“Black sand?” Alfie asked.
“Yeah,” Lana continued. “Black sand is made from volcanic lava rocks. The rocks get worn down over time.”
“That’s really cool,” Alfie said.
After a while of walking on the beach, they followed a path up and away from the water that went around a rocky point.
“It sounded like Uncle Gene and Pika were fighting again,” Jacob said to Lana as they walked.
Lana sighed. “I know. They just can’t seem to get along lately.”
Alfie glanced at Emilia, hearing his dad’s words about the two of them.
“I just want everything to go smoothly for Uncle Gene,” Jacob continued. “This luau is a really big deal for him.”
Lana nodded. “He could become the chef that the mayor uses for all his parties!”
On the other side of the rocky point, the path curved back down to the sand and into a cove. There were people spread out all down the beach, sunning on the sand, and there were several people snorkeling and paddleboarding in the cove. Alfie breathed in the ocean air as he took in the scene and smiled. He didn’t think he ever wanted to leave!
They found a spot on the sand, and Lana and Jacob helped each other separate out the snorkel gear. They laughed and chatted as they worked.
“Who wants to paddleboard with me?” Jacob asked.
“I do!” Emilia said instantly, looking at Alfie.
He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine.” He didn’t feel like arguing again just now.
“You’ll love snorkeling,” Lana told Alfie. “This cove is perfect for it since there aren’t big waves. We might even see a sea turtle.”
Alfie perked up. That sounded pretty cool.
He watched as Jacob helped Emilia get steady on her stand-up board. Then he showed her how to paddle in the water, and soon they were headed out into the calm surf. Alfie and Lana stood in the shallow water, and Lana demonstrated how to put on the face mask and breathing tube. She led the way into the water and pointed out where Alfie should be careful of coral.
The minute Alfie put his face under the water, he was amazed at the marine life. Bright blue and yellow fish darted in and out of the coral reefs and all around him. Lana was a great guide, directing him toward different fish as they swam around the cove. After a while, Lana pointed excitedly in front of her. Alfie swam alongside, and a big sea turtle came into view. Its black legs and head were covered in patterns that made its skin look like it was cracked all over. Its lighter shell was covered in neat diamond and octagon shapes. It was beautiful. Lana and Alfie followed the sea turtle for a long time. When it started swimming into deeper water, they turned back and headed for the shore. They came up onto the sand and looked around for Jacob and Emilia. They were paddling back in.
Alfie took off his mask to talk to Lana about how cool the sea turtle was, but she was looking down the beach with a frown on her face. Jacob pulled his board up onto the beach and stood next to Lana.
Alfie followed their gazes down the sand. There was a group of people gathered around something taking pictures. A young kid in the group was moving in close to touch it. “What’s going on?” Alfie asked.
“There’s a sea turtle on the beach,” Lana told him. “And those tourists are getting way too close.”
“We’d better go over there and tell them to move back,” Jacob said.
Lana nodded. Alfie could read the concern on both of their faces. “Alfie and Emilia, can you go to the parking area and see if you can find a Parks Department person to help us?”
“Sure,” Emilia said.
Lana dropped her snorkel gear on top of the net bag, and she and Jacob took off down the beach.
Alfie and Emilia hurried up a path that led to the edge of a parking area. Emilia scanned the lot. “It looks like that woman is wearing a uniform. Let’s ask her.”
They rushed over to the woman. Her green shirt said DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION on it.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Emilia said. “There’s a sea turtle on the beach, and people are getting really close to it.”
“Okay,” the woman said. “Show me where.”
They dashed back down to the beach. Jacob and Lana were talking to the crowd of tourists and gesturing toward a posted sign that warned visitors to keep a distance from sea life. Several of the people had started to back away.
The parks worker quickly used pieces of driftwood and rocks on the beach to create a wide barrier around the sea turtle, with an open path allowing it to get back to the water easily. “This is how much space sea turtles, seals, and other animals need when they wander up onto the beach,” the woman told the crowd. “It’s very important to keep your distance and respect the wildlife here on Maui.”
