, REALLY ENJOYING OURSELVES AS THERE WAS LIVE COUNTRY MUSIC AND MARTIN AND I WERE TRADING OUR FOOD ON CHOP STICKS-(LEAVING MOST OF IT ON THE TABLE). JESSICA WAS FUSSING ABOUT BEING IN A HIGH CHAIR, AND MARTIN TOLD ME TO LET HER DOWN, AND HE WOULD KEEP TRACK OF HER. IT WAS ABOUT 7 PM, AND ALL WAS GOING WELL. THEN, A YOUNG ORIENTAL MAN CAME TO THE TABLE. HE SMILED AND IN VERY GOOD ENGLISH, ASKED IF HE COULD HOLD JESSICA. BEFORE I CONTINUE, LET ME TELL YOU THAT THE FIRST THING WE DID UPON ARRIVING ON THE ISLAND WAS TO ATTEND A CLASS ABOUT IMPORTANT DO'S AND DON'T'S WHILE OUT IN PUBLIC. THERE WERE SEVERAL, AND ALL OF THEM WERE NON-COMPROMISING AS FAR AS BREAKING THE RULES. THE ONE THAT FRIGHTENED ME MOST OF ALL WAS: NEVER EVER LET ANYONE THAT YOU DON'T KNOW VERY WELL TOUCH OR HOLD YOUR CHILDREN! THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF CHILDREN TAKEN AND NEVER SEEN AGAIN, AND THE ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THEY WERE BEING SOLD TO PEOPLE FOR ANY NUMBER OF REASONS. THE REASONS WERE NOT IMPORTANT, BUT THE FACT WAS THAT BLONDE, BLUE EYED CHILDREN, IN PARTICULAR GIRLS, WERE THE MOST DESIRABLE FOR ABDUCTION. SO, YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHEN THIS YOUNG MAN ASKED TO HOLD JESSICA, I VEHEMIENTLY DECLINED. MARTIN THOUGHT I WAS BEING RUDE, BUT I STOOD MY GROUND, TELLING THAT MAN, ABSOLUTELY NOT! THE YOUNG MAN TOLD US THAT HIS MOTHER WANTED TO SEE JESSICA AND SHE WAS JUST AT A NEAR BY TABLE. "SORRY". I SAID, "NO WAY". MARTIN COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY I WAS BEING SO FORCEFUL IN MY DENIAL TO THE YOUNG MAN, AND I REMINDED HIM OF WHAT WE HAD BEEN TAUGHT. HE TOLD ME THAT NOTHING COULD HAPPEN, AS WE WERE RIGHT THERE, AND HE WOULD KEEP AN EYE ON JESSICA. I WAS SO NERVOUS, BUT MARTIN DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND, SO I SAID OKAY, BUT JUST FOR A MOMENT. THE YOUNG MAN PICKED HER UP, AND WAS TALKING BABY TALK TO HER- AND WALKED OVER TO THE TABLE NEXT TO US TO SHOW "HIS MOTHER" THE BABY. I WAS WATCHING HIM LIKE A HAWK, AND HE LOOKED AT ME AS IF TO SAY, "SEE, IT'S OKAY". THEN, HE WALKED TO THE NEXT TABLE, SHOWING HER OFF, AND BEFORE I COULD BLINK, HE TURNED AND DASHED FOR THE FRONT OF THE RESTAURANT AND THE DOOR. TIME SLOWED TO A HALT FOR ME, (IT SEEMED LIKE IT TOOK FOREVER FOR ME TO GET UP AND GO AFTER HIM) BUT REALLY, IT WAS INSTANTANIOUS. I SCREAMED, GRABBED A KNIFE, OVERTURNED OUR TABLE, AND CHARGED AFTER HIM. SOMEHOW, MARTIN BEAT HIM TO THE DOOR, AND CALMLY SAID, "GIVE MY ME BABY". THE MAN LOOKED OUT THE DOOR, WHERE BY THE WAY, A CAR WITH A RUNNING MOTOR WAS WAITING, AND THEN AT MARTIN. HE JUST SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS AND HANDED HER OVER TO MARTIN. I, OF COURSE, WAS READY TO CUT HIS GIZZARD OUT, BUT HELD MYSELF WHEN I SAW THAT MARTIN HAD HER. I DID, HOWEVER, SCREAM AT HIM, "WHERE WERE YOU GOING WITH MY BABY?!