“What a night, huh?” Parker initiates conversation with Momi.
Being the only two at the front bar, Momi knows he’s speaking to her. Even after all of the hype from just a few hours ago, she still doesn’t know how to talk to him normally. Trying to keep conversation at a minimum and not knowing exactly what to say, she continues cleaning and responds with a mere, “Yeah, it was.”
Parker expected the short answer, but didn’t expect the lack of eye contact. Having not had a real conversation with his now ex-girlfriend in weeks, he decides to take this time to do just that.
“Hey,” he says gently to get her to look in his direction.
Momi looks over her shoulder and awaits nervously for the next few words to come out of his mouth. Please don’t tell me you still love me, she thinks to herself. I can’t handle that right now.
However, instead of saying anything, he just stares at her. His face isn’t exactly expressionless. It isn’t happy, mad or sad either. There’s a familiar calm in his eyes that Momi starts to remember. They stare right into each other’s eyes, both not saying a word. It’s as if time has frozen around them. As Parker looks into Momi’s dark brown eyes, he notices her face change as she fights to hold back tears.
“I’m sorry, Parker. I’m so sorry.” Momi can’t hold it in any longer. She breaks the silence with tears falling down her face.
Parker smirks and gets closer to her. He grabs her and hugs her tightly. It wasn’t his intention to make her cry, but he’s happy that they’re making progress. Anything is better than the silent treatment.
Momi cries into Parker’s chest and wipes her tears on his T-shirt. “I never meant to hurt you. I swear. I don’t even think I fully realized what was going on. I didn’t realize I was that in to girls until that one incident with the ice cream girl.”
“Simone,” Parker interrupts.
“Yeah, her. I was devastated when she left. I don’t even know why.” Momi wipes away her tears and pulls away from the hug. “I blamed it on you and ran away. After that, I started to hang out with Tisha and well… one thing lead to another. And please don’t be mad at her. I was the one who initiated everything. I had to convince her that we were in an open relationship, which we were, but…”
“…not with close friends,” they both say in unison.
“I know… and that’s where I have to apologize.” She pauses and then picks up, “I love you, Parker. You’ve given me the best three years of my life. You’ve been there for me every single time, you’ve seen me at my worst, but most of all, you’ve been my best friend,” her eyes fill up with tears again, “and I’m really scared I’m gonna lose that.”
Parker starts to tear up too. They look at each other, then hug again. “I fell in love with you from the first time we hung out. We all went bowling, remember?” Parker reminds Momi. “There was something so different about you, so confident and carefree, but… caring, in an ironic way. That hasn’t changed. You’re still that spicy Hawaiian-Latina girl, but you’re just not my spicy girl anymore… and I’m coming to terms with that.” Parker exhales hard and quickly rubs his eyes to make it seem like he wasn’t crying in a very straight guy way.
“I want you to know that I’m not mad. I’m not mad at Tisha, either. I mean, I was at first, but it was mostly because I was in shock and it hurt my pride. Oh, and the lies. The lies didn’t help,” Parker jokes to lighten the mood, “but I’m not mad. I’m happy that you’re happy and that you’re finding who you really are because that’s all I care about.
“You know, I fell in love with you quickly, but I don’t think falling out of love with you will be as fast, so I ask that you just let me love you from afar for now. I won’t intervene and I won’t make it awkward, I promise, but if you ever catch me looking your way… just give me a signal to know that you’ve received it, alright?” Momi smiles and winks her signature wink. Without any words needed, Parker understands that her wink will be that signal.
“Or you could just flash me your tits,” Parker jokes to do away with all the sad sentimentality. Momi’s jaw drops and scoffs. She slaps him on his arm like she used to when they were together. “What? You showed everyone else your tits tonight.”
“Yeah, that was your fault!” Momi says in a jokingly angry way. “You unhooked my bra!”
“Still got it!” Parker says smugly and flashes his eyebrows.
From the back bar, Beau and Tisha watch Parker and Momi interact.
“Seems like they’ve made up, huh?” Beau comments.
“Yeah… I’m happy for them.” Tisha smiles, not taking her eyes off the two, who are now playfully fighting.
“Maybe she’s turning straight again,” Beau tries to stir up some shit.