The people nodded and asked the woman a few questions. They took more pictures—but from around the barrier—and then went back to their other beach activities.
“Thanks for your help, kids,” the parks woman said. “That was quick thinking.”
“We’re just glad we got back to the beach when we did,” Lana said.
The four friends went to pick up their gear where they’d left it. There was a slight coolness to the breeze now, and the sun wasn’t as high in the sky. As they carried the gear back toward the resort, Alfie felt a few drops of rain hit his face again, and he saw a rainbow form beyond the rocky point. Zia was right—Maui was breathtaking.
Alfie’s legs were heavy in the sand. He felt tired from their eventful day. But that wouldn’t keep him from his surf lesson the next morning!
Alfie peeked his eyes open and stared across the darkened room. Emilia had drawn the curtains closed over the balcony windows the night before, even though Alfie had fought to keep them open. It was an argument that he was too tired to try to win at the time. But now his annoyance was renewed as he had no idea what time it was!
He scooted to the edge of his bed, which took some doing considering how big it was. Then he rushed over to the windows and flung open the curtains. Now he could see the clock on the desk, which told him it was 7:15 a.m. He slid open the glass door and stepped onto the balcony, breathing in huge lungfuls of the salty morning air. He glanced down at the beach and saw a couple of surfers dotting the water. He was ready to get out there.
He went back inside and peeked into Emilia’s room. She was squinting awake. Alfie launched himself onto her bed. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” he said as he bounced.
Emilia threw a pillow at him. “Stop bouncing.”
Alfie jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom to get his board shorts. Two seconds later, he came out of the bathroom dressed and ready to go.
“Let’s go!” he chanted again.
“Give me a minute,” Emilia said, still rubbing her eyes and trying to wake up.
“We said we’d be down there by eight,” Alfie argued.
“I know,” Emilia growled. “We have plenty of time!”
Alfie sighed and went back out to the balcony. He was frustrated that he and Emilia still couldn’t seem to get along. Finally, he heard the bathroom door close and knew Emilia was at least getting ready.
Finally, Emilia emerged. Alfie grabbed their towels and headed for the door.
“What about breakfast?” Emilia asked. “I’m hungry.”
Alfie stopped. That was a good point. And now that he thought about it, he was hungry, too. “We could order room service!” he said. Visions of Belgian waffles and fluffy omelets delivered on a rolling cart filled his mind.
Emilia shook her head. “Then they might see that no one is actually supposed to be in this room.”
Alfie chewed on the inside of his lip and thought. “Hey, maybe that buffet is set up in the courtyard again. We could grab something from there.”
Emilia hesitated but finally said, “Okay.”
Alfie put th
e key card in his pocket and followed Emilia into the hall. As they waited for the elevator, a family joined them, smiling and saying hello. Once they were down on the ground floor, the family exited first, so Alfie and Emilia followed behind. The family went straight out to the courtyard, where a long buffet table piled with food was set up.
Alfie grinned at Emilia. They stayed close to the family as they passed a resort employee. But once outside, Alfie split away and walked the length of the table, staring at all the tasty food. There were dishes full of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs and potatoes, fried rice, smoked salmon, and even poi. Alfie wanted to fill a plate and eat until he was stuffed, but he knew they didn’t have time—not to mention that there was no way he’d be able to surf after eating all that food.
Just then Emilia tugged at his T-shirt sleeve and nodded her head toward a waiter at the end of the table. He asked the family for their room number and the last name on their room and wrote it down. “We’d better go,” Emilia said.
“Yeah,” Alfie agreed. But not before he grabbed two muffins and a banana from the end of the table. They dashed back into the lobby and ducked behind a pillar. Alfie handed one of the muffins to Emilia.
“Thanks,” she said. “Do you think he saw us?”
