Chapter 18
The next morning Kaila and Peter were strolling hand in hand through the outdoor shopping center called the Whaler’s Village. It was situated in the coastal resort area of Ka’anapalli. The quaint surroundings were lush and green with tropical vegetation everywhere. It was tailor-made for tourists in every way. The side road leading to the mall was dotted with one resort after another with the mall situated in the middle and the resorts continuing on past to the end of the road. The grounds were surrounded with palm trees, plumeria, hibiscus and a vast array of other tropical plants and flowers. Across the road from the resorts and shopping was the Ka’anapali golf course, which was perfectly groomed as well for the golfer’s enjoyment and experience. Looking inland as the backdrop to all this colorful tropical display were the West Maui Mountains standing majestically, overlooking the coastline.
They entered the mall and walked past a large replica of a humpback whale skeleton on display. Ka’anapali and Lahaina were the center of whaling back in the 1800’s and were also some of the prime areas of Maui to whale watch in the winter months. The replica was a fitting display for the mall’s namesake and a favorite spot for photo-taking by tourists and shoppers.
Kaila knew where she was going, so Peter just tagged along. She had her backpack on with pad and paper and snacks for later inside. Peter carried a long oddly shaped pack over his shoulder as well. Kaila had been wanting to know what he had brought along but he still had not told her what it was. She was curious what he might be up to.
They found the elevator and Kaila pressed the button. “We have to go up. It’s on a floor by itself,” she explained.
“That’s cool,” Peter said. “This is a great shopping area. It’s crawling with people. Nice and fancy.”
“Yeah, it’s great isn’t it?” Kaila beamed. She enjoyed walking around the shops there. “I love these stores. But most of them are way outta my league. But you can still look, right? Ha ha.”
It was indeed a fancy area to browse and shop. And people were everywhere as usual. Shops lined both sides of the open air mall with a nice wide walkway in the center, adorned with more tropical flowers and plants and even tall palm trees. At the end of the walkway were beachside restaurants as well as a beach walk and of course the famous Ka’anapali Beach. The beach was one of the longest in Maui, if not the longest, and the views were breathtaking of the channel with Lanai and Molokai off in the distance. The channel was ideal for whales in the winter since they were protected with the surrounding islands. Plus the depth was shallower in the channel due to the closeness to the island chain. All winter long locals and tourists alike are dazzled by the charming existence of the humpback whales. And it’s never uncommon to witness their incredible ability to breach the water at any given moment in a playful display of their power and presence. It was indeed a quaint little village with the shopping and resorts around. The mall was definitely aptly named.
They reached the top floor and the museum entrance was right there. A small gift shop and ticket desk was at the front with a young man, no more than twenty, manning the ticket counter. He sat with his headphones on and stared blankly at a smartphone. He barely noticed the two of them walk in. Kaila pulled her small wallet from her backpack and produced several one dollar bills and handed them to the attendant. “It’s my treat,” she said happily to Peter. “Two please.”
“Students?” the attendant asked.
“Yes.”
“Four dollars please,” he said, not even looking up from his smartphone.
“Lunch is on me then,” Peter said. “To go with our snacks.”
She smiled back at him and said, “OK. Perfect.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek as they walked into the main room of the small museum. “I’ll take champagne with my caviar.”
Peter chuckled and replied, “As you wish, madame.”
At the entrance to the room was a fairly large model of a whaling ship that was encased in glass.
“Cool,” Peter exclaimed. “Sweet model.”
The room was small but was filled abundantly with artifacts in display cases on the floor, photographs and more display cases on the walls, and video screens with repeating programs about certain topics. The museum was laid out in a pattern for you to follow going through the history of whaling in West Maui over a period of time. If you wished you could rent an audio player and do a self-guided tour or just walk along and read the plaques on the wall that said the same thing as the audio player. Kaila and Peter opted to read them since money was short as it was.
Each time period had detailed descriptions of how the crews worked on the whaling ships, the tools they used (with some of the real tools on display), and the smaller boats used for the actual whale “chase.” There were details about everything from descriptions of each crew member and what their job and title was, to everything you wanted to know about the whale itself. Also listed was what each part of the whale was used for and what items were made from them and sold in the marketplace in the 19th century.