“Well, she’s straighter than you’ll ever be.” Tisha walks away and leaves Beau by himself.
“I’m not gay!” Beau yells, but Tisha pretends not to hear.
Just then, the Fish y Chicks pass the backbar with all of their luggage in tow. Alexus leads the group with Arita and Matt following closely behind. Bringing up the rear, with her big derrière, is Karmen. As she passes Beau, she blows him a kiss and says, “Good night.”
Beau clears his throat and tries to make his voice deeper than it usually is, to sound more masculine and straight, “Ahem. Good night, yeah, uh, good night.” He looks around to see if anyone is watching. With no one in sight, Beau’s eyes follow Karmen’s butt bouncing on the way out of the club. He starts to imagine what he would do to that ass.
“I see you.” Tisha comes out of nowhere catching Beau red-handed.
“What? I was just saying bye,” Beau tries to defend himself.
“Mmhmm, sure. And I’m the first black pope,” Tisha says sarcastically.
Outside the club, the Fish y Chicks pass Chico and Sam who are sitting on the ground, leaning up against the club. “Good night!” the queens chant in unison.
“Good night, chicas!” Chico yells back. Sam just waves.
“I can’t believe I wasn’t there,” Sam speaks to himself, but out loud.
“It’s ok, brother. Nobody knew it was gonna happen,” Chico comforts. “You can’t beat yourself up over it.” He takes a hit of his vape pen full of his finest weed extract and exhales a small cloud of smoke. He offers his pen to Sam, but Sam declines.
“I know, it’s just that… he’s my best friend. He always has my back, but the one time that he needed me to have his, I wasn’t there.” Sam can’t seem to release his guilt. “I don’t even know if he’s ok.”
“Hey. Remember my cousin, José? The one that got shot the day of his graduation?” Chico tries to jog Sam’s memory, “I beat myself up over it for a long time. ‘Why wasn’t I there?’ ‘I should’ve been there.’ ‘I shouldn’t have joined the military.’ ‘I shouldn’t have left in the first place.’”
“How did you get over it?” Sam asks genuinely.
“Truthfully, it’s not something you ever really get over… but you learn how to live with it in a healthy way. Time has a way of healing things and you just have to believe that everything happens for a reason.”
“There’s no good reason for someone to get stabbed,” Sam responds.
“You would think that, but God works in mysterious ways. If I didn’t go to the military, I probably would’ve been with my cousin that day he got shot and I probably would’ve got shot myself. We’d both be dead and then who would’ve taken care of my abuela? You know what I mean? It doesn’t always make sense, but somehow, someway, you have to make it make sense.” Sam nods and starts to understand.
“When my abuela first passed away, she came to me in my dreams. She smiled because she wasn’t sick anymore. She told me that she was happy because my mom, my dad and José were there to greet her. Some people may say it’s just a dream, but I know, in my heart, that it was her. Ever since that day, I’ve felt peace knowing that my family is together in heaven, or wherever they are, and that one day, when it’s my time to go, they’ll be there t
o greet me too.”
Sam wipes away a tear from his left eye. “Damn, man. You didn’t have to get me all emotional and shit.”
As Sam tries to collect himself, the door to the club opens. Momi, Parker, Tisha, Beau and Yuki all walk out with their bags ready to go.
Momi looks over to her left and notices Chico and Sam sitting on the ground. “You ready, boys?” Momi asks.
“Oh shit, sorry.” Sam gets up quickly. “Did you guys finish cleaning already?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you!” Beau says sarcastically.
Sam jerks forward quickly with a clenched fist. He pretends as if he’s going to punch Beau in the face. Beau flinches and then cowers behind Tisha.
“Boy, get your wimpy ass away from me,” Tisha delivers.
“Everything’s all good,” Momi brings the conversation back. “We’re all heading to the hospital, so grab your stuff and let’s go.”
“Why? Is he ok? Is Malu ok?” Sam asks and anxiously awaits the verdict.
“Ashley texted—” Momi starts.
“Is he ok?” Sam interrupts, too nervous to wait for the rest of her sentence.
“She said Malu is fine. He’ll be back to normal in no time,” Momi reveals.
