Leiloa

1.

This all began on a Tuesday afternoon.

It was not a very difficult day for Daniel. He went in around ten in the morning, put on his name tag, cleaned out the three main floors of the office by two, ate his lunch, ordered some extra cleaning supplies for the bathrooms (low on toilet paper on all floors), and then, when the last of the staff wished him good night, went home. His car was still having problems – transmission was acting up; tires had to be changed before winter hit – but otherwise, it was just another Tuesday.

Another Tuesday…

He saw it sticking out of the mailbox and noted the colour first. A red rectangular card that barely fit with gold embossed lettering all in cursive. Usually, his upstairs neighbour would gather up the mail and dump his letters in front of his door. This time, only his box had mail. 

“Howdy!”

“Oh, hi.” His neighbour, Ross, was coming down the stairs with his bike. Daniel wondered what his life would have been like if he had stayed a bike courier like his neighbour. No benefits or insurance, but no ammonia and bleach on your clothes at the end of the day, and he guessed that Daniel never once had to interrupt someone while they were vomiting so he could finish his job.

“I’m off; you are very back.”

“Yeah, hey,” he waved the red card from the mailbox in front of him. “Did you get one of these?”

Ross stared at it through his goggles for a moment. “Nope. That came today?”

“I guess so.”

“Strange. I went down, got my stuff and didn’t see anything in my box. Nothing in yours, either. Must have been someone else.”

“Hmm...” Daniel looked over the writing. “Why would they hit me with this?”

Ross smiled and walked out of the hallway. “Ours is not to reason why...”

He left his neighbour there with the card in his hand. At least he was honest about these things. Daniel opened his door and thought about his plans for dinner. It was leftovers, internet and sleep. He dropped the card on his kitchen table and went to change.

*

“Would you like to do what you only dreamed of doing?”

Who wouldn’t, he thought. Daniel left the Chinese food on his tray as he looked over the card. There wasn’t much on the internet to surf through and the emails were the usual junk and occasional messages from work. Also, he would have to make sure to do a load of laundry by the weekend or he would have nothing to wear that did not reek of cleaning fluid.

“Would you like to do what you only dreamed of doing?”

Of course, he thought. Who wouldn’t? A bad sign, thought Daniel. He was having the same thoughts about the same thing again and again. And he really wanted to take a shower.

“Would you like to do...?”

There was a web address included and, with no other distractions, this was a nice way to settle into another evening. He still stank of ammonia, even after the shower (was it in his hair? his skin?)

What have I only dreamed of doing, he thought.

Daniel began to smile.

*

It only took one week for their response to reach him. Daniel was at the end of another difficult day with the company. He had managed to clean as much laundry as possible that past weekend, but now they wanted to cut his hours and deduct money from his pay – the whole crew’s, actually – to cover costs with supplies. His manager, Norris, was not sympathetic on their best jobs; this sent him over the top.

“Can you believe this shit sandwich they expect us to swallow? Like they think we work for fun clearing up their offices...”

“Yes, I know, sir.”

“Danny, don’t call me sir unless you are begging for a raise.  I know that you ain’t doing that, right?”

“No...Norris. Just agreeing with you.”

“Great. Such a shit show now...”

There would be other jobs, other contracts with other places. He knew this and expected it. After visiting the web site on the card, however, he also knew that there were prospects he would have never considered.

On the web site, they needed someone who could superintend an island. One whole island in the South Pacific for a whole year was yours (with certain allowances and a possible extension of the contract). Yeah, Daniel thought, and I am next in line for that job in Vatican City. 

But then, there was a phone call.

“Hello! Is that Daniel Monk?”

The woman on the end of the line sounded like she could have been related to his neighbour. And how did she know to call him on his last break of the day?

“This is he.”

“Hello! I am calling on behalf of your application. You really want to take the job as superintendent of Leiloa?”

“Lay what?”

“Oh, apologies.” She squealed with laughter that hurt his ear. “That is the name of the island. Leiloa. Samoan, I think. They used to call it ‘Tasi Leiloa’ until it was colonized.”

“Oh, interesting.” Daniel looked at his watch. He had another five minutes to waste. “Look, I am at work right now...”

“On your break.”

Daniel paused, stared at his cell phone for a moment, and responded. “How in the hell...”

“Apologies. We did a little research on your job and found out when you were allowed to take a work break. Someone should have told you that the vetting process would be that thorough. Again, apologies.”

“Okay...” He was not sure what to say next.

“So, just a few things we need to know. Are you at the same address?”

Was this woman kidding?

“Um, yes. I only filled in the information a week ago.”

“Understood. But things can change. And you are also 35, single, no kids, clean record and all that?”

“As I said...a week ago.” She was beginning to annoy him.

“I know, I know. It seems silly to put you through all of this again. But we need to check it all out and find out who we are dealing with.”

“Good.” Daniel looked at his watch again. It was the first time he could recall that he wanted the break to be over. They would be looking for him in the cafeteria in about four minutes.

“Okay, last question: why did you apply for the job?”

“I think that I answered that question, too.”

“Yes, yes you did.” He could almost feel her grin over the phone. “But people change their minds; they get cold feet. They don’t remember why they did the thing last week when this week is all so different. So, why did you apply?”

It was not annoyance he felt now. It was not even anger. He just wanted the call to end. He had a few minutes left and used that time to tell her everything: the stink of his clothes and body at the end of the day; his relationship with his manager and staff at various offices; this friendship with his neighbour; then a little about his family and lack of interest in dating or marriage. Daniel had wanted to share all of this with someone and he did it with a woman involved with what he still thought of as a scam artist. And then he said to her the one thing he did not expect to ever say to anyone in his life:

“I never have dreamed of doing anything in my life.”

