Chapter 14
Kaila and Peter arrived just before sunset at the luau. Their tickets were at the employee entrance just as Leilani had told them. They found their table near the back of the seating area and to their surprise found Kari sitting there alone. Kaila and Peter sat down with her.
“Where’s Koni Boy?” Kaila asked curiously. “I thought he was sitting with you.”
Kari shrugged her shoulders. She was playing with the napkins on the table while she sipped some juice. “He just dropped me off.”
“What?” Kaila was incensed. “He just left you here by yourself?”
“He never even came in,” Kari asserted. “He said he had stuff to do. He waited for Lani to go backstage first though. She was gripin’ at him before.”
“Man,” Peter said. “What’s with that guy? Say, is that POG you’re drinking there?”
“Yeah,” Kari said cheerfully. She had already forgotten about Koni Boy. “I love POG. Doesn’t everyone look so pretty in their fancy clothes and wearing the lei’s? I love to people-watch.”
“Sounds good to me,” Peter laughed.
Kaila rolled her eyes and laughed. “That’s for breakfast!”
“Well,” Peter countered. “I’d rather have a mai tai, but I know they won’t bring us one. So POG it is.”
Kaila just shook her head and laughed at them both. “How about some iced tea? Duh.” She slapped Peter playfully on the shoulder.
When it was time for the imu ceremony the three of them crowded around the underground oven with all the other tourists to watch the men carefully unwrap the banana leaves off the cooked pig. Then they watched them load it onto the tray and walk it to the kitchen in ceremonial style. They had seen it done many times before, but never tired of it.
The three of them had to wait until all the tourists had gone through the buffet line but they did not mind. There was still more than enough food left. All three of them loved the pork and all the tasty side dishes that came with it. After eating in the school cafeteria for weeks Peter and Kaila were delighted to have some great island luau food.
They watched the entertainment on stage as they ate. As the sun finally set all the way and was completely dark outside, it neared the time for Leilani to take the stage. The performance by the Tahitian Princess came towards the end after everyone had eaten and was focused on the show. Plus it had to be nighttime. Soon it was time for her dance. The lights went down all around the arena and the crowd quieted down. Still in the darkness, Kari could see her sister already standing in place on the stage.
“Look! There she is!” Kari whispered. She pointed toward the stage. Leilani’s solid white dress glowed in the darkness.
At that moment a lone spotlight appeared on her and she began the traditional dance of the Tahitian Princess. The crowd watched in awe as she danced ever so gracefully and delicately. Leilani was excellent too. She did every move, step and gesture of her hands perfectly. Her beauty matched the beauty and mystery of the dance she performed. Kaila was so proud of her and she felt special to be able to get to see her dance before a crowd this size. After she finished, the crowd roared with applause for her and some even gave her a standing ovation. The luau ended with the traditional fire dance, performed by one of the muscled male dancers. It was a favorite of everyone at all the luaus.
Kaila leaned over and poked Peter in the arm. “You can do that too, right?”
Peter grimaced and laughed, “Oh sure. Of course I can. Do it all the time.”
She smiled and leaned into him and slipped her arm inside his. He smiled back at her and pulled her in closer.
A wide grin came across Kari’s face and she exclaimed, “Ooooo!”
They both laughed and Kaila pulled her arm free in embarrassment. She playfully slapped at her little sister’s shoulder.
Just as the final dance ended, to their surprise, Koni Boy appeared out of nowhere and sat at their table. He had a sly grin and acted very smoothly as if he had been there the whole night. Peter and Kaila looked at each other with odd expressions. Peter was none too happy to see him.
“Hey, what’s up you guys,” Koni Boy said casually. “I miss anything?”
“Only the whole thing, silly,” Kari laughed. Kari did not mind that he had just shown up out of nowhere. But Kaila and Peter knew better. Just who he was with, or what he was doing, they did not really know, but they had a good suspicion Leilani would not like it.
Kaila snipped at him, “Where were you? You left her here by herself. Lani would be pissed.”
Koni Boy shrugged her off though. “It’s no biggie, you guys are here.” He tried his best to change the subject. “So, Peter…” Peter looked at him cockeyed. What could he possibly have to say to me? he wondered. “I hear you’re the man over on the Big Island. The man who gets things done.” Kaila wrinkled her nose and wondered what he meant by that.
Peter was beginning to understand what he was getting at and his suspicions of who he saw talking to Koni Boy on the beach earlier. He felt like slugging the guy. Whatever he meant it was not true and Peter knew he was saying it to rile him up and raise Kaila’s suspicions. Peter did not like him at all and wished he would just get up and leave.
“Nah,” Peter answered sheepishly.
Koni Boy slapped his shoulder playfully. “Ah I’m just kiddin’ ya dude. So how’d my girl do tonight? She look freakin’ hot or what?”
Kaila just stared a hole through him. But Kari just laughed and Peter sat there looking at him like he was an idiot.
“She looked graceful and elegant, you doofus,” Kaila finally said. “And you missed the whole thing.”
“So I’ll catch the next one,” he retorted.
