Roi Namur - The Novel
Hi, it has been a while since I posted because frankly I ran out of humorous and informative stories. In the mean time I’ve been working on writing my first novel (actually it is not the first novel I ever started but hope to actually finish it). To that end, I’ve decided to start a new feature on Roi Rat journal. That feature is that once a month I will add a new chapter from my book and the following will be my first installment. I’ll attempt to add one around the first of the month so look for the next one on March 1, 2010 AD (CE). This is only a very rough draft of the book so once it is a best seller you can look back at the draft and see how much it has changed. Without further ado here is the book:
Today is a good day, I don’t think I even need my meds. I am sitting outside at a table in the “Rest Home” where I have been staying since I left Roi. They call it a “Rest Home” but let’s not fool ourselves, it is a psychiatrict hospital. It is located outside Tucson, Arizona. I think they sent me to this particular home because the desert seems as far away from Roi as one could get. It is a sunny day in early March and they’ve said they may even take some of us to a Spring Training game later. My doctor has suggested that it would be therapeutic for me to write about my time on Roi, that perhaps if I wrote in chronilogical order of my time there that somehow I would remember what really happened and not what he calls my lunatical ravings. I wish to God that what I remember happening as clear as remember getting out of bed this morning and putting on my slippers was only my imagination, that my friends did not suffer the horrors that they encountered, that these eyes never saw what they saw that I never had stood on the dark chasm of death until my rescue. Well, I will start at my first day on Kwajalein atoll and we’ll see where this story takes us. Maybe I do need my meds today.
Chapter 1
Kwajalein seen from the air is not a thing of beauty. It bears the resemblance of the industrial plant that it is. I had harbored the notion that it would be a tropical paradise reminiscent of Hawaii in its golden age complete with mountains and waterfalls and lush vegetation. Instead it could have been a military base anywhere in America. So you can imagine the disappointment I felt when I first saw it. Though I was destined for Roi-Namur, a s mall island on the northern end of the atoll, I jumped to the conclusion that this is what it would be like and wondered what I had gotten myself into. If I only knew! Kwajalein is a long thin crescent shaped island and is part of the world’s largest coral atoll. It surrounds a bat shaped lagoon that is 75 miles long from end to end. Kwajalein is at the southern wingtip of the bat and Roi-Namur is located at what would be the beak. One side of Kwajalein is dominated by the airstrip and the other contains the living quarters of the 2500 workers. Most of the offices and shops are located on the airport side as does the golf course. I was greeted, when I got off the plane, by another engineer, named Ron, who had a bike waiting for me to ride to his home. Ron and his wife Marie would entertain me in their home while I waited for the small plane to take me to Roi. There were hamburgers cooking on the grill and a cold beer waiting for me at their home. Their backyard was decked out in lush tropical foliage. Their home gave me more of a feel of a tropical island and I was beginning to look forward to the adventure that awaited me here. The couple was quite hospitable. Ron explained that he worked on Roi but commuted daily by the plane. Marie was a teacher at the school. “So what is Roi-Namur like?” I asked. I thought I detected a knowing glance between the two of them but perhaps it was my imagination. “Quiet really” answered Ron. “There are only a little over 100 people living on it but it is about the same footage as Kwajalein that houses 2500. You’ll fit in over time and you can always fly down here to Kwaj if you need to shop or take advantage of some social life.” “You’re telling me it is boring there? I don’t suppose there are many women?” “Nah, none that are interested in men anyways. Some guys meet Marshallese girls for company. It all depends on what you like. Most guys occupy their free time with diving or golf.” “No problem, I had a girlfriend in the states but I’m not sure where our romance is going. I think we both need some time apart to see what we really want. I hear the diving is great.” “Its awesome dude. You won’t believe the number of fish you’ll see. If you like wrecks there are at least 3 ships sunk there and rumors of a fourth ship. In addition there are plenty of planes. If you like sharks you’ll see more than your share of them.” “As a matter of fact I love sharks. I would die to dive with a great white.” “A poor choice of words if you ask me. I don’t know anyone who’s seen a white but there are plenty of reef sharks and black and white tipped sharks. There is an occasional tiger shark spotted.” “Anyone ever get attacked?”
“Only time I’ve heard of a shark attacking is when they were spear fishing. The sharks just want the fish but if a dude gets in the way, well… What you have to worry about more are triggerfish. One of our guys had a bite taken out of his face by one.” “Seems like the place has a lot to offer, what with the tax advantages, free housing and food. Why aren’t they able to retain folks better?” Just then Marie showed up with a salad and some fried potatoes to go with our burgers. So the question hung in the air unanswered for now. After we downed some burgers it was time for me to catch the plane to Roi so I bid farewell to my hosts and boarded the dash 8 that would take me to my new home. Roi-Namur seen from the air has the appearance of a Manta Ray. At one time Roi and Namur were two separate islands with a third smaller island between them. Now all three are joined together giving it the aforementioned shape. There is a small bay that partially separates the islands on the ocean side. Roi is where the workers live. It is dominated by the airstrip and a 9 hole golf course. On the North side is a scattering of residential buildings. Namur is primarily covered by jungle. It’s most notable feature, is Altair, the second largest Radar antenna in the world. There are 3 smaller sensors, 2 of which are covered by radomes. The plane landed and I stepped down to my new life wondering what new adventures I had in store for me. I’m not sure what I expected, a brass band, maybe some Hawaiian girls with leis, well maybe not that, but I thought someone would greet me. I exited the plane and found a spot on the bench outside the small airport terminal that also serves as post office, medical dispensary, police station and bank. I sat there for a quarter of an hour before a man pulled up in a pick-up truck. A short stocky middle aged man stepped out and extended his hand to me. “You must be Matt, I’m Fred, where’s your stuff?” he inquired somewhat gruffly. “I go by Matthew actually, I saw them pull my suitcases out of the cargo hold and put them on the trailer over there.” I pointed. “Let’s get ‘em”. He threw my luggage in the back of the truck and clambered in. He drove me to an in-ornate one story building where he dropped me off with a key and an admonition that if I needed anything I could get it at the store the next morning which would open at 10. I found my new home to be a single room about half way down the hall. It was sparsely furnished with a bed, a dresser, an imitation bamboo desk and a few straight back chairs. The one luxury was a small refrigerator. At least I had my own bathroom. Crossing time-zones and catching flights can leave a person tired so without any friends and no entertainment I decided it was best to turn in for the night and take in my new home the next day.
2 Responses to “Roi Namur - The Novel”
 Comment by bill shirley February 24th, 2010 at 8:31 pm |
glen looks like a good start |
 Comment by Niki Studevant February 25th, 2010 at 12:21 pm |
Hi Dad- I enjoyed your story so far…I especially liked the intro it’s a good hook. I’m interested to see where the book goes from here. |