FIVE YEARS LATER
Yuta took the thousand dollars given to him by the old Hawaiian man and invested it into moving off the plantation and moving into a very small one bedroom house on the Makiki tract. While there he was able to procure a decent job working as a clerk for the local phone company.
He abstained from drinking and visiting the brothels and made a concerted effort to save the money from his paychecks. While employed at the phone company he met a customer service clerk named Joy Kodama. They began dating and within a year they were married. Soon Yuta moved his way up the ranks and became an assistant supervisor in his division second only to his higher up Dennis Long, a transfer from Wrightwood, California. Dennis made it no secret that he did not care for any of the local population in Hawai'i. He even talked down to his own senior supervisors who were Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese. It wasn't any easier for Yuta who on many occasions was forced to stay his temper and not give Dennis a knuckle sandwich. He couldn't afford it, Joy was with child and he could not risk losing his job. One day while on a lunch break, Yuta took a stroll from his office through a place that once belonged to the Ward family known as the old plantation. His mind was focused on his next goal which was to move out of his one-bedroom place and find a bigger house as he had already anticipated that his family would soon grow larger. He was leaning up against a fence opposite McKinley High School when he saw the old Hawaiian man walking toward him. He was dressed very much the same as when they'd first met five years previous. Despite the dotage of the old Hawaiian man he did not look as if he'd aged a day since then. Yuta was surprised but very nervous.
"Eh, how you? I no more the money right now but my bank is not too far from here. You can come with me and I can take out the thousand. Must get interest by now hah?" Yuta asked while still unsure as to what the answer would be.
"Come," the old Hawaiian man said. "We take my car."
Tentatively Yuta followed the old man to a large Buick parked under a tree. It was nice and shiny and the crome seemed to sparkle in the noonday light. It maneuvered out to the main thoroughfare and there was silence the entire time until Yuta saw his supervisor Dennis Long crossing the street at a red light. That's when the old Hawaiian man looked at him and spoke. "You don't understand Yuta, it's not about collecting money." Without warning, he floored the gas pedal and gained just enough momentum to blow the stop light and hit Dennis Long straight on. The supervisor from Wrightwood was killed instantly.....he was mangled up very badly but still, he was dead. Yuta's high shrill scream filled the car now, he was hysterical. A backhand across the mouth from the old Hawaiian man brought Yuta back to reality. Before he knew it they were pulling in to the parking lot outside his office. The old man put the gear in park and looked at Yuta, "The money I'll collect later, right now I want to see you become successful. You can get out now."
............
With the horrible hit and run death of Dennis Long, the division had no choice but to promote Yuta to the new supervisor. At that moment his life changed exponentially. He was able to move into a bigger house to accommodate his growing family. All that was left was to save more money in order to prepare for when the old Hawaiian would next come to collect.
............to be continued
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