Alfie peered out from behind the pillar. A man in khaki pants and a Hawaiian shirt was smiling down at him. “Good morning,” the man said. His name tag said FRANK, MANAGER.
“Hi,” Alfie replied quietly.
“Are you looking for your parents?” Frank asked.
“Um, yeah. I think they’re out at the pool already, though. We’ll just go check.” Alfie started toward the side door.
“No problem,” Frank replied. “If they aren’t there, I’d be happy to page them. Just let me know.”
“Okay, we will,” Emilia added, shoving Alfie toward the door.
Frank watched them walk outside, but when Alfie peered back in through the glass, he noticed that the manager had moved on to talking to a couple who had just arrived. Alfie turned to Emilia and took a giant bite of his muffin. “All clear,” he said as crumbs fell from his mouth.
Emilia frowned. “That was close.”
Alfie shrugged in response. “But nothing happened. It’s fine. Come on. Aren’t you ready for your hula lesson?”
Emilia perked up and peeled the banana, handing half to Alfie. “Yeah. Let’s go!”
Kai and Lana were waiting in the rental cabana when Alfie and Emilia got to the beach.
“I hope we’re not late,” Emilia said.
“Nope, right on time.” Lana smiled.
“Where’s Jacob?” Emilia asked, her ears turning red.
“Uncle Gene needed his help this morning.”
“Oh,” Emilia said, looking disappointed.
Alfie was about to tease her when Kai clapped him on the shoulder. “Ready to surf?”
“Definitely!” Alfie pulled off his T-shirt and put on the rash guard Kai held out for him. Then he rushed over to grab his board.
“Emilia, are you sure you don’t want to join us?” Kai asked. “You were so good at it yesterday!”
“I’m sure,” Emilia said. “I’d really like to learn hula.”
“Okay,” Kai said. “Have fun.”
Lana and Emilia moved over to a grassy area next to the cabana and went to work on their hula moves. Alfie watched Emilia as she concentrated on following Lana’s lead. He knew she’d pick up the routine right away. She was a natural at dancing, too. In Rio she had learned the samba for Carnival in no time.
Alfie and Kai paddled out into the surf. Kai hung out behind Alfie’s board and helped push him into the surf each time a good wave came. It took him a while, but finally Alfie was catching waves and riding some, too. He couldn’t stop smiling as he paddled out to Kai once more.
“Nice work,” Kai said. “I’m going to stop pushing your board so you can work on the timing on your own.”
“Okay,” Alfie said. He was beginning to get the hang of it. And he liked learning to surf more than he’d liked learning the drums. He just wished he could practice this at home!
Kai watched Alfie a little while longer and gave him a few more pointers.
“I’m going to catch some waves, too,” Kai said. “Think you can handle it on your own?”
“Sure,” Alfie replied.
“There’s a junior surf competition being held farther down the beach.” Kai pointed off to the right. “But you’ll be fine if you stick to this area. I’m going to grab a few of the bigger waves in the other direction, but we’ll meet up back at the cabana.”
“Okay.”
Alfie waited for another wave and managed to ride it all the way in. He watched Kai catch one of the waves in the bigger surf farther down the beach before paddling out again. Alfie let the water carry him a little ways down the shore as he continued to work on his stance and his form.
He was starting to feel kind of tired, so he decided to catch one more wave and then go see how the hula lessons were going. That’s when he spotted it—a perfect wave, not too big and not too small. Alfie paddled hard and got on top of it just in time. His timing was perfect, but he was wobbly on his board. He concentrated on just staying upright. Finally, his stance felt more solid. That’s when he looked up and realized he’d surfed his way straight into the junior surfing competition!
Alfie managed to ride the wave all the way in to shore. Before he knew what was happening, people were cheering for him, and the announcer was talking about his form. Metal bleachers were set up in the sand with strings of plastic flags attached to them, blowing in the breeze. A row of people sat at a table under a canopy, and they were all looking at him. Alfie’s face flamed red.
