Ahu goes fishing (Part 3)

At night Ahu sometimes went fishing with the other women by the sea. She was happy doing this and prepared palm fronds to set alight to see the crabs scuttle along on the shore and to pick them up place them in her basket. She preferred however to fish in the daytime wading in among the rocks and stepping on the clumps of seaweed sensing a slight movement with her toes and grabbing a parrot fish with her hands with a squeal of delight killing it and putting it with the others.

At times Ahuahu fished with a rod on the rocks catching patuki the rock cod but Ahu thought that was dull work and liked to be active when she fished rather than sitting staring out to sea waiting for the fish to bite. She was happy that he found pleasure in this as her heart sank every time he went in his canoe onto the ocean to spend all day at the seas mercy.

Her parents had both died when she was five years old crossing from one island to another and she was left an orphan to be looked after by her aunts. She was then known as a feeding child or adopted child and this made her feel unwanted.

The sadness of those days growing up without her own parents was now fading from her mind now she was married but she never ever trusted the sea not to hurt her again and this was why she feared every fishing trip Ahuahu made and was overcome with delight when he returned and showed her pleasure with his every homecoming.

Ahuahu himself could not understand her fear of the sea as it had always been his life. He loved the feel of the oceans swell, the salty spray in his face and the gifts that the gods gave them from the deep. However her relief and the love she showed him every time he came home warmed his heart and he could not speak to anyone of how much she meant to him, it was not a manly thing to do, except perhaps to Ahu herself. Now that she was approaching the time of their baby’s birth, he at last understood why she worried so much about him.

A few nights later Ahu got up when it was not yet light, and went out of the hut. Ahuahu felt her move but thought nothing of it. In the morning she had not returned when he awoke. Jumping up he went outside and called for her. A passing woman said “She is having the child”

“Where?” asked Ahuahu.

“It is nothing to do with you. You must wait until she returns, did she not tell you?”

Ahuahu nodded. Ahu had told him that when the baby came she would go down into the woods and have the baby there being helped by the village women. She would have the baby standing up or crouching down depending how tired she was. He tried to remember what else she said but could not.

“It is best you go fishing” the woman said.

Ahuahu thought about this and decided it would be a good idea. As he got ready to call on Hi’ilei to get the canoe ready, he stopped and thought “No, I will fish off the rocks for Ahu, not at sea for Ahuahu. That will give her pleasure.”