Sam exhales the biggest breath of his life. “Oh thank God! Thank you, God!” He looks up to the sky with his hands clasped together.
Chico walks up to Sam and puts his arm around him, “See brother, you gotta believe!”
“We gotta hurry though,” Momi interrupts the tender moment to try and get the boys to move a little faster.
“Why? I thought you said Malu was gonna be alright?” Sam asks.
“We’re not going to the hospital for him,” Parker suddenly joins the conversation.
“We’re going to see Robin,” Momi informs.
“Oh shit, Robin! That’s right.” Sam quickly remembers and puts a spring in his step. The two boys run back inside to grab their belongings before heading to the hospital with the rest of the group.
25. Hawaiian Iced Tea
- 1/2 oz Vodka
- 1/2 oz Light Rum
- 1/2 oz Tequila
- 1/2 oz Gin
- 1/2 oz Triple Sec
- 1 oz Sweet and Sour
- 2 oz Pineapple Juice
In the lobby of the emergency room, Chyna comes running in and heads straight to the check-in counter. Completely out of breath as if she just ran a marathon, she begins frantically asking the receptionist about Robin. Panting in between each word, she asks, “Excuse me… Hi…. yeah… sorry… gotta catch my breath… Woman… tall… Hawaiian… Robin Kāmaka,” she uses Robin’s real last name, “Is she here?”
“Chyna!” A voice yells from behind her. She turns around and sees Ashley walking toward her with Malu and Kaleo.
“Kids! Oh my God.” Chyna notices her best friend’s children. She turns and walks away from the receptionist abruptly. Still out of breath, she runs up to the group, but then dramatically plops herself down onto a random seat nearby. “Oh my God… I came… as fast… as I could,” she manages to get out between breaths.
“Breathe,” Ashley encourages. She hands Chyna a water bottle that she’s been carrying around. Chyna grabs the bottle swiftly and downs the whole thing in a matter of seconds.
Finally calming herself down, she asks, “How’s everything going? How is she?” She looks at Malu, who’s still in his hospital gown. “Malu! Oh my God, I totally forgot about you! Sorry baby. Are you ok? How’re you doing?”
“I’m good,” Malu responds strongly. “We gotta find Robin.”
“What do you mean? Where is she? Can we see her?” Chyna is filled with concern.
“She’s in the operating room,” Kaleo starts. “They won’t let us in to see her.”
“Like hell they won’t,” Malu says under his breath.
“But she’s breathing, right?” Chyna asks Kaleo, desperately waiting to hear good news. Malu and Ashley also look at Kaleo awaiting his response.
“She had a pulse when they took her in, but I don’t know about now. I can only hope,” Kaleo informs the group of what he knows.
“Yes, she is breathing!” Malu says strongly trying to convince himself. The image of Robin not breathing is too much for him to handle. “And we’re gonna see her right now.” He storms off.
“How are we gonna do that?” Chyna asks. Kaleo and Ashley shrug and shake their heads not having any clue. They both know that once Malu is determined to do something, he’ll find a way to do it one way or another. They walk briskly through the lobby to catch up with Malu.
At the receptionist desk, Malu asks the heavy set receptionist woman, “Excuse me. Hi, where can I find Robin Kāmaka?” The other three stand behind him looking at each other kind of shocked. Knowing Malu’s past, they thought he would have gone for a more radical approach of getting to Robin.
As the receptionist starts searching Robin’s name in the computer, a doctor from just behind her overhears the conversation. He’s a tall white man, wearing the standard white coat. He walks up to the front and puts his hands on the receptionist’s shoulders, as to signal her with, I’ll take it from here.
“ Hi there. I’m Doctor Pike. Who is it that you’re looking for?” The doctor asks kindly.
“My da—” Malu interrupts himself, “My mom. Robin Kāmaka.” He figures it would be too much hassle to explain in detail how Robin is his dad and technically, Robin played both their mom and dad growing up.
“Yes, yes.” Doctor Pike, having dealt with many transgender people in the past, understands exactly why Malu hesitated when answering. “I’m afraid she’s in critical condition. If you’d like to see her, I can take you to her.”
“Yes!” Chyna jumps into the conversation hastily. “Please take us.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We can only take blood relatives at this time. Are you related?” Dr. Pike asks.
