Ohana

by Dustin Stevens

  Raising his head from the seatback, Dyson looked around at the beach he'd come to know fairly well. "We're back? Neither one of us look to be dressed for paddle surfing."

  "That's cause we're not going paddle surfing," Mahana said, smiling.

  Ahead, a large gathering was assembled on the beach. In the center of it was Rider's familiar mottled tent with flag flying overhead, though unlike normal over a dozen people swarmed about it. Pulling closer, Dyson recognized Ola's car parked on the street and could see Connie shuffling through the sand, a large tray in her hands.

  Silently he formed his mouth into a circle, looking a question at Mahana.

  Mahana eased the car to a stop along the curb and put it in park, turning herself in the front seat to face him. "Yesterday when you were asking me if it gets better, do you remember me telling you that it was my extended ‘ohana here that helped me get through it?"

  The first tentacles of realization began to creep into Dyson's mind, but he let her continue.

  "Well, last night when you were talking about all the people you've met here and how great they were, I realized you had formed your own ‘ohana, whether you meant to or not. So this morning, first thing, I grabbed a few numbers out of your phone and started making calls."

  "So all these people..." Dyson asked, his voice trailing off.

  "All of us are here to see you off and let you know that regardless how bad things seem, you are not alone. You do have family in this world."

  Dyson's eyes went glassy for a moment as he stared at the cluster of people moving about outside, a few of them now staring at the Honda and waving their arms over their head.

  "Thank you."

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Dyson and Mahana climbed from the car, converging in front of it and walking hand-in-hand towards the tent. As they approached a ripple went through the group, many people turning and gesturing towards them.

  Ola was the first to wave, setting off a chain reaction that passed through most of the group. Smiling, Dyson squeezed Mahana's hand and returned the wave, stepping across the sand.

  "Heeey!" Handlebar and Long Hair both said as they entered the tent, posted up in folding chairs along the opposite end. Beside them sat Baldie and China, all with oversized cups of coffee in hand.

  "Bout time the guest of honor got here," China said.

  "Guest of honor?" Long Hair replied. "You mean he's the reason we're here? I just came for lunch."

  The entire tent broke out in laughter as Dyson walked across and shook each of the men's hand in turn.

  Off to the side, Rider's usual table had doubled in length. Ola, Connie and Loretta all hurried about, setting out loads of food as Rider and Willaby stood behind the grill, both working on steak and fish.

  With a look of astonishment, Dyson greeted each of them, giving hearty handshakes to the men and hugs for the ladies.

  "I really can't believe you guys did all this," Dyson said, staring in wonder at the spread before him. It ranged the entire length of both tables, encompassing traditional Hawaiian and usual American barbecue cuisine.

  Chips, cookies, potato salad, macaroni salad. Poke, rice, kalua pig, lau lau.

  In total there was enough food to feed a group twice their size. A bevy of smells wafted up in all directions, the combined effect growing with each new dish the women put out.

  "This wasn't us," Ola said, waving a hand at Mahana. "This was all her idea."

  "Yeah, I was drinking coffee on my lanai when she called this morning," Willaby added.

  "And I was about to go for a hike," Loretta chimed in.

  "Thank you," Dyson whispered, looking at Mahana and pressing his lips together.

  "We were here," Handlebar deadpanned for the chairs behind them. "She stopped by and told us to come eat."

  The entire tent burst into laughter again as Ola put her hands on her hips and surveyed everything. "And speaking of eating, I do believe we're ready?"

  Connie and Loretta started off the buffet line, loading their plates with food as the four old men fell in behind them. Ola stepped to the edge of the tent and called to the boys, all four of which materialized a moment later, Clem bouncing along happily between them.

  Each of the boys offered a high five to Uncle Dyson, followed by a wet nosed greeting from Clem.

  One at a time, every person went through the line, all of them loading their plates down before returning for more. As they ate, people lobbed questions to Dyson, asking where he was going and when he would be returning.

  Between questions the conversation would shift to local affairs, Rider asking about the Warriors basketball prospects or Willaby asking if anybody had seen the new movie filmed in Hawaii. The old men provided plenty of comic relief for the group as the morning turned to afternoon, the combination of food and laughter leaving everyone with sore stomachs.

  The hours ticked by as the sun reached its high point in the sky and began to head in the opposite direction, the beach park filling in around them. After awhile the boys grew restless in the tent and retreated to the water with Clem, returning every so often for more food or drink.

  At half-past two, a shadow of sadness crossed Dyson's face. Again he thanked everyone for coming, told them how nice it had been to meet them all and much he appreciated them welcoming him during his time in Hawaii.

