“Wow, there’s a lot of people here,” Malu says to the other two.
“The entire LGBT community is here,” Chyna says with her eyes watering with how happy she is to see the support of her people. Malu rubs her back to comfort her.
Kaleo looks around at everyone laughing, drinking and having a good time. “Yeah, everyone, except her own son.”
“Lopaka isn’t coming?” Chyna asks.
“I wouldn’t know,” Kaleo responds, “I’ve tried calling him, texting him… I don’t even know if he knows that Robin’s dead. Fuck, for all I know, he could be dead too.”
“Don’t say that, Leo!” Malu scolds his brother, but knows that he could be right. “Screw him. This day is about Robin. That’s all that matters right now. We’ll deal with the rest later, k?” Kaleo nods his head in agreement.
“Alright, well, I guess we should get this ceremony started, huh?” Chyna suggests. She and the two boys head up to the middle of the tent, next to Robin’s photo.
“Hi guys! Can we gather round please. We’re gonna start the ceremony,” Chyna announces loudly to get everyone’s attention. The numerous amount of small groups quickly combine together and make one big group facing Robin’s altar.
“Aloha everyone! God, it makes my heart so warm to see so many people here. I know Robin is thankful for all of you showing up.” She clears her throat, “I know a lot of you here, but… I’m Chyna and these are her two sons, Kaleo and Malu.” The two boys wave to greet the crowd of people. “Lopaka, her oldest son, couldn’t be with us today, but that’s ok, he’s with us in spirit.
“Robin was my best friend. She was my rock. She was my husband before I had a husband.” The group shares a laugh as Chyna looks over at her actual husband and smiles. “She was everything that I wasn’t, you know? Smart, poised… she could sing, she could dance, she could cheer. Boy could she cheer! We were cheerleaders back in high school, you know! Well, I mean, we weren’t on the team, but that didn’t stop us.” The group laugh amongst themselves again.
“I remember this one time, a long time ago, I was dating this guy; a real jealous type. You know the kind, the kind that gets real hot-headed and physical too. He would lose his temper about God knows what and then he would hit me. Of course, he would always blame it on me, tell me he was doing it because he loved me… and I believed him. So, I wouldn’t tell anyone and I would hide the bruises… until, one day, he gave me a black eye. There was no hiding that, you know? I remember running to Robin’s house, not knowing what to do. She took me in, took care of me as she always did and I slept over that night.
“The next morning, I woke up and went home. There were a bunch of messages on my answering machine like he always would, ‘I’m sorry babe. Please come back,’ blah blah blah. Next thing I know, there’s a knock at my door. I open it and it’s him… with two black eyes. I started to crack up in his face because I knew those were from Robin. She went to his house while I was sleeping and cracked him two good ones. I slammed the door in his face and never saw him again.” The audience starts clapping and cheering.
“That’s just the kind of person Robin was. She wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone. She was always so confident, she was even my confidence when I didn’t have any. So, sis…” She looks over to her picture, “Thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. You’ve been my number one fan my entire life and I know you’re still cheering me on from heaven.” Chyna’s voice breaks and she begins to tear up. “I love you and this world will never be the same without you.” She steps back to signal that she’s finished speaking.
Kaleo steps forward and pulls Malu forward as well, “Hi everyone. Well, first of all, my brother and I just want to thank all of you for coming out today. It really means a lot to us to see you all here.” If only Lopaka could have made the same effort, he thinks. Just as Kaleo has that thought, a red car pulls up behind his truck. In the distance, he watches as a familiar looking guy gets out of the driver’s seat and starts to make his way over to the tents.
Being completely consumed with trying to make out who he is, Kaleo is oblivious to the fact that he’s standing in front of the crowd silent. Not having spoken for an awkward amount of time, Malu elbows him to get him to focus.
“Ahem, sorry. Um— Like I was saying, my brother and I—” He looks up again and realizes the familiar looking guy is none other than his older brother, Lopaka. He stops mid-sentence and looks at Malu.
Malu looks back at his brother confused and then looks over in the direction that Kaleo was staring. He sees Lopaka for himself and finally puts the pieces together.