There’s a brief pause in the conversation before Kaleo takes the lead, “Yes, this is her sister. She’s my aunty.” He lies trying to get Chyna to see her best friend. “I’m also Robin’s son.”
Dr. Pike looks at Chyna, who looks nothing like Robin or the two boys. He knows they are probably lying, but lets it slide. These situations can be very sensitive. He turns his focus now to Ashley, “And you, miss?”
Now that they got Chyna in, Ash doesn't want to push it any further. She looks at the group and then to Dr. Pike, “Um, I’m not related.” Malu’s eyes widen trying to say, Why didn’t you just lie?
“It’s ok. Go guys. Hurry! I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll be out here,” Ashley reassures. The group each take their turn hugging Ash to say sorry for leaving her behind. Last in line is Malu.
“I love you.” Malu grabs her face.
“I know, babe. Go. She needs you,” Ashley directs. The couple kiss, then break away.
“Shall we?” Dr. Pike asks. The group nods and they hurry quickly to see Robin. Being left behind, Ashley finds a comfortable seat in the lobby and sits in a trance trying to take in all that has happened in one night.
About fifteen minutes go by and Ashley hasn’t moved from her spot. Still staring off into space, she doesn’t notice the entire Violet gang walk into the lobby. With Momi leading the pack, she spots Ashley like a hawk to a prey and heads in her direction.
“Ash!” Momi says as loud as she can without yelling. She doesn’t want to be rude to the others in the lobby. However, Ashley doesn’t notice and continues in her daydream. Thinking she probably didn’t hear her, Momi walks right up to her cousin. Now with the entire Violet gang standing right in front of her, Ashley still doesn’t notice them and looks right past them as if she’s been hypnotized.
“ASH!” Momi says standing right in front of her. Finally being awoken from her spell, Ashley looks up from her seat and sees her cousin and all of her friends.
“Oh my God. Hey! Where did you guys come from?” Ashley is still half-dazed. She gets up and starts hugging everyone hello.
&
nbsp; “How’s Malu?” Momi asks.
“He’s good. He’ll be ok,” Ashley answers.
“Where is he?” Sam jumps into the conversation wanting to see his best friend.
“Uh, they just went in to see Robin,” Ashley replies.
“Why didn’t you go with them? You didn’t have to wait for us,” Momi scolds.
“I can’t. I mean… we all can’t.” Ashley pauses knowing that she’s not being very clear. She tries to find the best way to explain, “They won’t let any of us in unless we’re blood-related.”
“Aw man, that sucks,” Parker comments.
Lowering her voice so that none of the workers can hear her, Ashley admits, “Well, we managed to get Chyna in, but I didn’t want to push it.”
“That’s right! Chyna left the club as soon as the show ended,” Momi fills her cousin in on the details. “Well, I’m glad she’s in there. I think she would’ve been a nervous wreck if she had to wait out here.”
“You should’ve seen her run in. I’ve never seen her move so fast in my life,” Ashley jokes. “Well, thanks for coming guys. I know Robin will really appreciate it, but truthfully as for right now, there’s not much else we can do except wait.”
The group understands and slowly disperses. Some of them find a seat, while others go outside for some fresh air. Momi and Ashley take a seat next to each other and continue in their own private conversation.
“I’m sorry I just left you guys,” Ashley apologizes.
“Girl, shut up!” Momi responds. “You’re apologizing for taking your boyfriend, who was stabbed, to go get help? Don’t be stupid. You did what any sane person would’ve.”
Ashley looks at her hands and reimagines what they looked like with Malu’s blood on them. “I was so scared, cousin.” She starts to tear up, “I never thought about what would happen if I ever lost him.” Momi puts her arm around her cousin and rubs her back trying to comfort her. “There was blood everywhere. It’s probably still all over my car.”
“It’s ok, babe,” Momi consoles. “All of that doesn’t matter now. He’s ok, right?” Ashley nods. “Then that’s all that matters. You did everything you were supposed to and because of you, he’s going to be fine. I’m proud of you.” Ashley looks up and into Momi’s eyes. They share a smile before embracing each other. “Let’s just hope for the same with Robin.”
On the Rocks Page 17