It was fascinating information to read and both Kaila and Peter read each plaque intently. Kaila stopped from time to time to jot down notes as they went along.
They came to a display case that caught her attention in particular. It was filled with whale bone or large ivory teeth that were made into scrimshaw. It was an art that was created by crew members themselves after spending long and lonely days at sea. Kaila studied them closely and said in a whisper, “Wow! These are amazing. I guess I don’t remember this case.”
“Maybe they just added it,” Peter said.
She continued reading the plaques on the wall and soon began to laugh. “Look at what they used to call taverns back then: ‘grogshops.’ I bet those were rowdy places. Ha ha.”
Peter smiled and quipped, “Nothing like a good grogshop.” He walked to the very back of the room. “Hey, look at this. It’s where they used to sleep.” She came up next to him and looked at the wall-sized display behind glass depicting a typical crewman’s quarters or forecastle. They were below decks and the only light that came in was from the above hatch through which they could enter. Inside it depicted a room with hammocks or narrow bunks and typical belongings a crewman would carry with him such as a sea chest for personal items, knives, lanterns, pipes and even harmonicas.
“Looks cozy,” Kaila snickered. “I bet a hammock feels darn good after a day at sea chasing whales. Just lay back and sway with the ship.”
“And play the harmonica,” Peter added. “You gotta have a harmonica.” He looked at the sign on the wall and read it aloud. “Instead of ‘forecastle,’ they called it a ‘fo’c’sle.’”
“Too funny. I bet they used some really crude slang back then.”
Then, as if out of nowhere, Peter piped up. “Maybe you could do your paper on that.”
Kaila looked at him funny. “What? 19th century slang? Old timey cuss words?”
Peter laughed at her, trying not to be too loud. “No silly. Write a story about these guys. Not just write a paper about the history. Write a story with them. Make up something. Use all this cool stuff in your story and all these old terms and whatnot. Anybody done that idea yet?”
Kaila’s mind started running. His idea was not half bad. And maybe that is what Mister Tran was getting at. “You mean like a novel?”
“Nah, it’s a short story. Make up characters and everything.”
“You make it sound so easy. You ever written a short story?”
Peter laughed and shook his head. “Heck no. I don’t have that kind of brain. I’m more of a ‘write an essay from an encyclopedia’ kinda guy. I have no clue how to write a story.” But then he added, “But you do. I know you’ve got it in you.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” she said. “You could write anything if you wanted.”
“So could you.”
“But you may be onto something, Mr. Lane.” She tapped her pencil on her chin, staring at the fore
castle display. She looked across the room at the model ship towards the entrance. She surveyed the entire room full of artifacts and displays, her mind racing a mile a minute. “Yeah, you may be onto something. I could bring this to life.”
Peter agreed whole-heartedly. “You bet you can.”
She smiled at him broadly, as if a light had just gone on inside her head. “I think you got it. Yeah, I think I’m gonna do it!”
“Sweet!” Peter said.
“I think I’ve seen enough here. Have you? What’d ya say we go eat lunch now?”
“Even better idea! I’m starving,’” Peter said.
“Me too. Let’s get outta here.”
They walked outside into the bright sunshine and made their way through the crowd of shoppers. They finally got back to the parking garage and set out on her blue scooter. They headed out on Honoapiilani Highway and rode further up the coastline. Soon Kaila turned at a stop light for a small road that was basically an entrance for some condos to the left and the Westin Resort on the right.
“We checking in here?” Peter teased. “Sounds like a plan to me!”
“Dream on, buddy boy,” she shouted back at him. “No silly, there is a beach park here too.”
“Oh,” Peter laughed out loud. “Well that’s good too.”
She parked the scooter and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. She pretended to be insulted, but he knew she loved his sense of humor.