He picked up his board and walked out of the shallow water. A woman approached him with a smile on her face.
“I’m sorry, I—” Alfie started to explain.
“Nice work out there,” she said. Her T-shirt read WEST MAUI JUNIOR SURF COMPETITION. “You’re moving on to the next round of the competition!”
“I am?” Alfie couldn’t believe it.
“Looks like you lost your competitor number in the surf, so here’s another one.” The woman pinned a number onto Alfie’s rash guard. “Just be here tomorrow morning at eight thirty for the next round. And good luck!”
“Okay . . . ,” Alfie managed.
Alfie walked down the beach with the surfboard under his arm. He started laughing out loud to himself about what had just happened. He had been too focused on what he was doing to realize how far down the beach he’d gone!
Alfie glanced down at the number pinned to his shirt: 426. He laughed again. He couldn’t wait to tell Emilia and their new friends what had happened. Kai was going to be proud of him for surfing well enough to qualify. Alfie started to jog with his board. The resort was even farther away than he’d realized, and he was eager to tell his story.
Alfie finally reached the area of beach that was set out with tidy rows of resort chairs and beach umbrellas. He wove his way through them, dodging sunbathers and waiters balancing frozen drinks, and made his way up to the rentals cabana. It looked like Kai had just come in from surfing, too. His surf shirt and board shorts were wet, and he was putting his surfboard away. Emilia and Lana were still on the grass nearby, working on their hula moves. Lana stood slightly in front of Emilia, and Emilia mimicked her moves. They swayed their hips as they stepped lightly on the grass and turned their wrists to make different delicate movements with their hands. As Alfie predicted, Emilia looked like a natural and was following all of Lana’s moves with ease.
“Kai!” Alfie shouted. “You’re not going to believe it.”
But at that moment, Jacob came rushing down the path toward the cabana. From the look on his face, Alfie could tell something was wrong. His surf story was going to have to wait.
Alfie reached the cabana at the same time as Jacob. He leaned his surfboard against the wall as Emilia and Lana hurried over from the grass.
“What’s going on?” Kai asked, also reading their faces.
“Pika and Uncle Gene got in another big argument this morning,” Jacob told them. “And Pika quit!”
Lana shook her head. “I can’t believe Pika would do that. The luau is tonight!”
“Oh no,” Alfie and Emilia said in unison.
Alfie, Emilia, Jacob, Lana, and Kai all ran up to the resort restaurant to talk to Uncle Gene. When they arrived, Uncle Gene was pacing back and forth, looking completely overwhelmed.
“How could Pika just quit like that?” Lana asked him. “I don’t understand.”
Uncle Gene sighed. “We haven’t been getting along for a while now. We keep arguing over petty things and can’t seem to resolve our differences. It just wasn’t working out.”
Alfie and Emilia exchanged a guilty look.
“It’s probably for the best in the long run,” Uncle Gene continued, sweeping some crumbs off the counter. “I just wish he would have waited until after the luau. This is such an important event for the resort, and for me.”
Everybody was silent, unsure what to say next. Alfie felt like there was a knot in his stomach. It sounded like Uncle Gene was describing how he and Emilia had been acting, too.
“Well, I guess I’d better get back to work and try to figure out how to pull this off,” Uncle Gene said.
“We can help!” Alfie cried.
“Yeah,” Emilia added. “Like we said, we’ve helped in restaurant kitchens before. We can do whatever you need.”
Uncle Gene shook his head. “You kids are here on vacation. You should be with your parents. Have you driven the road to Hana yet? Seen the bamboo forest?”
Alfie had to admit a bamboo forest sounded pretty cool, but he knew it was time to step up and support their new friends. “We want to,” he said. “It’s the least we can do. After all, Kai’s surf lessons helped me qualify for a junior surf competition!”
Hawaii! Page 5