A Tale of Love by Patricia Pedrus (Patti)
A Tale of Love is a love story about two individuals from different families who sought each other despite differences in societal class.
On an island in the Chuuk lagoon, a community of people from various clans prospered and there was peace among them. One day, the chief summoned a gathering of the various clans to plan for a feast in honor of their gods. Everyone was present. They met in the chief’s meeting hall which was located in the center of the village. The women sat with their young children on one side, while the men congregated opposite them. Elders sat center stage, facing everyone. Young men and women also sat opposite from each other.
While the chief was speaking, a young, handsome man in the crowd noticed a young beautiful woman who sat on the far end of the meeting hall with the other young women. She had long black hair with a pretty flower nestled on her right ear which indicated she was single.
After the meeting, the young man watched the young woman walk away with the other young women. Then, he followed her until she was walking alone on her way home. In those days, dating was not allowed. In fact, females were expected to be in their homes before nightfall. Thus, night-crawling was prevalent.
While the young woman was walking, she heard the sound of leaves moving. When she turned, she didn’t see anyone, so she continued to walk steadily.
The young man continued to follow her and then on her back he whispered,
“Young woman, can I speak with you for a moment?”
Surprised, the young woman turned, smiled, and felt a little nervous,
“Why?” she asked.
“Well”, the Young man said, “I noticed how pretty you are and I would like to talk to you.”
The woman looked around to see if there was anyone and said,
“What do you want to talk about?”
The young man smiled and asked, “What is your name?”
The young woman looked at him and became amused and replied, “It’s a secret.”
The young man grinned and asked, “Where are you going? Can I walk with you?”
Then, the young woman replied, “You know very well that if anyone sees us, we will be punished.”
"I know, I am sorry. But how can I allow such a beauty to slip through my hands?
“You have beautiful, shiny, long hair, and those eyes... they speak to me with an endearing heart; your skin is so smooth....can we have this moment together?”
Flattered, the young woman smiled. She became consumed by his sweet words that she was speechless for a while.
"As you know, I come from a line of warriors and I know you are the daughter of a chief that belongs to a clan of religious leaders. I know that if we get caught, we will be punished,” said the chief's son.
The young woman looked at him and smiled, "Yes, we will be punished and I must go for now for I am late. My mother is waiting for me."
She started walking and then turned back and said, “I live on that hill in a thatch roof house; I sleep on the east end of the house. Tonight, I will give you my answer.”
The young man smiled in agreement, but before they went on their separate ways the young man said, “Here is my love stick…this is the shape of the tip of my love stick which you should recognize. Touch it and know that it is mine. When I come tonight, remember that this is the shape of the tip of my love stick.”
She touched the sharp and wide tip, smiled and went on her way.
Each man in a village had his own distinct love stick that gave him his identity and status. It was said that a woman would know her man by the shape of the tip of his love stick.
On her way home, the young woman could not help but wonder about the young man who just approached her. She smiled as she thought about his words. She was consumed by the thought of him. As she came near her home, her mother had been waiting for her.
“Why are you late!” her mother shouted. “You are grounded for two days; go to sleep!” she added.
As she walked away from her mother, she began to frown.
Saddened by this, the young woman went straight to her sleeping mat and laid there and cried. But thoughts about the young man remained with her throughout the night.
At nightfall, the young man waited for the moon to come out. He held his love
stick by his side waiting for the moment. In Chuuk, males used the love stick to communicate at night with females they like. They would insert the sharp point of their stick into an opening of the females’ thatch roof house. If the female recognizes and accepts the male, she would pull his love stick from the opening indicating she accepts.
There were times when females who did not recognize the shape of their lovers’ love stick would push the stick out of the opening area, indicating a rejection.
As the moon gradually appeared, the young man set out to the hill and found the young woman’s thatched roof house. Everyone had fallen asleep. He slowly moved around the house and headed towards the east end of the house. Then, he took his stick and gently pushed it through the opening. The young woman felt something poking at her feet. She woke up and felt the tip of the stick. It was sharp and wide. She knew it was her lover. She smiled and pulled in the stick to indicate she had accepted. The young man was pleased and pulled out the stick and waited for his new love. When she came out, he held her hand and they crawled during the night looking for a place to nest.