They parked in a small lot adjacent to the large resort. An open-air pavilion sat on the edge of the parking lot, with rest rooms, picnic tables and open-air rafters for a roof. Just beyond the pavilion was a large area of bright green grass, freshly manicured and well-maintained. And past the grass was the long narrow sandy beach of Ka’anapalli. Here you had the same breathtaking view of Lanai as well as Molokai. A few sunbathers lounged on the grass under the tall palm trees. Others walked along the beach or played in the light surf.
The locals called this beach North Beach, as it was technically still part of Ka’anapalli Beach. However, the two beaches were separated by a large cliff that jutted out into the sea several hundred yards called Black Rock. The cliff was over a hundred feet high and was a large mass of jagged black volcanic rock. Some daredevils would even dive off the cliff, including a ceremonial dive at sunset by a Hawaiian performer each evening at a local luau. It was an iconic spot on the island and well-known in photographs in travel magazines and websites. On either side of the impressive cliff was long stretches of pristine beach; North Beach being the quieter side with not as many resorts as the south side.
Peter walked through the pavilion and onto the soft grass. A piece of lava rock was alone on display near the sidewalk with a plaque fastened to it. He stood and read the words intently. The park was called Kahekili Beach Park. Kaila came skipping up behind him carrying their lunch.
“Huh,” Peter said out loud, “This used to be an airstrip.”
“Yeah, I know,” she said. “Back in the 60’s. Used to be nothing out here back then.”
“Amazing,” Peter said, looking all around at the large resorts that lined the beach. “Hard to imagine. It says here it was used into the 80’s when it finally closed. Bet it was cool flying in and out of here right next to the water.”
“Yeah, I bet so,” she concurred. “They have a small airstrip now over by Kapalua. Big time tourists use that one that stay at those fancy golf resorts. They even have a pro tournament up there each year. Those guys use that airstrip a lot.”
“Oh, that would be sweet,” Peter laughed. “Have your own plane.” He came back to Earth though, remembering how hungry he was. “Hey, let’s sit on the grass and eat. Want to?”
“Sure.” She just loved his romantic side.
They sat on the grass and stretched their legs out. The grass was so soft you did not even need a blanket. They sat and ate their sandwiches and people-watched and stared out at the amazing view over the ocean. Peter noticed the sidewalk that ran along the grassy park.
“Is this the beach walk?”
“Yeah, it goes for quite a ways in both directions,” Kaila answered. “People jog and stuff. I like to walk on it too during the summers early in the morning. It even goes around Black Rock. Gets kinda tricky over there, you just gotta know where to go. The other way it ends up just past Duke’s.”
“That’s really cool. Keeps you from gettin’ all sandy.” Peter nodded approvingly. “Don’t have that where I’m from. The coast is real jagged over there. Lots of high cliffs or just lots of lava rock. Not too many long stretches like this.”
“You’ll have to show me one day,” Kaila hinted. She wanted to know everything about him. “Yeah, with all the tourists, some good things do get built around here. Might be crowded and lots of traffic here at times, but I do love the beach walk.”
Peter picked up on what she mentioned and was not going to let it go unnoticed. “Sure, I’d love to take you there one day. Show you the Volcanoes National Park. You have to see it at night. Take some flashlights with us to walk on the old lava and see the glow of the lava all around. It’s cool. And seeing it flow into the sea is really cool with this big cloud of steam.”
“Yeah, I’d love to see that!” Kaila said excitedly.
They finished their lunch and decided to take a walk on the beach walk towards Duke’s restaurant. The walkway ended near the popular spot which was actually part of another resort. None of the beaches in Hawaii are private, so one could walk along the beach or beach walk and see the fancy resorts up close and personal and see how beautiful they are. The resorts along the way were no exception either.
Even though Peter and Kaila both grew up in Hawaii, neither ever really got to see the fancy resorts thoroughly unless they knew someone who worked at one. So it was always a treat to get to see them up close. The landscaping at each one was meticulous and well-kept on a daily basis. The tropical surroundings and décor were always tip-top. Lanai’s were decorated with tropical plants and flowers, swimming pools surrounded by palm trees and other flora and fauna, and tropical birds were singing and flying all around. Peter marveled at each resort as they walked by them.
