The Island of Hope

By Bob Farina

After a sudden squall leaves Samantha and Daniel Bennett adrift in the South Pacific Ocean for several days, their fractured sailboat floats into a small island cove. A local Polynesian healer notices that Samantha has a yellow tint in her eyes and gives her a plant-based solution with miraculous healing power. The Bennetts return to the United States, and Samantha visits her oncologist for a checkup on a tumor in her pancreas. Her pre-chemotherapy body scan reveals that the cancerous tumor has substantially reduced, and word of the Polynesian healer's solution finds its way to Brenda, the VP of Research and Development of a pharmaceutical company. She becomes obsessed with monetizing this miracle cure, and soon decides she will stop at nothing to take the healing plants for herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350950472

Bob Farina

As a native New Yorker, Bob Farina is a graduate of St. John's University who enjoyed a 30-year corporate executive career with Bloomingdales Department Store and a 10-year career as President and COO of Hart Systems. Bob relocated to Charleston, SC in 2006 and now is a real estate professional servicing the greater Charleston area. He has published three prior novels. Bob and his wife, Mary Ann, reside on Daniel Island in Charleston. Their daughters Allison and Carolyn, along with their grandchildren, live in the Carolinas as well. An avid golfer, Bob enjoys many of Charleston's great courses.

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Copyright ©2024

By Bob Farina

Published by BookBaby

Print ISBN: 979-8-35095-046-5

eBook ISBN: 979-8-35095-047-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Epilogue

Author’s Note

About the Author

For my daughter,

Allison Rose Farina

Greed has no boundaries.

Aristotle

Prologue

Sansi Island, South Pacific Ocean

1572

After Makani’s mother died during his childbirth, Makani and his father, Kai, were inseparable. When Makani was four years old, Kai began to teach him all about making harpoons, nets, and traps for fishing. Within a few years, they were able to work together on crafting a new double-hull outrigger canoe. Survival on the ocean was dependent on leaving the island in the canoe to fish, but to safely return with the catch of the day. These critical navigation skills and techniques were passed down from generation to generation since Kai’s original ancestors arrived on Sansi Island three hundred years earlier in 1271. Makani’s Polynesian ancestors were adventurous and seafaring people who over the course of five hundred years had migrated eastward from Samoa in the western Pacific towards the vast unknown ocean in the east. They traveled in large fleets and were confident that Rangi ( Father Sky ) and Papa (Mother Earth) would protect them and guide them to new islands. Eventually, they settled on one of the thousand Polynesian islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They named the island Sansi. It was ten square miles with only one access to the island…a semi-circular cove with an inviting flat shoreline that was about a mile deep before the land began to gently rise toward the one mountain peak. Along the way there were waterfalls and a huge rainforest. The cove area was the only inhabitable part of the island.

In keeping with the Polynesian tradition, Makani, now thirteen years old, it was time for him to take the catamaran-like canoe out by himself to fish in the deep waters of the Pacific. The cornerstone of his training was to always keep the peak of the island’s eight-hundred-foot-high mountain in sight. Kai’s instruction to Makani called for him to begin his return voyage back to the island when the sun was directly overhead. It was a bright and cloudless day when Makani left but within a few hours, low-hanging clouds moved in and obscured the horizon in all directions. He recalled his father’s advice to not panic and waste energy rowing without knowing what the right direction was. So, Makani just continued to fish. Eventually, the clouds started to dissipate but Makani was still unable to see the mountain peak in half of his view and concluded that it was in the other cloud-covered half. But still, he did not row and sat patiently for Rangi and Papa to show him the way. At last, the clouds cleared, and the peak was there on the horizon for him. When he returned to the island he was greeted by his father and other islanders who prepared a special celebration feast. A colorful lei comprised of flowers and leaves was placed around his neck as a symbol of honor and passage from boyhood to manhood.

A year later, his father became seriously ill and died from internal ailments that were preceded by high fever, acute pain, and loss of weight. Makani had tended to his every need during that time and was upset that he was unable to ease his father’s pain. For days Makani spent many hours walking the beach trying to accept his inability to help his father. He found no answers on these walks and eventually, he left the white-sand island beaches and stunning turquoise lagoons and ventured into the lush green hills below the island’s only mountain. There in the sloping hills, Makani found a sense of inner peace. He came across an abundance of forest flowers but was especially attracted to a group of dark verdant plants, each with a flower of five white petals arranged in a semi-circular pattern. They prospered in the shade beneath the tree canopy. Makani was fascinated by the petal’s brilliant white color and intoxicating aromas. After several visits to the area, he observed that these flowering plants only grew below a certain type of tree that had a smooth, orange-tinted trunk bark and branches filled with miniature cone-shaped growths hanging by the slimmest of thread-like stems. He could not find the white petal plants anywhere else on the vast hillside except under this one tree. When Makani touched the white flower petals, a powder transferred onto his fingers. His curiosity led him to taste the powder, which he found pleasant. He gathered several of the flowered petals and their dark green leaves as well as many of the other floral discoveries.