It sounded weird. It left a pause on the line that the woman did not fill in with her laughter. Daniel wanted to leave right now.

“Thank you, Mr. Monk. Thank you so much.” She hung up.

It was only as he was walking back to the cupboard to roll out the bucket and mops that he realized he had not even learned her name.

Well, at least it was over, he thought. He needed to finish up two floors before leaving.

*

2.

This all changed on a Tuesday night.

Daniel was late getting home. He finished both floors and wanted to make sure that there was nothing for anyone to complain about before he left. The main office manager was still arguing with Daniel’s manager and it amused him to hear the two of them rip each other up on the phone. On the drive home, he realized that he had no food in the house and went through a drive through for cheeseburgers and chili fries. No soda, though. He always hated the way his teeth felt when he drank it. 

He pulled into the garage, still thinking of those winter tires and the state of his transmission as he parked and walked to the apartments. In the lobby, no letters or packages were visible in his neighbour’s boxes.

He saw a red envelope.

They really don’t give up on their hustles, thought Daniel. He held the glossy paper in his hand under the bag with his order and opened up his door. His phone was now vibrating and he was really hungry and did not want to deal with anyone right now.

It was a new number.

“Congratulations!” It sounded like a group of people in one confined space yelling down the line.

“I’m sorry. Who is this?”

“Wait, this is Daniel Monk, right?”

“Yes, again it is me. I spoke to someone...”

“We know! You got the job!”

“The job?” He had a cheeseburger halfway to his mouth as he spoke.

All the voices on the line were in sync. “Superintendant of Leiloa!”

“Right.”

“Um, yes. You got the job! You have the red letter, right?”

Daniel looked at the now greasy card. It was without an address or stamp, but he finally picked it up to feel its contents. It felt like there were more than just a few sheets of paper in there.

“Jesus...”

“You did not open it, yet?” They seemed very surprised.

“I just got home. Haven’t even eaten yet.”

“Well, open it up.”

Daniel opened it up. Letter of congratulations; a passport in his name with visa stamps (he had never owned a passport before, and how did they get his photo?); plane ticket (one-way, he noted); a list of items to pack before leaving (very light, he thought); plans for his apartment while he was away (all to be taken care of in their name); and a key.

And then his phone died.

Daniel began to smile again.

*

They picked him up on the Friday at the end of the week, put him in a limousine, drove him onto the tarmac of a private airport and introduced him to the staff of Leiloa.

“Yes, we are named after the island. Our job is to get you there in one piece. They will take care of you once you arrive. And would you like a drink? Shelly and I are here to provide you with any amenity you desire.”

They changed planes twice, keeping the same crew. He fell asleep on the last flight and woke up once the wheels hit the tarmac of the last airport. He stepped off the plane and was greeted by a man with a muscular build and deep tan line.

“Mr. Monk, I am Ford. I will be showing you around the island before you begin your stay as caretaker. I hope the flight was pleasant, but we need to make sure you are settled in before any tours take place. You will have a very basic crew and staff that will change every other month, with food and medical supplies imported as needed. And don’t worry; full Wi-Fi and satellite television are available on the island. We do not want to cut you off from the outside world.”

Daniel walked into the home that he would be staying in, greeting the maid, driver, cook, masseuse and masseur, gardener and others whose functions he was beginning to forget with his fatigue. His room had been laid out, and in the darkness he could see torches set up on the nearby beach for some sort of celebration (was he expected to attend?). He allowed the maid to unpack his things and she showed him how to operate the TV, fan, lights, computer system (security was set up in a separate building). And the one of the closets was already full of clothes (he checked; they even got his measurements right).

“Sir, it is a pleasure to have you here. You will love Leiloa.”

When he was finally alone, Daniel realised that he had turned his phone off during the trip. At least a dozen messages from people he knew were there, along with a few other numbers he did not recognize.

“Welcome to...”

All the voicemails were from the Leiloa, his new boss.

Daniel smiled again.

*

After one month on the island, Daniel began to have crying spells at night. He could hide it on the beaches and in front of the staff, but when he settled into the four-poster, he could feel the tears begin to flow. There had been medical staff provided by the company and he decided to check in and ask if a therapist was available. A beautiful woman in glasses and a wrap dress smiled as he entered her office and sat down.

“This is actually very common. You have been removed from one environment and placed in a new one that you never expected to be in. The body can respond in different ways. Some people self-isolate; others overeat or over stimulate themselves with drugs and alcohol. And some people have to cry. This will pass soon.”

She was absolutely right. It did pass, right after he asked her to dinner, she accepted, and they ended up in his bed after the third date. Unethical, perhaps, but Daniel had no complaints. 

There was something else.

Daniel learned how to pilot his own boat around the island to do his surveying (it was small enough that he could do this in about two-and-a-half hours in good weather; much easier than dealing with his car’s transmission). After a few months of this, he decided to hike around the island. Eventually, he lost weight, gained some muscle mass (the home gym and preplanned menu helped) and developed a love for walking, something he never thought about or cared for back home.

Back home...

He was on the computer after one long day, reading emails, checking weather reports (no storms seemed to touch the area), and just checking on the news. 

There was nothing new happening back home. No wars or major crimes to attract his attention.

Nothing at all out there.

But he did want to figure something out.

Leiloa. 

It was a Samoan word, taken from the Tasi Leiloa phrase he heard about earlier. 

He translated it. 

And after five months on the island, a period where he had transformed himself and finally fallen in love (she would be showing in a few months), he realized why he was chosen.

“Leiloa: Samoan word meaning ‘Missing’.”

It was the last time he would cry on the island. He had a long stretch of months ahead of him.