by M.M. Shelley
Chapter Seventeen - Outrigger
Kye meet with Tatiana on the beach the next morning. He had a surprise for her. Manuku and Lolani were going over to the island of Oahu on Manuku’s Outrigger.
He saw her the moment she step onto the sand, “Hey, do you need to be anywhere later?”
Tatiana told him that Grasiella had sent her out of the house. She had wanted to be alone. She wanted to figure out how to close the connection she had with their ancestor. She told Kye that she didn’t need to be anywhere.
They boarded a white motorized outrigger canoe. It was long and narrow. Attached to the left side were two beams which arched across connecting to an aluminum plank. The plank was in the shape of a smaller version of a canoe. The white outrigger had four seats built into it, just enough to accommodate the four of them. The solar powered engine was built into the back panel.
The boat ride to the island of Oahu was fast. Kye instructed Tatiana not to put her hands in the water as the boat shot out through the water to Oahu. Kye explained it was because the boat traveled too fast over the water. If she had put her hand in, she might hurt herself.
Tatiana sat in front of Kye, who was at the back of the boat. The clear water looked refreshing and inviting, At her first sight of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, her first thought was that it was remarkably different then the island of Kauai.
Where Kauai was more intimate, keeping her secrets hidden in her tropical paradise, Oahu was inviting. Waikiki Beach greeted her with shops, malls, vehicles, and bikes. The mountains were covered with homes, clear roads cut out along the mountains. A monorail system encircled the island.
The island had a different energy, filled with excitement, beckoning to her as if to tell her that good times are to be had here on the island of Oahu.
The boat came to a stop at one of the many docks; Kye secured the boat then helped Tatiana out. The island was full of tourist. Within moments Tatiana and Kye were submerged into the throngs of tourist and locals. Tatiana took hold of Kye’s hand so that she wouldn’t loose him amongst the many people. The people on the island dressed in a variety of beach wear, bikinis, board shorts, sarongs, the Hawaiian style dresses and shirts, and every one of them were armed with cameras.
Turning back to Tatiana, Kye told her, “Much different than our island.”
Tatiana agreed. There was a small part of her stomach that fluttered at Kye’s mention of Kauai being referred to as their island.
Kye took her on a short tour of Waikiki beach. He would point out things along the way. They ended the tour at a bar & grill, which Kye told her, was a good place to eat.
Manuku and Lolani were familiar with the bar & grill. They had been to it many times before. They ordered a couple of drinks while they waited for the food to arrive. Lolani ordered a non alcoholic tequila sunrise. Tatiana was bold enough to give it a try as well. She enjoyed the taste of it.
Spending this time with Kye and his friends gave Tatiana some insights about Kye. He seemed very relaxed with his friends, yet she knew that they had no idea what Kye was capable of doing. Nor did they know just who his grandmother was. Pele. She couldn’t believe it herself. She wondered how he had managed not to share this with his friends.
Lolani brought up the news that Eros had closed Smithy’s, and he had left the island. She said that when the cook went to open in the morning, Eros had left a note on the door. It said that the business had closed.
At this news, Tatiana had assumed that Eros must have found his wife and no longer had a need to stay on the island.
After they ate at the bar & grill, they headed up the busy street to a club called The DogHouse. A live band was playing on the small stage. A crowd stood in front enjoying the sounds. Tatiana loved it so she joined in. She didn’t catch the name of the band but she enjoyed the music. They rocked out.
Kye and Manuku disappeared from Tatiana and Lolani. They soon came back with drinks for them.
“This is great! Thanks for bringing me along,” she said to Kye, a wide smile on her face. This was a great distraction to what was going on back on Kauai. She would have to bring Grasiella here. It’s just what Grasiella needed.
Tatiana had lost track of how long they stayed at the club. A couple of bands took to the stage, one right after the next. She had enjoyed them all. Maybe it was just the atmosphere; she didn’t much care what the reason was. As they left The DogHouse, Tatiana grabbed one of the flyers for the next event.
It had grown late. They made their way back down to the docks were the outrigger was tethered. Kye helped Tatiana back into the outrigger. As she stepped into the outrigger, she glanced over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt someone watching her. Tatiana didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary standing out on the docks. Could it have been Mnemosyne? Was she on the island?
Before the outrigger pulled away, Tatiana saw something small scurrying across the docks. Dressed in red and blue, a gnome, did it intend to deliver a message to her? Or was he there delivering a message to someone else?