Over the next several years he harvested a full collection of plants, flowers, and barks from the green hillside and brought them back to his beach-side hut. There, he pulverized them and separately stored them in empty coconut shells that had been sun-dried for weeks. Intuitively, Makani believed that these ingredients had a beneficial impact for people, and he began to experiment with them by adding small portions of the dried substance to the freshwater retrieved from the island’s nearby lake. He had always tried his new concoction on himself and found that some of his drinks provided energy, some a sense of euphoria, and others helped with muscle pain. In some cases, he combined certain ingredients and added lesser amounts of coconut oil extracted from the white coconut meat and created a salve that he used for arm and leg scratches caused by his walks through the forests.

The success of his discoveries was soon shared with the other villagers. A day did not pass without a neighbor making a visit to Makani for a remedy for some type of ailment. In a few cases, they were in excruciating pain from internal conditions. Over the years Makani was able to make a quick diagnosis and identify which of his thirty-six potions was appropriate to solve the problem. His reputation as a healer grew and spread throughout the adjacent islands.

Makani married and his wife bore him two boys. Like his father, Makani instructed his sons all about fishing and navigation but when they passed their thirteen-year-old solo canoe trips, he began to impart his wisdom and knowledge about his forest discoveries and his healing techniques. As the years passed, almost without exception, the people of Sansi Island enjoyed a life free of pain and most lived to see their great-grandchildren. By the time Makani was sixty years old, he was revered by the villagers as a living god and a descendant of Rangi and Papa. 

Chapter

1

There was a time when a person’s pledge and a handshake were just as good as an attorney-prepared affidavit. The sense of commitment and trust were integral to a man or woman’s reputation. Some of the great entrepreneurial success stories were first built on a handshake.

There was a time when political differences were resolved through negotiation and mutual compromise. It was consensus oriented and most often both parties were not fully satisfied but they each understood and recognized that having a piece of the ‘strawberry shortcake,’ no matter how small, was better than not even enjoying a morsel.

There was a time when a person felt very strongly about an issue and would be relentless in arguing or defending their perspective but would be open to listening to someone else’s point of view. Despite their differences, mutual respect allowed for a meaningful dialogue.

Thirty-nine-year-old Samantha has just about seen it all. As an attorney for fifteen years and the three hundred cases her firm had litigated, she was very much aware of the changes in people’s values, the slow lava-like movement of society towards narcissism, and the lack of respect for the dignity of others. Her early morning reflections always included a quick mental review of the pending lawsuits and her perceptions of the parties involved as she sipped her cup of freshly brewed Gevalia Majestic Roast black coffee. She loved the strong, intense flavor of the Arabica beans. She was not a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee lover! Samantha was getting ready for a negotiating session this morning with Gavin Sullivan who was the opposing attorney representing the T. R. Benson Company. The case had proceeded past the pleadings and discovery stages and her motion for a Summary Judgement was denied by the court two months ago. Both parties were headed towards a trial that was a month away but just last week her lead investigator, Matt Sorkin, uncovered that one of the T. R. Benson Company executives lied under oath during his deposition. So, Samantha reached out to Gavin and set up today’s meeting for 10:00 a.m. She expected that this new evidence would result in a strong financial settlement for her client. However, Gavin’s reaction to the perjury incident may not be enough for him to settle the case, but she was reasonably confident that it would. She finished her coffee, showered, and dressed for the meeting.

Samantha was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1971. Her father worked at The Westfield Insurance Company and always wore a business suit and tie, while her mother stayed home to care for Samantha and her two younger brothers. At an early age, she became their protector and advocate and began to lobby on their behalf to settle parental disputes regarding permissions to go somewhere or do something. Quite often she was able to convince her parents to a compromise that was acceptable to her brothers and parents. Samantha was not always one-sided. When she agreed with her parents’ position, she had no problem explaining their thinking to her brothers and effortlessly convinced her siblings that Mom and Dad are right.