Peter had had just about enough. Koni Boy had already put a damper on what was a nice evening. He tapped Kaila on the sleeve. “Hey, we better get back. It’s almost curfew.” Kaila gave him a look that said gladly without even saying it aloud.
“Kari,” she instructed. “You wait for Lani to come out so she can take you home. I can’t fit three on my scooter or else I’d take you.”
“I know the drill,” Kari answered. She gave her big sister a hug goodbye and even gave one to Peter. However, they did not say anything to Koni Boy and just left him sitting there.
As they rode home, Peter held on to Kaila’s waist as they whizzed down Front Street in Lahaina. There was always plenty of tourist traffic even at nighttime on the main street of the quaint little town. Peter looked all around the shops and restaurants as they passed and also the great night view of the waterfront. Lanai was off in the distance and one could see its outline in the darkness on the horizon. Many people were walking up and down both sides of the streets. It was a typical night in Lahaina. They came upon the courthouse square by the old Banyan tree and where the historic Pioneer Inn was located. Kaila pulled to the side so he could get a look at the massive tree.
“This is the famous Banyan tree,” she explained. “You ever seen it? It’s really old.”
Peter shook his head. “No, this is the first time. It’s cool.”
The enormous tree stood in front of the Old Lahaina Courthouse. Its branches spread all over the entire square. It seemed to have more than one trunk, as some branches formed on the ground in other spots. Some of the larger branches were so long and heavy that posts had to be put in place to hold them up. Peter noticed the posts all around underneath the mighty tree. It was a favorite spot for people to gather and sit on the park benches. During the day it was a very popular spot for photos. Plus it was right near the marina where the ferries, yachts and other styles of boats docked.
“It’s nice here,” Peter said.
“Yeah, I like it here,” Kaila agreed. “The church where I saw you is pretty close by.”
“Yeah, I thought so,” Peter said.
They started onward again and headed for the school. As they rode along, Kaila thought deeply about what Koni Boy had said jokingly to Peter. What had he meant by that
? she wondered. She finally decided just to ask Peter.
“Hey,” she yelled back at him as they rode along. “What did Koni Boy mean back there about you being the man on the Big Island?”
Peter didn’t quite want to answer, but he did somewhat evasively. “I don’t know. I wasn’t anything over there. But that guy is trouble, I can tell you that. We shouldn’t hang around with him. Neither should your older sister for that matter. He’s a jerk.”
“He said you get things done?” Kaila kept prodding. They finally reached the top of the hill and she turned onto the street where her aunt and uncle lived. They both got off the scooter and she parked it in the garage. She looked to see if the light was on. She wondered if she should go in or just head back to the school.
“No,” Peter said. “He’s just full of it. It was guys like that that got me in trouble. And I think I may have seen him talking to somebody that I knew back home today on the beach. If that was who I thought it was, I’d just steer clear of him. They are nothing but trouble. I promise you. I came here to get away from guys like that.”
Kaila nodded. She knew he was being truthful. “I understand. I believe you.”
Just then the front door to the house opened and her uncle stuck his head out.
“Hi Uncle Lupe,” Kaila said. “This is Peter from school. We were just parking the scooter and are about to head back. We’re almost late.”
“Hello, Sir,” Peter said. He noticed a woman in the background staring outside at them.
Lupe nodded at him. “Where’s your little sister?”
“She’s coming,” Kaila answered. “Leilani is bringing her.”
“With Koni too?” Lupe inquired. The woman behind Lupe cringed her lower lip at hearing Koni Boy’s name. She continued to glare at Peter as well with the same suspicion. Yet she said nothing.
“Yes, probably,” Kaila said. “He was there at the luau waiting on her. Well, he showed up at the end at least. We’ll see you, we need to get back.”
“OK, be careful.” Lupe never really acknowledged Peter. He was not sure if that was a good or bad thing.
They began to walk up the hill the short distance back to school. Peter wondered aloud, “He didn’t say much. I hope he liked me.”
Kaila laughed. “If you can get a nod from my uncle then you are OK.”
Peter chuckled and said, “OK, I can live with that.”
“My aunt’s another story. But she’ll come around and talk to you eventually. She definitely doesn’t like Koni though.”
“Oh good,” Peter said. “I like her already!”
He walked her all the way to the steps of her dorm and was hoping she wouldn’t go inside just yet. She stopped of course and smiled at him sweetly.
“Thanks for showing me around today,” he said sincerely. “I had a lot of fun. And the food was great. And it was nice meeting your sisters too. I love being with you.”
Her heart leapt in her chest when he said that. “Same here. It’s nice to have someone to bum around with. I had fun too.” There was an awkward pause. Both of them knew what they wanted, but were still too shy to make the first move. Finally Peter put his arms around her and hugged her tight.
“You have a good night and sleep well,” he said softly to her.
They held each other for a moment, smiling at one another. He wanted to kiss her so badly. He did not know for sure, but he thought perhaps she really wanted to kiss him too.
“You do too,” she replied and then turned to go back inside. Peter breathed out a heavy sigh as he watched her disappear behind the closing door.