Te' peered at my bosom pushed together with the constricting garment and shook her head.
"It's probably best that you keep that on for a little longer. There will be plenty of sharp objects poking out of the brush as we make our way through the jungle. We don't want to get those pretty breasts of yours all scratched up. Besides, we might be able to find a better use for it later."
She bit the bottom of my shirt to make a small incision, then tore it in half lengthwise down the front and the back before pulling off the sleeves. Then she hacked two narrow pieces of bark off a nearby tree with her adze and placed them under my feet, wrapping the long ends of my shirt around the husks and tying the ends firmly behind my ankle.
"Not quite as pretty as your Western shoes," she said, but hopefully they'll last at least until we get to the other side of the island.
I stood up and paced forward and back a few steps, testing my newly fashioned sandals.
"They're surprising comfortable," I nodded. "Especially with those leafy insoles. Maybe we can hook you up with Nike when we return to the States."
"Nike?"
"Just kidding," I laughed. "They're a big shoe manufacturer back home. You're a woman of many talents, Te'. I'm sure we can find you a more interesting job when the time comes."
Teuila looked up at me and smiled.
"I'm excited to learn all about your culture. But right now, I think we should head over to the other side of the island. We don't want to overstay our welcome here. My father may come back to search for us if he doesn't find us elsewhere."
Teuila tore up one of the sleeves into a
spiral strip, then she wrapped and tied it tightly around her wounded finger.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go see if we can find a better hiding place."
* * *
It took most of the day to cross to the other side of the island. Te' wanted to stay off the marked trails to avoid running into our search party, so we walked along the side of narrow creeks and streams to stay out of sight. I was afraid the stony riverbeds would splinter my makeshift moccasins, but the flexible bark absorbed most of the brunt and the shirt-tie miraculously survived the entire trip. When we passed the same waterfall where I was bitten by the snake, I knew we were getting close to the beach.
"How can you navigate through this dense jungle so easily?" I said, amazed at how she'd found her way back to the same spot on such a large island.
"I've lived here my whole life," she said. "I know this island like the back of my hand. There's not much else to do for fun around here, so I've made lots of expeditions in my eighteen years."
"I hope your father and your boyfriend don't know the island as well as you do. Otherwise, there'll be nowhere safe to hide."
"Don't worry about that," Te' said, peering up at the darkening sky. "I've had lots of practice hiding out in the forest. It's starting to get dark, so we won't have time to build a more comfortable shelter until the morning. We'll have to make do with a camouflaged lean-to for this evening. I'm looking forward to showing you how easily we can live off the land. We'll try to make the most of our little exile until your friends return."
"I'm looking forward to it too," I said, recalling my Robinson Crusoe fantasy. "This should be quite the adventure."
When we reached the beach where our charter boat had set anchor, Teuila checked out the lagoon and nodded.
"This will work fine. It's nicely secluded, has shallow water and shoals to catch fish, and has a good lookout for approaching boats."
"Where will we sleep?" I said, wrapping my arms around my chest, feeling the cool onshore breeze.
"It's probably best not to sleep on the beach tonight. My father may be sending out a canoe patrol to search the perimeter of the island. We'll have to sleep inland this evening."
I peered into Te's brown eyes and smiled.
"As long as lying I'm next to you, I can sleep anywhere."
Teuila found a secluded spot behind a sand dune and hacked down some large palm leaves to provide cover and keep us warm. Then she harvested a few pineapples and coconuts from some nearby palm trees, and we enjoyed an impromptu dinner.
"You must be hungry after trekking all day," she said, noticing me shivering as she placed some leaves over my bare torso. "Tomorrow we'll catch and cook up some fresh fish. But it's too risky to build a fire right now. Will you be warm enough sleeping here tonight?"
We lay down in the pit and Te' snuggled up close to me, pulling the big leaves over our bodies.
"I am now," I said, feeling her warm skin pressed against mine.