Samantha joined her high school debate team as a first-year student and by her junior year, she was captain of the team. In her debates, Samantha’s opening statements were always clearly stated with a natural, confident delivery citing many supporting reasons and examples for her position. In rebutting the opposing arguments, she managed to first give them credence but then swooped in with an abundance of logical points to easily win over the three-panel judges. Her excellent vocabulary and mastery of complex but clear sentences were the envy of everyone. In her senior year, Samantha’s high school team won the Baltimore Regional debates with their pro-position that the federal government should establish a comprehensive national policy to protect the quality of water in the United States. However, on the eve of the Maryland State High School debate tournament, her father suddenly passed away and she chose not to participate the following day. Without Samantha as the closing debater, her high school came in fourth place.

Even as far back as Samantha’s grammar school days and continuing through high school, her parents were extremely impressed with her negotiating skills and did not resent her role of a somewhat surrogate parent. Whenever Samantha was able to resolve a dispute on behalf of her brothers, her father would always tell her that one day she would be an attorney. And that’s exactly what happened. Samantha graduated from Loyola University Maryland and obtained her law degree from nearby Georgetown University. She had several corporate offers, but her dream was to return to Baltimore, pass the bar exam, and open her own practice specializing in litigation. What began in 2005 as a sole attorney practice with a few small civil cases blossomed by 2015 into a larger office with three other partners, four associate attorneys, a full-time investigator, a stellar clerical support team, and a wide array of litigation dispute cases including personal injury, intellectual property, medical malpractice, employment, and contracts.

The T. R. Benson litigation involved an employment discrimination case where Henry Baines, a sixty-two-year-old male with twenty years of company employment as the marketing director, was terminated based on inferior performance. Henry reported directly to Timothy Benson, son of the CEO and Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Until six months ago, Henry always received Above Average to Outstanding evaluations but then his last review was a ‘Needs-Improvement’ and each of his monthly follow-up assessments showed no improvement. Samantha took this case on because in all of her meetings with Henry, she found him to be intelligent, creative, and his portfolio of accomplishments was impressive. He kept telling Samantha that there was nothing wrong with his performance and said that Timothy had not been the same person Henry had come to know over the years. Her instincts told her that there was something else that was driving this. She assigned Matt Sorkin, her lead investigator, to perform a full workup on Timothy Benson and it was his report now that she held in her briefcase as she stepped into Gavin Sullivan’s office.

Samantha, what is so critical that you needed to see me today? inquired Gavin.

Samantha replied, Timothy Benson committed perjury.

What the hell are you talking about?

During his deposition under oath.

Gavin shot back. That’s crazy!

You want to bet the company marbles on it?

Look, I know Timothy since he graduated from Ohio State and joined his father’s company twelve years ago.

Samantha smiled and calmly said, We both know that the business world can change you. You get sucked up into thinking that you’re invincible. But lying under oath is in a league all by itself. The exposure is absolute.

Okay, what did Timothy lie about? Gavin finally asked.

As you well know, Henry Baines was terminated by Timothy on the grounds of poor job performance and for no other reason.

Samantha retrieved from her briefcase the deposition transcript of Timothy’s testimony. "Let me read an excerpt.

Okay, how did Timothy perjure himself, queried Gavin.

Samantha removed Matt Sorkin’s investigative report from her briefcase. It seems that Timothy has been in a gay relationship with Steve Roberts who resides in Bethesda, Maryland. It turns out that Timothy purposely fired Henry Baines and hired Steve’s sister who was a marketing director struggling to find employment for the past year.

Gavin scoffed at Samantha’s statement. That doesn’t prove Timothy committed perjury. Most likely he was just lining up a replacement. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Samantha leaned back in her chair, took her time, and finally said, If that was the case…I agree. But Timothy’s relationship with Steve recently ended, and Steve informed my investigator of a conversation Timothy and Steve had prior to Henry’s so-called needs-improvement evaluation. Apparently, when Steve first suggested Timothy hire Steve’s sister, Timothy’s response was… ‘I can’t do that. My marketing director is outstanding!’ Eventually, Timothy mapped out a strategy to terminate Henry Baines and hire Steve’s sister.

Gavin was stunned and meekly said, This could easily be a case of a jilted lover seeking revenge on Timothy.

Do you really believe that Gavin? Are you willing to take a chance in court? Samantha responded.

How much do you want?

"Well, originally we would have been