“I’m sorry. Will you excuse me for a second?” Kaleo leaves in the middle of his speech and heads off quickly. Only a couple steps behind him, Malu follows Kaleo, who is now walking with a stern stride. Some of the guests follow the brothers with their eyes, while others look at each other with confusion.
Chyna realizing exactly what’s happening, but not wanting to take anything away from Robin’s reception decides to take the lead. “Well, it’s been quite an emotional time for all of us and I think the boys just need to take a moment right now, so let’s just take a small break and we’ll start back up in a few minutes. Please everyone, go eat! There’s tons of food. Don’t be shy!”
Ashley and Momi, who are now aware that Lopaka has just showed up, quickly get up and stand next to Chyna. Speaking quietly, trying to keep the guests unaware of the situation, Momi asks, “Should we go over there?”
“No, let them go,” Chyna suggests. “Let them hash it out.”
Halfway to the tents, Lopaka walks toward his brothers in his nice black button up shirt, black slacks and slippers. His sunglasses hide his eyes and he holds a lei in his left hand. As his brothers get closer, he opens his arms to initiate a hug.
Finally getting close enough to Lopaka, Kaleo shoves him backward forcefully. “Where the FUCK were you?” Lopaka falls on his ass and the entire group of guests gasp and watch the drama unfold.
“WHAT THE FUCK, KALEO?!” Lopaka yells from the ground. He picks himself back up and darts toward Kaleo, shoving his brother this time. Kaleo falls back, but doesn’t fall down. The two boys head at each other like two bulls seeing red. Being completely taken over by his pent up rage, Kaleo tackles Lopaka to the ground. The two brothers wrestle on the beach kicking up sand everywhere.
Ashley’s dad, Bruce, and a couple of the older uncles start heading in the boys direction to try and break it up, but Chyna stops them, “Let them go! Let ‘em go, Bruce.”
Being completely unready for this fight, Lopaka is at a disadvantage. He knew his brothers were probably going to be angry with him, but he didn’t expect this. “What’s your fucking problem, Leo?!” Lopaka yells while they’re still rolling around in the sand.
“What’s MY problem? FUCK YOU, PAKA!”
Malu, who was standing back for a second, now gets in between the two brothers. Being the youngest, but the only one who wrestled back in high school, he easily pulls them apart and pushes them in different directions. He looks to Lopaka first and points a finger at him, “Wait there.” He quickly walks up to Kaleo and tries to reason with him.
“I know you’re pissed. I’m pissed too, but look…” Malu motions toward the tents where everyone is watching. “This is not the way, Leo. This is not the way Robin would have wanted it. Especially not today. Take a lap and calm yourself down. I’ll go talk to Paka.” Kaleo turns around and walks toward his truck.
Malu heads back toward Lopaka. He throws up his hands and shakes his head. Calmly he starts, “Brah… what the fuck? Where you been?” Lopaka is hesitant and braces himself as Malu approaches. He’s not sure if he’s about to get another surprise attack. This time, Malu opens his arms and initiates the hug. Lopaka drops his guard and accepts his brother’s hug. They hold each other tightly for a good ten seconds before letting go.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, brother. I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” Lopaka apologizes with tears in his
eyes.
“Come.” Malu pats Lopaka’s back and ushers him toward Kaleo’s truck. Trying to cool off, Kaleo sits on the tailgate of his truck smoking a cigarette.
“I thought you quit,” Lopaka remarks regarding Kaleo smoking again.
“And I thought you were a decent human being, but I guess we were both wrong,” Kaleo comes back sarcastically.
“Alright, alright,” Malu cuts the two off from cutting each other down. “Look Paka… truth is, a lot of shit went down and we could’ve used your help. That’s why Leo’s so mad and, honestly, I’m pissed too. You got a lot of explaining to do.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I’m sorry, guys. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I’m sorry you guys had to carry the burden of everything on your own. I really am. I know you’re mad and you have every right to be, but I promise you it’s not what it seems.” Lopaka takes a deep breath before he continues.
