"Koho"

Aleka ran his hands over each page of the composition tablet, feeling the texture of the green crayon writings, line after line. They were recipes that his daughter had hoped to make in her easy bake oven. She copied most of the ingredients from her mother’s book of recipes which for the most part, sat on the kitchen counter and collected dust. Aleka knew that what he read was the workings of an eight-year-old mind, who wanted to do simple grown up things. The purple tablet was all he had of her once her mother took her and left. He stared at it more than he read it, he tried to think as she thought, feel as she felt in that moment. It only broke his heart and made his world darker and his days longer. The sound of his doorbell ringing brought him out of his funk and he heaved a great sigh as he made his way toward the door. Looking through the peephole, he was shocked to see who it was. He quickly undid the chain, unlocked the knob and pulled the door back.

“Boy,” He was surprised to see the Hawaiian man in a coat and tie standing at his door.

“I received a call from Troy Duvauchelle in Paoa this afternoon, do you know him?” Boy asked.

“Yes,” Aleka answered. “I know him.”

“Why did you not call me first, before you spoke to him?” Boy’s voice took on the tone of a disappointed relative.

“I don’t understand,” Aleka replied.

“Do not treat me as If I am one of your stupid friends,” Boy grabbed Aleka by his shirt and spun him around, instantly pinning him up against the concrete wall. “I’ve treated you and your family like one of my own, I’ve taken care of all of you. I’m your daughter’s godfather and you disrespect me like I’m nothing.”

Aleka’s tears were flowing because of his heartbreak but also because he could see that Boy was mad, but he had no clue as to why. “Boy, I don’t understand what I did? I don’t, please...please I’m sorry.”

“Did you or did you not go to Troy Duvauchelle and ask him to put a curse on your ex-wife?" Despite his calm demeanor, Boys eyes burned with a searing anger. Aleka never thought that Boy would find out, but he was wrong. Boy Napualawa had his finger on the pulse of everything that went on throughout the archipelago, especially where curses were concerned.

“I wasn’t thinking, I swear. I just wanted her to suffer, don’t you understand?” Aleka said quietly. “My daughter is everything to me and she took her.”

Boy let go of Aleka and took a step back, “You’re angry and because of that you didn’t think this through and you lashed out through Troy.”

“I know, I know, I should have come to you first. I didn’t mean to disrespect you, Boy. I’m sorry.” Aleka pleaded.

“If you’d have come to me first, in the state that you’re in now, I would’ve talked you out of it. I would have found some way to help you get over your hurt so that you could work through it. THAT’s what I would have done!” Boy hissed.

“But that’s what you do,” Aleka looked Boy in the eyes. “You put curses on people, that’s what you do.”

“With a legitimate and valid reason! Divorce is not a reason to put a curse on someone, that’s a part of life, that’s human nature. If your ex-wife had murdered your daughter in the process then yes, you would have had a reason.” Boy stared a hole through Aleka and continued. “You don't even know the magnitude of what you’ve done.”

“Of course I do,” Aleka replied. “I had a curse put on Danielle and she’s gonna die.”

“Yes, but did you think for one moment that the curse was just going to end with Danielle?” Boy asked.

“Yeah,” Aleka was sure of himself. “It was only placed on her and that was it.”

“No, once that curse runs it’s course with Danielle it’s going to move on to someone else.” Boy told him.

“Yeah, my ex-mother in law and ex-sister in law!” Aleka was sure that this is how the succession of the curse was going to work.

Boy gave Aleka a long hug, expressed his aloha and then let himself out, but not before saying one more thing to his long time friend. “I wish that you would’ve come to me first.”

“I’ll be fine,” Aleka assured him. “Don’t worry.”

“Do me a favor okay?” Boy asked.

“Sure, anything,” Aleka answered.

“After I leave here, don’t come to see me, don’t e-mail me, don’t text me or call me ever again. It’s better this way, trust me.” Boy closed the door behind him and walked down the hallway which led to three flights of descending stairs. His car, a customized black on black 1966 Imperial Crown Sedan was parked down the street, just near the back entrance to 'Iolani School. As soon as he got to his car he removed his phone from his coat pocket and placed a call, The phone rang twice on the other end before it picked up and a voice answered.

"This is Troy,"

"It's Boy," came the reply.

"So, how are we?" Troy asked.

"You're in the clear." Boy confirmed.

Troy Duvauchelle couldn't help but press further. "Okay, but what about you and me? Are we cool?"

"You didn't know that Aleka was my hanai, so yes, we're cool." Boy's edict took the edge off.

"Mahalo nui, I mean that from my heart." Troy was gushing with thanks now that his life was no longer hanging in the balance.

....


A month later, Boy sat in his office staring at the newspaper on his desk. He must have read the obituary a thousand times before he finally smashed it up in his hands and tossed it into the small garbage pail near the door.

“I’ll have flowers sent,” Aunty Rita said as she picked up the phone and began dialing a number.

“Make it anonymous,” Boy replied.

“You should at least go to the services,” Uncle Tiny began. “These people were like family to you, to all of us.”

“If anything, just to show respect.” Uncle Ivan added. "You know how these things are, people talk."

“I don't control what people say,” Boy answered.

"If not you, then maybe one of us should go, at the very least, to show face?" Rita asked.

"The flowers are enough." Boy's answer was final, there wouldn't be any further discussion.

….

Three days after Boy left Aleka’s La’au street apartment, he found out that Danielle died as a result of the curse that was put on her by Troy Duvauchelle. Three days after that, Aleka’s little daughter died of the same curse that was put on her mother. Three days following both of those tragic events, Aleka took his own life by hanging himself from the third story railing of his lanai.

Today, Troy Duvauchelle makes it a point to call Boy Napualawa first whenever someone comes to him with a request to put a curse on someone else. It's safer that way, for Troy that is.