She saw the smoke coming from the neighboring island, so she knew it was inhabited. She had known she had to leave her present situation... and soon. Although in generations past it had been acceptable to treat one's wife as property, that practice had been dying out. It was one practice she had tolerated until now. She had an unborn child to protect. She had to find a replacement for the husband she had lost at the hands of her first husband, or her Alpha husband. In her society, she was allowed three more husbands... but at this point, Nalamoya would settle replacing the one she had lost. That would put her at two husbands.
She really couldn't count Maruka as much of a husband, except for the fact that he was a fine hunter and they always had plenty to eat. She had first chosen Maruka at the young age of fifteen simply for the fact that he was strong, protective, and a good hunter. She didn't love him, and never really had. He was an egotistical man with a very bad temper. The fact that Nalamoya hadn't given him any offspring didn't make matters any better. Although she was given sole choice who she marry and the man didn't have much say so in the matter, it was quite different once the marriage started. The man could treat his wife any way he saw fit. Nothing was ever said about mistreatment. It was their custom that once a son or daughter left their family, the parents had a "hands off" approach to the new couple.
As Nalamoya rowed, with the island coming into sight, she shed a tear over the husband she had lost... the father of her baby. Niko was a kind and loving man, nearly twenty years older than herself. He was gentle and protective of his Nala... as he called her. They had only been married three months when he was brutally murdered. She had just found out that she was with child and she naturally assumed the child was Niko's. She and Maruka had been married nearly ten years, yet they had never been able to have children. The news had made Maruka very angry. He had beaten her until she could barely walk that evening. Niko knew what Maruka would do to her, and would defend her honor as her second husband. He and Maruka would exchange words, shoving each other around most times. This time, Niko threatened to kill him for what he did. Poor Niko met his fate. Maruka was younger and stronger. His burning hatred for Niko gave him an extra advantage to finish him off.
Soon, Nala reached the little island. She pulled her canoe ashore, making her way up the path. She crept cautiously through the brush, careful not to make a sound. She didn't want to be discovered quite yet. She had to observe these people who lived here... make sure that she could trust them. In the distance, she could hear two male voices. She crept closer, tiptoeing silently and crouching like a panther. The two men were digging a hole. She was surprised by their appearance. Their skin tone was so pale! Maybe they were deathly ill or malnurished. It was an odd sight for her, but yet she was intrigued. Both men were wearing bright colored shirts. One was tall, thin, and young. The other was tall, large, and a bit older than the other. She sat still and silent as she listened to their conversation.
...
"Gilligan! Would you watch what your doing?" The Skipper scowled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Gosh, I'm sorry Skipper. All I was doing was digging that trench like you asked. See?" As Gilligan demonstrated again, sure enough the Skipper got whacked again with the head of the shovel. "Oops!"
"Gilligan!" The Skipper seethed through clenched teeth, as he made a choking motion with his hands right in Gilligan's direction.
Nala was taken aback by the larger man's actions. Was he a violent man like Maruka was? The smaller man seemed nice, though he would never be able to stand up to Maruka. She needed a protector... she was desperate to have someone to care for her, to love her, to make her feel secure that Maruka wouldn't hurt her as long as he was around. Perhaps this wasn't the island she thought it was. Her thoughts were interrupted as another man came into view. He appeared older than the first and younger than the second. He began to speak to the other two men, showing them a notebook and explaining something to them.
...
"You are mistaken Skipper," the Professor said indignantly as he pounded his notebook with his finger, "the evidence is right here. That valley runs in the other direction. Mary Ann's garden will never get any water at this rate."
"Professor, I've scouted this whole island. Now I know what I'm talking about. The tide comes in from the lagoon, runs down the trench, and reaches Mary Ann's vegetable garden."
"I say you're wrong. Water can't run uphill. Now, if that dip in the land went the other way..."
Nala watched intently. For all the fighting that was going on, no one was shoving or throwing any punches. The three men walked away and Nala decided to follow behind, remaining incognito. The three men walked for quite awhile. Nala began to wonder if they would reach their destination. There, in the middle of the jungle, the three men began to converse again.
"Gosh, I'm sorry Professor. I guess you were right. There is just enough of a hump there to make it impossible for the water to get through," the Skipper had said, as he removed his cap and scratched his head.
"It's quite alright Skipper. There is just enough brush growing through here, I can understand how you mistook your perception. Now that I look at it, my view of it is a little bit skewed," the Professor said, observing the divot in the ground.
"Yeah, and it'll fool ya too," Gilligan added.
As Nala observed more, the two men that had been arguing shook hands and both let out a laugh at their mistake. The large man even patted the small man on the back, even after being previously angry with him. At least now, Nala had the impression that the people here worked conflicts out in a civilized manner. However, it wasn't enough to convince her just yet. This island surely had women, there had to be. If she could just get a glimpse of how the women were treated, then she would better understand how these men truly behaved.
...
Nala followed the men all the way to an area that looked like a little village. There, she saw another man, older, important looking... but loafing about in a bamboo chair. Why wasn't he working? Nala crinkled her nose. A lazy husband in her culture was the equivalent of a grub worm crawling upon the ground. He was immediately dismissed. Soon three women came into sight, each carrying bowls of food. They set the food on a wooden surface, as all the other's gathered around. She studied them closely. It appeared that three of the four men already had a mate. The little skinny man was involved in conversation with a girl who wore her hair strangely, the hair was split from side to side and tied back with colorful rope. The man that had the notebook was seated very close to a woman with hair that looked like fire. Her arm was wrapped around him as she kissed his cheek. The lazy man kissed the hand of the older woman, who looked like she was dressed as royalty. In her society, the women were allowed to have more than one husband, but the husband could only have one wife. Once a man was claimed, they were no longer eligible for marriage.
Only the large man, who was seated at the head of the table, seemed to have no one. Now, Nala knew she could concentrate on just studying him. He would certainly be large enough to battle Maruka, if he should come looking for her. The fact that he was older was a bonus. In her culture, it was considered an accomplishment, and even encouraged to marry an older man. They tended to be less aggressive than the younger men. They tended to be more patient, less physically abusive, and weren't quite as rough when it was time to engage in relations. Though she had already seen that this man had a bit of a temper, it seemed as though it was squelched easily. Over the next few days, she would have to observe his strength and his ability to interact with these others. She had to be certain that a new spouse wouldn't meet the same fate that her Niko had.