Once they reached Duke’s they took off their shoes and walked hand in hand along the beach back the other way. As they walked and watched people go by and others play in the surf, Kaila started recalling what had happened after the game the night before. “So that guy you saw last night, Jeff? He was the one you saw that day while we were paddleboarding, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, that was him,” Peter answered. “He was talking with Koni Boy that day.”
Kaila looked straight at him and finished his thought. “And Koni Boy was there last night too. He was watching us.”
“Yeah, I saw him too. Talking to some girl.”
“That rat,” Kaila said, wrinkling her nose. “So who is that Jeff guy, anyway?”
Peter cleared his throat. He knew this conversation was coming. But it did not bother him. He wanted her to know what had happened. “He and I used to be friends back home, but then he started getting involved with these other guys around 10th grade. They started messin’ around with meth. I didn’t like it at all so I tried to stay out of it. But Jeff kept trying to get me involved. He started becoming this big shot on the north side, acting all cool. Like he was some kind of drug kingpin. It was like he completely changed.” Kaila listened intently to him as they walked. “I told him over and over I didn’t want to know anything about how to make it, sell it, all that stuff. But one night he pressured me into keeping watch outside this guy’s apartment while they supposedly were getting a new batch ready. As soon as I showed up outside the building, cops were everywhere. Turns out no one was inside, but all this drug stuff was in there. They wanted to know why I was there, so they took me in. Said I had been seen before with this other guy and Jeff, that sorta thing. My parents flipped out. I don’t blame them either. But I never did anything wrong, I knew that stuff was bad news.”
Peter shrugged his shoulders and said, “You saw how the guy was. Always the smooth talker. I mean, he was my friend since we were kids. But I was just stupid going there. I guess I didn’t see any harm in standing outside. He has this way of talking you into things. But all he did was leave me there high and dry and I was the one who got hauled in. Nothing happened to that jerk. I was just stupid.”
“Did he follow you here or something?” she asked. “He is a jerk, by the way. And Koni Boy is even dumber for hanging around with him.”
“I doubt it, but he knows I’m here.” Peter said. “Expanding his enterprise I guess. If he thinks I’m going to help him again, he’s got another thing comin.’ And yeah, you need to tell Leilani to dump that moron Koni Boy.”
“She probably won’t believe me, as usual,” she said, rolling her eyes. “She’s so stubborn.”
They strolled all the way back to Kahekili Beach Park where they ate lunch. They stopped and watched as some scuba divers carried their equipment from a nearby van in the parking lot for a shore dive. Each diver slowly put on their dive vest and then helped one another strap an oxygen tank to their back. Then they chuckled as the divers waddled towards the water with their big fins on their feet and heavy tanks on their backs until they finally reached the water.
“Ever try that before?” Kaila asked. “I never have. I’m sure it costs a lot.”
“Nope,” Peter answered. “I just skin dive with a mask. Or snorkel some. See lots of fish that way too.”
“Yeah, me too,” Kaila responded. “I bet you can see a lot more though scuba diving. Might be fun. Sometimes you see green sea turtles right near the beach. They’re neat.” They stood cooling their feet on the green grass as they watched the steady stream of people on the beach pass by. “Hey, I want to take you to a special place. It’ll be quieter too.”
“I’m in.” Peter said with a big smile. “Lead the way!”
They hopped on the scooter and headed further up the coast towards Kapalua. The further they rode, the less traffic there was as well as buildings, homes and resorts. She turned on a small secluded road that was dotted with tropical vegetation on either side. It was a nice shady street and felt cool under the tree cover. Soon she pulled into a tiny paved lot that was adjacent to yet another beach, although a much smaller one. It was called Napili Beach. There were still some resorts on the beach but they were much smaller and somewhat older than the previous ones they had seen and not quite as modern. Plus there were very few tourists on the curved beach that overlooked the scenic bay.
Mauka from the beach were the championship golf courses of Kapalua. They were situated on the very western tip of Maui and had incredible views of Molokai. The wind, however, was exceptional on this side of the island and provided an extra challenge to golfers who came to play the pristine golf courses.