“I know I went to LA in a hurry. I didn’t even say bye to you Malu and I’m sorry about that too. I didn’t say goodbye to Robin either, but you know…” He looks up to the sky to try and keep his tears from falling, “Add it to my list of regrets, I guess.” Kaleo and Malu listen quietly, but still wait for Lopaka to explain why he never called.“I know I ran away to LA, but I never ignored your calls. I promise you that.”
“Then what the fuck happened? Huh? Lost your phone? You could’ve found other ways, Paka,” Kaleo says with heat still in his tone.
“No, they took away my phone,” Lopaka reveals.
“What? Who’s ‘they?’” Malu asks, thinking Lopaka was in prison or something.
“You’re never gonna believe this, but… I was on a TV show,” Lopaka confesses.
“What?! Which one?” Malu asks half-amused, half-skeptical.
“I got on ‘America’s Next Top Drag Queen.’”
“Shut up, Lopaka. You’re such a liar,” Kaleo says angrily.
“I’m not lying. I promise.”
“But weren’t you only a drag queen for one night? That one night of the competition thing?” Malu asks.
“Yeah, well, when I was in LA, I saw that they were casting for the show, so I figured ‘Shit, why not?’ So, I dressed up in full drag and waited in line with a billion other drag queens. When I got inside, one of the producers said ‘Hey, I know you. You’re that queen from that video.’ Apparently, someone filmed my Fish y Chicks Drag competition piece, put it online and it went all over the internet. The producer liked how weird I was so he put me on the show.”
“You’re fucking kidding!” Malu is now totally into this story.
“I swear to God. I swear to you guys, I promise. That’s why I didn’t call. When you’re on a reality TV show like that, they take away all of your outside communication. You can’t call anyone, text, FaceTime or even use social media. They don’t want you letting your friends back home know the rundown of the show like who went home first and who’s in the lead. If you’re not filming the show, they basically keep you trapped in a hotel room every night with about six channels on the TV and your own thoughts. They want us to all go a little stir-crazy so they can get more drama for the cameras.”
“That’s nuts,” Malu adds.
“Yup and you can imagine how nuts it was when I finally got my phone back filled with texts and voicemails saying that Robin passed away.” He breaks down and starts to cry. “I can’t believe it. I didn’t even know she was sick.”
Malu hugs his oldest brother. “Neither did we.”
Still trying to catch his breath, “I know you guys have known for awhile, but I just found out yesterday, so I’m still in shock. I booked the first flight I could to get home. I’m trying to process everything, but it’s all happening so fast. I’m just happy that I didn’t miss this funeral.”
Lopaka looks to Kaleo and addresses him personally, “I’m sorry, Kaleo. I really am. I’m sorry you had to carry the burden of everything on your own. That’s not your responsibility. I’m the oldest and I should’ve been the one making all the arrangements.”
Kaleo, still sitting on his tailgate with his arms crossed over his chest, starts to cry. Lopaka grabs his brother and hugs him tightly. Malu bear hugs the two of them and the three brothers embrace and cry together.
After they all calm down, the brothers pull apart. “I promise I would’ve been here earlier if I knew,” Lopaka adds as he wipes the snot from his nose. “But I didn’t have my phone for the longest time because… guess what…” Kaleo and Malu look at him, not knowing where he’s going with it.
Lopaka whispers, “I won.”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Malu’s jaw drops.
“Are you serious?” Kaleo asks in amazement.
“Yeah, but I’m not supposed to tell anyone, so…” He motions as if he’s zipping his lips shut.
“Oh shit, sorry,” Malu apologizes.
Now trying to keep it down so that no one hears, Kaleo loudly whispers, “That’s crazy, Paka! That’s frickin’ amazing!”
“I know! And you know what’s even more amazing… I won a hundred thousand dollars.”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Malu’s jaw drops even further.
“Yup, and I’m giving it all to the club,” Lopaka springs this information on his brothers.
“Are you serious?” Kaleo asks.
“I got your messages about how the club isn't doing too well, so… now it will. And I’ve already lined up all my friends from my season, all the other contestants, to come and perform at different times throughout the year too, so that should bring in the crowds.”