  One by one he went around the room and shook hands with the each of the men, wishing them the best and promising to return as soon as he could. In turn he gave long hugs to each of the women, thanking them for their hospitality and all the trouble they'd gone to on his behalf.

  To the person, each one expressed how much they enjoyed meeting him and wished him safe travels and the best of luck. Several even went as far as to thank him for bringing so many new and exciting people into their own lives.

  Offering one last wave to the boys along the water's edge, Dyson wished everyone farewell and departed from the tent, Mahana's hand in his own.

  "Really," Dyson said as they walked away, "I can't thank you enough. That was incredible."

  "Hey, all I did was make some calls," Mahana said, smiling. "You're the one that won them over and they're the ones that showed up with everything in hand. I had the smallest role of all."

  "Still, it means a lot to me," Dyson said, squeezing her hand.

  Beside him Mahana returned the squeeze, leaning in for a kiss before pulling back, her face falling to fear as she looked past Dyson to the car ahead.

  In front of them, leaning against a palm tree beside the car, stood Snowman.

  On either side of him were two men that appeared to be his brothers, both short and doughy with the same curly black hair.

  "Surprise," Snowman said, raising his eyebrows smugly. "You don't look happy to see me."

  "Does anybody ever look happy to see you?" Dyson asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

  Smirking, Snowman pushed himself away from the tree and took a step forward, his cronies behind him on either side. "I take it you got my message yesterday."

  "Look," Dyson said, holding a hand out in front of him. "I'm on my way to the airport now. I'm leaving. I don't want any trouble."

  Snowman laughed sarcastically at the statement, turning over either shoulder to look at his reinforcements. "This guy breaks my nose then says he doesn't want any trouble."

  "That's not quite how it went down," Dyson said. Mahana's hand was still in his own, her palm sweaty against his. He didn't look over to see the expression on her face, but could feel her rigid by his side.

  "That's how I remember it," Snowman said, sauntering forward. "Just like I'm going to remember this as the time the three of us returned the favor."

  "Again, I don't want any trouble here," Dyson said.

  "Or what?" Snowman sneered. "Now that you're outnumbered, you're singing a different tune?"

  A small smile grew across Dyson's face as he cast a knowing glance to Mahana. Cocking his head to the side he drew in a deep breath and
yelled, "China! Paul! You busy?"

  On cue, China and Paul both peeked out, followed quickly by the rest of the crew. As a group they took several steps out of the tent, stopping and staring with arms folded across their chests.

  Dyson matched Snowman's smug smile without saying a word.

  The look slid from Snowman's face as his friends exchanged a worried look. Resting a malevolent stare on Dyson, Snowman nodded his head, backing away.

  A handful of one-liners ran through Dyson's mind as he watched them inch backwards, but instead he remained silent as they climbed into the black Mercedes and drove off.

  Once they were gone he turned and gave one more wave to the group before he and Mahana climbed into the Honda and headed back to the hotel.

  Epilogue

  The sound of his new pet's toenails clacked across the kitchen floor as Dyson stood looking out the window above the sink, surveying the landscape. Several more inches of fresh powder had fallen in the last few hours, bringing the ground coverage up to over half a foot.

  Just a dusting by Montana standards.

  Dyson stood with a glass of sweet tea in his hand, swirling it absent mindedly. Beside him on the counter the microwave buzzed throwing out a soft orb of light.

  With a single lift of his wrist, Dyson drained the last of his drink and turned to rest his backside against the sink. He folded his arms in front of him and stared down at the English bulldog he'd inherited just a few days. She sat staring up at him, her white legs extending the rest of her fawn colored body upright.

  "Sure not the way I figured we'd be spending New Years Eve either Molly," Dyson said, staring down at her.

  Hearing her name mentioned, Molly lifted her back legs beneath her, her tongue running over her muzzle.

  A smile settled across Dyson’s face as his arms dropped from his side, his hand reaching down to scratch behind her ears. "That's right old girl, you hear the microwave and you think mama's making you treats don't you?"

  Lowering himself to a squat he worked his fingers along her back, the dog wiggling to position his hand just so. "Tomorrow we'll go get you some of those from the store, alright? Alright?"

  Above him the microwave dinged to a stop, Molly's ears perking up as Dyson rose to a standing position. He laid a clean dish towel out on the counter and opened the microwave, pulling out a heating pad and wrapping it in the towel.

  Holding it out in front of him, Dyson headed for the living room, Molly trailing him underfoot the entire way. More than once she almost tripped him as he walked, anxious for the treat she'd been trained to receive.