The sand was cool and soft in the late afternoon sun and the wind came off the bay at a crisp pace. The tall palm trees swayed in the breeze as the sun glistened off the tiny waves that trickled into the quiet beach.
“This is one of my favorite beaches,” Kaila said. “I wanted you to see it. It’s so peaceful.” She began to kick off her shoes and t-shirt and stripped down to a bikini she had on underneath. “Come on sexy boy, time to hit the water.”
Peter could not take his eyes off of her. She definitely was easy on the eyes. He thought she was very beautiful and sexy in a bathing suit. His heart raced as he took off his t-shirt and kicked off his shoes. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he took off his shirt. She couldn’t help but grin a guilty smile. He looked quite handsome to her as well.
“Race you to it!” Peter yelled out. They both went running into the aqua blue water and laughed and giggled the whole way. They swam out several yards from shore until their toes no longer touched. The water felt wonderful. They did not get much time to relax during the week with all their chores at school, so it was wonderful when they did and have a little fun. They splashed and teased one another. Peter would dive underwater and sneak up on her and grab her legs and feet and she would let out a squeal each time he did.
He dove down again as she tried to catch him but he was too fast. “Oh come back here!” she cried out, as she laughed out loud at the same time. “You rascal!” She swam in closer so she could stand on her toes. As soon as her foot set down though, he grabbed her legs and she squealed yet again. He came up for air right in front of her with his arms wrapped around her waist. “I think you like doing that, mister.”
“Yes ma’am, I do,” Peter said slyly. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as they kissed softly yet passionately. Their lips pressed firmly together as they embraced affectionately under the gentle waves. She held him tightly after they kissed again, her heart pounding. “Oh, Peter,” she whispered. “I’m crazy about you!”
Peter caressed her beautiful face gently and looked lovingly into her eyes. Those were the best words he could ever hear. He had felt the same about her from the very start. “I am so crazy about you, Kaila. I have been from the very beginning.”
“I have too,” she confessed. She kissed him again softly. “It was a little scary because I had never felt these things before. But I can’t deny it. I’m totally nuts about you!” She looked deep into his eyes and let herself get lost in them. “Peter Lane. What should I do with you?”
“Anything, as long as it’s good!” Peter laughed. She laughed at his cute sense of humor. But then his face grew serious. “It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do. All I know is that I want to be with you. And I know that’s a big thing to say. But I can’t deny what I feel in my heart. I feel this connection with you that I can’t explain. But the same thought, the same conclusion winds up the same in my head. And that’s being with you. I don’t know how I know, but I just know. Does that make sense?”
Kaila looked as though she wanted to cry. No one had ever said such loving words to her. And the gravity of what he was saying was immense, yet it did not scare her. She knew what he was saying and it only validated her own thoughts and feelings about him.
“It’s crazy,” she began. “But yes, it does make sense. The connection we have. The feeling I have is so deep in my heart. It’s like I’m almost about to burst!”
“Yes!” Peter exclaimed. “That’s exactly what I feel!”
“It’s amazing! It’s like I’ve…” she stopped for a moment. She shook her head, smiling at him. “…always known.” They stood in stunned silence for a few moments just looking at one another. “From the moment I saw you. I just knew it was you.”
Peter’s heart just melted right then and there in his chest. All he could do was wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. Finally some words escaped his mouth. “You make me so happy.”
She pulled her head away and smiled and cheerfully said, “You make me happy too.” They started to walk towards the shore with their arms around each other’s waist. “So, you gonna show me what you brought in that case you’ve been carrying around all day or what? I bet I know what it is too.”
“Yep,” Peter chuckled. “I’m sure you do from the shape of it.” He grabbed the soft case and unzipped it and pulled out an old wooden ukulele. It was not a fancy instrument, but one that was simple and refined. “You told me you knew how to dance like your sisters. I thought maybe if I played for you, you would dance for me.”