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!! HE JUST SMILED AT ME AND SAID, "I WAS GOING TO GET SOME FRESH AIR WITH HER, THAT'S ALL, NO BIG DEAL". AND BEFORE I COULD GET MY HANDS ON HIM, HE TURNED, WALKED OUT THE DOOR AND GOT INTO THE WAITING CAR. WELL, I AM JUST SOBBING IN TERROR, AND MARTIN WAS TRYING TO CALM ME. JESSICA IS SCREAMING AT THE ROUGH TREATMENT SHE HAD RECEIVED, AND THE WAITERS WERE TRYING TO RIGHT THE TABLE AND CLEAN UP THE MESS. I LOOKED DOWN TO SEE MY HAND CLUTCHED AROUND A STEAK KNIFE, AND I DROPPED IT ON THE FLOOR. I LOOKED AT MARTIN AND I WHISPERED, "I TOLD YOU. I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET HIM HAVE HER. I TOLD YOU". WE MADE A POLICE REPORT, AND WERE TOLD THAT ATTEMPTS LIKE THIS HAPPENED ALL THE TIME AND WE WERE VERY LUCKY. TO THIS VERY DAY, WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOW CLOSE WE WERE TO LOSING OUR PRECIOUS BABY, AND NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT HAPPENED TO HER, IT MAKES ME SHIVER. I WAS SICK FOR SOME TIME AFTER THAT, AND IT REALLY AFFECTED ME. FUMIKO AND HER FRIENDS WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF JESSICA, BUT I TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND THEY WERE VERY SYMPATHETIC. I KNEW THAT NOTHING WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THEY DID TAKE CARE OF HER, BUT IT TOOK ME SOME TIME TO TRUST ANYONE. FINALLY, I DID BEGIN TO LET GO OF MY ANXIETY, AND MARTIN AND I HAD BUILT IN CHILD CARE ANY TIME WE WANTED IT. THOSE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN DEFENSE OF MY CHILD, I KNEW THAT. AND SHE HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH THEM TOO. THESE LADIES WERE TINY, MOST OF THEM NOT EVEN OVER 5 FT TALL, BUT THEY WERE AS STRONG AS AN OX! THEY WOULD TAKE ME SHOPPING WITH THEM, AND IT WAS ALL I COULD DO TO KEEP UP WITH THEM AS THEY TREKKED ALONG THE MOUNTAIN ROADS TO THE LITTLE SHOPS. I TOWERED OVER THEM, LOOKING LIKE BIGFOOT, AND THEY JUST OUTPACED ME, TO MY SHAME. THEY WOULD TAKE JESSICA, AND, SOMEHOW WOULD PUT A SCARF AROUND THIER BODIES, AND TUCK HER IN ON THIER BACKS. I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE DIDN'T JUST SLIDE OUT THE BOTTOM, BUT THEY HAD THE SCARF HITCHED JUST RIGHT. SHE LOVED RIDING LIKE THAT. AT THE AGE OF ONE, SHE WAS BIGGER THAN MOST OF THE TWO YEAR OLDS, BUT THOSE TINY WOMEN JUST HITCHED HER UP AS IF SHE DIDN'T WEIGH ANYTHING. IT SEEMED TO BE THAT THEY FELT SPECIAL TO CARRY HER, AND THE FAMILIES WOULD TAKE PICTURES EACH TIME WE WENT OUT. AT ONE POINT, FUMIKO ASKED US IF WE WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN HER RENT HOUSE FOR THE GRAND SUM OF 30 DOLLARS A MONTH. OH, I WOULD HAVE LOVED LIVING THERE, BUT IT TOO, HAD ONLY ONE ROOM, A TINY KITCHENETTE OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROOM AND THE BINJO(BATHROOM) WAS OUTSIDE ALONG WITH THE SHOWER. THERE WAS NO GLASS IN THE WINDOWS, AND THE MOSQUITOS HAD FREE REIGN, ALONG WITH THE HUGE TREE ROACHES. SEE, THESE THINGS DID NOT BOTHER THE OKINAWANS, THEY WERE USED TO IT- BUT I AM A SISSY, AND IT WOULD HAVE BOTHERED THE JIMENY CRICKET OUT OF ME! I WISH NOW, THAT I HAD BEEN MORE ADVENTUROUS- BUT AT THE TIME I JUST COULDN'T MAKE THE STRETCH. I LOVED MY OKINAWANS FRIENDS, AND CONSIDERED THEM A REAL GIFT IN MY LIFE. MORE TOMORROW, LOVE, NANASEE