Telesa - The Covenant Keeper Read Free Page A

Aunty Matile bent to embrace him, ruffling his fur and hushing him with half-muttered endearments. Aha she can’t be that bad if she loves such a hideous beast I thought to myself with some triumph.
    I alighted from the truck, stiff muscles aching for a stretch, and examined my new temporary home. It was a solid brick box house with faded orange paint and a green tin roof. A steel rail encircled a veranda overflowing with pot plants. Exuberant bougainvillea trailed from hanging pots, vivid orange and flame red. A row of tiger orchids danced in the afternoon breeze. The garden was a riot of color and texture, so many different plants that even I couldn’t identify them all. Gracing the front yard was a sweeping frangipani tree thick with fragrant white blossoms. I took a few steps closer to its hanging branches and was assailed by the sweet scent of my dad’s favorite. I wasn’t prepared for the wave of emotion that swept over me and I fought the tears that threatened to spill. Struggling for control of my emotions, I hastily turned my back on Uncle as he took my bags to the front door. This was the land of my mother. This was the home of her sister. This was the place where my dad fell in love with the woman who would captivate him long after her premature death. I took a deep breath and reached with trembling fingers to pick a single white frangipani from the boughs above me. Auntie’s stern tones startled my reverie.
    “Frangipani, we call it pua in Samoan. You like plants.” It was a statement, not a question.
    I nodded, unwilling to trust my voice. As if sensing my fragility, Auntie’s voice softened.
    “You have come a long way. To be with people you know nothing about. That, at least, took courage.”
    I was taken aback by her compliment. Kindness would only loosen my hold on the floodgates though, so I simply shrugged, not trusting myself to respond.
    “Come inside. You must be tired. And thirsty.”
    Aunty Matile beckoned for me to follow her, snapping sternly at the dog as he made a cheerful lunge for me as I walked past.
    “Terminator! Halu! Get away.”
    I loved dogs. Even ugly ones. We could never have one since Margaret our long-suffering housekeeper had been allergic to them. It was a thrill to kneel beside Terminator and hug his wriggling body.
    “Hey boy, you’re so beautiful, you gorgeous thing, you wanna be friends? Huh?”
    He licked my face, his pungent fishy breath wrinkling my nose. “Eww .”
    For the first time, a smile cracked the rock expression on Matile’s face. “He’s a very naughty dog. Don’t give him too much attention or he’ll expect you to adore him all the time.”
    Uncle Tuala’s guffaw held disbelief. “As if he isn’t spoiled enough as it is by you, Matile.”
    She only pursed her lips and marched into the house, Uncle following with a gleam of satisfaction in his eye. I, too, hid a smile as I walked in slowly behind them. Clearly, Aunty wasn’t such a dragon and she did have her soft spots. My steps lightened.
    The front room was a spartan affair. A sofa set, the obligatory television, a woven mat on the floor. It was the pictures lining the walls that stood out. Christ looked down at me from every angle – all the sober, suffering pictures of Him. Dying on the cross, praying in the garden, breaking bread with his disciples. Clearly in this house, Jesus was a serious matter. Past the living room, through the kitchen and down a bare hallway was my room. Four walls. A bed draped with a mosquito net. Drawers. Another woven mat. A mirror. Windows overlooking the backyard where chickens roamed and a cluster of baby pigs snuffled happily under a breadfruit tree. Thankfully, I noted the ceiling fan as Aunty pointed further down the hall.
    “The bathroom is down here. It’s best to shower early because the water usually goes off in the evening. We have a water tank but the pressure isn’t strong enough for a shower. You’ll have to use a bucket and bowl if you bath