Kaila smiled sheepishly. But she knew what he was up to all along. It was one of the reasons why she suggested coming to the more secluded beach. “Oh you did, did you? Ha ha. Well I had a feeling that was what you were carrying.” She dried off some with her towel and then wrapped her towel around her waist to substitute for a hula skirt. She then tied her hair up in a ponytail. “So you play the ukulele. You’re just full of surprises.”
“Ha ha! Yeah, I guess I am.” He sat on a tree log on the edge of the sand and began to strum
his fingers on the ukulele and played a simple tune for her to dance to.
“Oh you play well,” she complimented him. She raised her arms and poised on her toes in the sand. Soon she slowly began to sway to the music in the traditional manner of the hula. His face beamed while he watched her dance. She was so graceful and so beautiful as well. She blushed as she knew he was watching her every move. Yet she loved dancing for him. It was the most romantic moment she had ever had. Still she felt like being playful with him, even as she danced. “I should have brought my coconuts and my grass skirt.”
He laughed out loud. “We’ll remember that next time.”
As she danced she looked behind him towards the mountains. As the sun began to set, a rainbow formed in a stunning arc over the green, rocky hills. “Look,” she said, motioning behind him. “It must be raining up there. Isn’t that beautiful?”
Peter looked behind him and saw the pretty sight. “Yeah, it sure is. But not as beautiful as the view I have.” Kaila blushed as she danced and blew him a kiss. He was suave indeed. He continued to play and as she danced, birds began to gather in the nearby trees as they were attracted to the music. He glanced up and noticed several small birds with red crests. “Hey, look! Red-crested cardinals. They came to watch you.”
“Ohhh,” Kaila sighed as she danced. “They are so pretty.” She continued dancing to the music and her thoughts drifted to what they were saying to each other earlier. “You surprised me from the start, you know that?”
“Oh yeah?” he laughed as he played. “How so?”
“Guys never come up to me. I mean, if I were in a bar, I bet I could get any guy to buy me a drink, but none, and I mean none, would be brave enough to actually try and talk with me. But you, you just did it so easily, so naturally. I have to admit I liked that.” Peter smiled at her broadly. “And then, you know what really got me?”
“What’s that?”
“When you touched me,” she said softly. “No man touches me. But you did that night playing darts the first time. Your hand rested gently on my back. It was so caring, so warm. It sent chills through me. But I loved it.”
Peter looked at her very lovingly. “I’m so glad you did. It just came natural to me.”
“Why did you? You hardly knew me.”
He calmly answered her, “I just felt so at ease with you. Just this comfortable feeling that I couldn’t explain then. I just liked being there with you. It just felt... right.”
An older couple on the beach stopped by to watch her dance as they were leaving. The woman smiled as she watched Kaila dance. After the song ended, the couple clapped for her.
“You two are so lovely together,” the woman said. “That was such a wonderful dance.”
“Thank you!” Kaila said.
“You live here, don’t you?” the woman inquired.
“Yes, we go to school together,” Peter answered.
“How wonderful,” the woman said. “We didn’t realize we would see some hula dancing right on the beach!” Peter and Kaila both laughed. “Do you mind terribly if we take your photograph together? You two look so nice together.”
Kaila answered, “Oh no, we don’t mind.” Peter stood and walked over to Kaila with his ukulele and stood next to her. He put his arms around her waist and held his ukulele at his side.
The woman snapped their picture and thanked them. “This will look so great on my online page! Thank you.” Her husband shook her head. “What an adorable couple. I can see how in love you are.” Peter and Kaila smiled and blushed as they looked at the sand. It was true though. It was written all over their faces.
“Thank you,” Kaila responded. “Enjoy your stay on Maui.”
“We will, thank you,” the man answered for his wife. “Come on dear, let them be.”
They both laughed as they watched the old couple walk up the beach and head for the parking lot. Peter put his ukulele down on a towel and they walked over to view the sunset over Molokai. They embraced and kissed again to put a perfect ending to a perfect day together. As the sun continued to set, she hugged him tightly and kissed his neck and ear and whispered softly to him, “I love you, Peter.”
He melted in her arms and whispered back, “I love you, too.”
The Lunas Page 18