With tears streaming down his face again, Kaleo throws his arms around Lopaka once more. “Thank you so much, brother. You really don’t understand how much this is gonna change everything.”
“It’s for Dad. Violet was her heart and joy,” Lopaka explains. “Oh! There is one catch though… I don’t actually have the money yet. When the finale episode airs on TV, which should be in like two months, the producers said they’ll wire the hundred grand to my account.”
“Wait ‘til we tell Chyna!” Kaleo declares.
28. Sex on the Beach
- 1 oz Vodka
- 1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- 1 oz Cranberry Juice
Finally finding common ground, the three brothers head to the tents to join the rest of the party. Excited to tell Chyna the good news, Kaleo looks around trying to find her.
“Remember now, I have to keep it a secret,” Lopaka reminds his brothers. “If the producers of the show find out that I told anyone, I could lose the win and lose the money. They made me sign a contract, an NDA, so technically, I wasn’t even supposed to tell you guys.”
“Yeah, no worries,” Malu replies.
“So, should we even tell Chyna?” Kaleo asks his brother. “I mean, we gotta tell her, right?”
“Well…” Lopaka thinks it over for a second, “maybe we can let her know that I came up with the cash, but we won’t tell her how… at least, not yet.” Kaleo and Malu nod in agreement.
“Where is she anyway?” Kaleo wonders out loud. “I’m sure she’s dying to see you. You always were her favorite.” Lopaka smiles smugly knowing it’s the truth.
“There she is,” Malu points out. Chyna stands near the food tables having a conversation with three women. The three brothers walk up to her and interrupt.
“Chyna, guess what!” Kaleo says with excitement.
“Oh, boys!” Chyna seems caught off guard, “I see you’ve made up.”
“Yeah, we worked it out,” Kaleo quickly gets back to the point, “but you won’t believe what Lopaka just told us.” Chyna disregards Kaleo’s last remark and looks back at the three women and then back at the three boys.
Kaleo stands in confusion. Don’t you want to know what I’m about to tell you? He notices Chyna’s slight awkwardness. Who are these three women? Chyna doesn’t get intimidated easily.
Kaleo sizes up the three women. He notices that one of the wom
en is older than the other two; a very pretty local aunty type. Although gorgeous for her age, her face shows that she’s been through some rough times in the past. Kaleo realizes that the other two women are not women at all, but instead a couple of teenagers. They’re the same height and look very similar, Sisters, for sure. Possibly even twins, Kaleo thinks, but can’t be too sure. Their tanned complexion matches that of the older aunty and they all have the same dark brown eyes. Kaleo puts a story together in his brain, Oh, these two girls must be her daughters.
Chyna starts back up with a little hesitation in her voice, “Umm… Boys… This is Rowena…. Your mother.” The three brothers stare blankly at her in silence. After having nothing but choice words for each other for the past twenty minutes, they are finally at a loss of words.
“Hi boys,” Rowena starts tentatively. The three brothers continue to stare silently as if they’ve just seen a ghost. “Gosh, you’ve all grown up to be so handsome. Just like your dad. I’m not sure if you remember me. You were so young.” She pauses briefly, “How have you been?”
With the boys still standing silent, Chyna tries to wake the brothers out of their trance. “Well, say hello boys.”
“Uh— Hi Aunty. Sorry. I mean, Mom.” Malu breaks the silence with his awkward exchange of words. He goes in and kisses her on the cheek out of respect. Kaleo follows and then, Lopaka.
“Sorry. We just never thought we’d ever meet you,” Kaleo tries to explain the reasoning for their shock.
“Yeah, we thought you might be dead,” Lopaka says smugly as he throws a jab at Rowena’s expense. Having not been by Robin’s side when she was passing, Lopaka didn’t hear Robin’s last words of Find your mom… Tell her I’m sorry.
Kaleo elbows Lopaka in the ribs and gives him a stern look that says Cut it out! “What he means to say is… we were told that you got hooked on drugs, ran away and no one ever heard from you again.”
On the Rocks Page 19