Kava Dreams

by Nuwan Ranasinghe (Australia)

I didn't expect to find Fiji

“One more cup brother, drink it up!” Tooks, the wait staff member at the Blue Lagoon Resort looked on excitedly at me as I took yet another swig of kava. I could feel the herb in this bitter elixir numbing my tongue, hands and brain as the balmy Pacific night sky shrouded us in darkness, the stars forming a glistening blanket that engulfed us in its expansive embrace. Out here on the Nacula islands, a tiny land mass that forms just one of the 300 islands of Fiji, the concept of time is a neglected and often abused commodity. There is no hurry to do anything here, yet it all seems just fine. When you work according to Fiji time, everything takes a little longer and a little slower with sips of kava in between to remind you that most things aren’t worth worrying about. Fijians are a jovial, and happy-go-lucky bunch – even after receiving a cyclone warning from the weather authorities that a category two monster was coming perilously close to our resort, we were still singing reggae songs on guitar and consuming copious amounts of the traditional Fijian drink to nullify our senses. The cyclone passed us a lot later than we expected too – clearly it must be under the influence of Fiji time as well. “You know the great thing about kava? It relaxes you, and you get very sleepy,” Tooks said animatedly. “Every Fijian will drink at least three cups of kava a day, and that is why we are just so chilled out all time.” My head is heavy, yet I feel light and dangerously calm. Tooks continues his discourse on kava. “Kava will take you another place. It blesses you in unexpected ways. I guarantee when you leave us something you have subconsciously wished for will happen. You will sleep like a baby tonight.” Five years earlier… It was at a 21st birthday party in Richmond, Melbourne where I first met her in person. She was simply magnificent. Long flowing dark hair, a razor-sharp jawline and large, radiant eyes that made her look like a real-life Disney princess, Janita was a girl unlike any I had come across before. She smiled at you in a way that seemed like she had worked you out instantly, and she always looked at you with a sense of mischievousness and slight indifference. She knew she was attractive to many and required no man to validate her, and yet that made me want her more. Alas, she was taken then and I had dismissed any possibility of meeting her again. Some girls were just too good to be true. Until Fiji. “I’m not sure if this is the resort you’re staying at, we just picked this place on a whim!” she messaged me hurriedly as she realised I was in Viti Levu at the same time as her. My travel photos on social media had grabbed her attention as we were both surprised to be in the same country at the same time after almost half a decade of lost contact. After a few blurry Snapchats of the location of her hotel, my heart finally swooned. She was here at my resort too! A few more quick texts, and finally we were sitting down together on the rocky ledge overlooking the coral coast, as the waves lapped gently at our feet against yet another pristine night sky. “So you’ve always been into Fiji-Indian girls?” she asked coyly. “Well I hear they’re quite peaceful and chill,” I remarked. “That’s not from the kava, let me tell you. Fiji hasn’t always been a peaceful country you know. Our people have lived here for generations yet some native Fijians still see us as outsiders. Only now have things become slightly better for us.” “Well, can I make things slightly better for you?” I asked softly. And we before I knew it, her lips were locked with mine. Our kiss was electric. It felt like I had come home, although this was my first time exploring Fiji. As Janita held me in her warm embrace, I figured that drinking kava wasn’t the only way to realise your dreams. She was the dream.