  "Molly girl, I told you, this isn't for you," Dyson said aloud. "This is for the girl that somehow managed to injure herself snowshoeing this afternoon."

  "I heard that," Mahana said, her prone body stretched the length of the couch.

  "I mean, that has to be a first," Dyson said as he nudged Mahana onto her side and positioned the heating pad beneath her.

  "I'm used to wearing fins on my feet, not snowshoes," Mahana said, allowing Dyson to roll her back over the pad. "Thank you, that does feel better."

  Dyson went to the fireplace and parted the chain link net in front of it, throwing a couple of extra logs on the fire. Red-orange flames licked around them, a shower of new sparks floating up into the chimney. "I warned you it might be better to wait until it was warm. I had a feeling you weren't much of a winter girl."

  "You know, it's funny you say that now, cause I don't remember you saying that as we said goodbye last Sunday. Don't remember you saying it when you picked me up at the airport yesterday either."

  Chuckling, Dyson bent down and kissed her, dropped to the floor and leaned back against the couch beside her. "I didn't say I wasn't elated you're here. I just said I was worried how you might fare in winter weather."

  Molly came over and plopped herself beside Dyson, pressing herself against his leg in resignation that the microwave was not for her. Scratching along her ribs, Dyson leaned forward and snagged a piece of homemade pizza from the coffee table, tore the crust off and handed it to her.

  "I'll be fine by tomorrow," Mahana said. "I'm told my tour guide has quite a day planned for me."

  "That he does," Dyson said. "I'm told it will make today look tame even."

  "If today was tame, I don't know if I'll be able to take tomorrow."

  "What you're failing to remember is that tame can take on several different meanings. Whereas in Hawaii the weather is always nice and beckoning you outside, in Montana, winter days can practically beg you to stay inside."

  "Ooh," Mahana said, happy realization on her face. "Well in that case, I look forward to making today look tame."

  The two embraced again, pulling back after several long minutes as Molly pawed at them from the floor.

  Remaining just a few inches apart, Mahana looked at Dyson and smiled. "What the heck is that thing doing?"

  "She's asking for more pizza crust," Dyson said, smiling as he offered one more kiss before retreating to tear off another hunk of cheesy dough. "And she is not a thing. You may address her as Molly, Gorgeous, or Critter. That is all."

  "Gorgeous, huh? Should I be concerned?"

  "Only if you're not okay with second place," Dyson said. "Molly's my girl, always has been."

  "Oh, wow," Mahana said, her eyes shining. "You get me clear out here in the middle of nowhere and then drop a bombshell like that."

  "Sorry. Them's the rules.”

  Sighing, Mahana laid her head back against the pillows. "Well, if those are the rules, I guess I can learn to live with it."

  "I'm glad," Dyson said, lifting the television remote from the floor and aiming it at the flat screen across from them. With several quick clicks he raised the volume, the image of Time's Square gaining sound as a large clock in the corner counter backwards from three minutes.

  "Alright, three minutes and counting," Dyson announced. "Any resolutions?"

  "Ooh," Mahana said, "resolutions. Well, there is this guy I met recently I wouldn't mind getting to know better."

  "Sounds dreamy."

  "Oh, he is," Mahana said. "And aside from that, I need to make a move. The Ala Moana has been great, but it's time I tried something different for awhile."

  "Something or somewhere?" Dyson asked.

  "Both, maybe?"

  "I hear Montana is nice," Dyson said, raising his eyebrows. "Just something to keep in mind."

  "Oh yeah? And what would I do in Montana?"

  "Well, you could be part of my New Year's resolution," Dyson said.

  "Which is?"

  In turn Dyson looked at Molly and then Mahana. "Spend more time with my ‘ohana."

  Both Dyson and Mahana smiled as they watched the crystal ball descend the last few seconds, reaching the bottom as a shower of confetti erupted over the city.

  Without a word, they shared their first kiss of the new year.

  Acknowledgements

  Over the last twelve years, I have lived in over a dozen cities, not one of which was within a thousand miles of home. In every last one of those locations, I was fortunate enough to encounter amazing people that went out of their way to welcome me into their ‘ohana. To every friend, neighbor, classmate, coworker, fellow gym rat, and critter out there that has done so much to enrich my life, I say thank you.

  About The Author

  Dustin Stevens is the author of ten novels, including The Zoo Crew series, Just a Game, and Liberation Day. He is also the author of several short stories, appearing in various magazines and anthologies.

  He currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii.

 

 

 
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