The next morning, the mother of the young woman noticed that her daughter was gone. Immediately, she ran to her husband and told him, "Our daughter has disappeared!"
At once, the father and his men set out to find her. They walked several miles before they found the young man and woman by the shore.
The young woman saw her father and ran, while the young man followed her. When her father saw her run, he was filled with rage. He shouted to his men, “Get them and bring them to me at once!”
The young woman and her new love ran as fast as they could to the other side of the island. By the time they stopped running, they were out of breath. As they looked around, they saw a well and decided to rest by it. The young man grabbed a coconut shell by the well and used it to carry water out of the well.
“Here is water for you,” said the young man as he handed a coconut shell filled with water.
“Thank you,” said the young woman.
“What are we going to do with my father?” said the young woman. She stood up and paced back and forth with her hands pressing against her head.
The young man watched her and said nothing. He had his hands on his head; both hands pressing down on his head.
“I can’t go back home. My father and his men will kill me.”
“I won’t let them do that,” said the young man.
Back at the village, the chief’s men were planning a blockade while the chief was sitting in his royal mat enraged and shouting at his wife.
The chief’s wife stood by her husband with a fan in her hand, waving it over his hot and sweaty body.
“How could you let her slip from your nose, woman?” he said.
“When I find her, I will beat her until she cannot move,” he continued.
His wife sat there crying fearing for her daughter’s life.
That night the chief’s wife sent her loyal servant to find her daughter and warn her not to go back instead to go and stay with her relatives until her father cooled down. Immediately, the servant went on his way.
At sunrise, the servant found the young woman and the young man lying next to the well.
The servant sat there until the two woke up.
Startled, the young man asked, “Who are you?”
“Do not be afraid,” said the servant. “I am here to give a message to the young woman.”
“What is the message?” asked the young man. “The young woman’s mother has sent a warning. Her father is filled with rage and she must go to her mother’s relatives on the other side of the island and hide until her father’s rage has cooled down”, explained the servant.
“Okay, I will tell her when she gets up,” said the young man. The servant bows and leaves the vicinity.
When the young woman woke up, the young man leaned against her and told her about the warning her mother’s servant brought.
The young woman cried until she stood up and started to walk to her mother’s relatives’ house.
They walked for miles. They slept together. They talked. They walked.
From time to time, the young woman would recall the time her father was filled with rage when he saw her and the young man running away. She was baffled.
When they reached her mother’s relatives house, they were greeted by some people who led them to the house. They stayed there for several years and she became pregnant and delivered a baby boy.
Several years passed and the young man, woman, and their son decided to return to the young woman’s village. In fact, over the years, the young woman thought about home. She missed her parents. But then, she would think about her father’s enraged face on the day he found her and the young man, and chills would race up her skin. She was scared even though she had mustered up enough courage to return.
When they approached the village, they were greeted by people they once knew. Many just stared at them with puzzling faces.
“Hi, where have you been?” asked a young village man.
The young man smiled and walked on with his wife and son. As they approached the young woman’s house, they saw the young woman’s mother. Immediately, the young woman ran to her mother and hugged her. Her mother had grown old.
The mother hugged her daughter and cried. The chief heard this and ran to meet his daughter. When he saw his daughter, he felt very sorry. He approached her and told her to take her husband to the meeting hall.
“Wait, father, you have a grandson,” said the young woman. The chief smiled and patted the little boy on his head. The little boy looked up to a tall, sturdy, old man and wondered who he was, while holding on tightly to his father’s hand.
The young woman led her husband and son to the meeting hall. Her husband and son walked in and sat among the elders and young men.
In the meeting hall, the chief and his men discussed the fate of his daughter and her husband. The young man listened as they talked.
The young woman’s brothers were familiar with the young man, so they encouraged their father, the chief, to accept the man.
“He has brought your daughter and most of all a new line,” a chief’s son explained.
The chief sat there for while in silence and then he told the young man, “You come from a line of warriors, and a good family. I trust you will take care of my daughter.”
The young man sighed with relief and replied, “I will care for your daughter for as long as I live.”
Then, the chief said, “Take her as your wife and your son and the three of you will live in my house.”
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