Laukani was on vacation on Hawai'i Island.
It was a needed get-away, as the pressures of work and home life were overwhelming. She needed time to breathe and decompress in a nice, quiet place. Where better than a Hilo bed and breakfast? The woman said her sister encouraged her to take this time off, which was well-needed.
"Go, Laukani," the older sister urged. Don't worry about the kids and the house; I'll handle everything. Just go!"
So, Laukani went but with hesitation. Her older sister Oliana had always been the rock in her life, but her health began to suffer in the last few years. She consulted physicians and other professionals who suggested various treatment methods that needed fixing. One day, Oliana woke up, put on her sweats, and began exercising. She started with taking walks first, then she bought a treadmill. Soon, her large nation became a mini-gym with weights, kettlebells, and punching bags. "Whatever this sickness is that they can't identify?" She told Laukani. "I'm not going to sit around and wait until it takes me; I'm going out fighting."
Changing her lifestyle was a partial one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. Oliana still maintained the same diet but in smaller portions. She stopped drinking and cut out most of the sugar, all the while keeping her beastly workout. Knowing this, Laukani had no reason to worry while she boarded her flight for the Big Island. Once she got to her hotel room, she went straight to her queen-sized bed and slept for the rest of the day.
2
Evening settled in once she woke up; quiet ambient sounds of tour vehicles pulling into the roundabout driveway, juxtaposed with the strumming of a guitar coming from the restaurant/bar below, led her to freshen up and fix her hair so she could see the artist behind the music. Although the bar was candle-lit, enough light poured in from the poolside that no one was completely blind. Sitting on a stool was the guitar player, with a mic in front of him and his instrument. He was older, middle-aged perhaps. His face was weather-worn because of life; that was obvious. His shirt was an off-blue and neatly pressed. A leather belt accented his workman jeans, which had seen better days. On his feet were the cowboy boots, only worn for occasions like this. Otherwise, it was work boots or slippers. She didn't know that for sure, but that was her assumption.
Laukani sat and ordered a neat whiskey and a bowl of shoyu poke. She was surprised by the angelic voice of the man strumming strings with calloused hands that could snap a bone in two with hardly an effort.
"..You probably learned by now that your heart's a liar
and you've been burned by the heat of your own desire
But you need someone to hold and be your friend,
but you don't want to go through love again.."
He wasn't singing to her; he was here gigging because someone he knew, perhaps the bar owner or some management staff, was giving him a break he might have needed. As far as Laukani was concerned, he may as well have been; she felt each word burn into her soul. He spoke to every aspect of what her love life was or could have been. Sometimes, she gave too much, and at other times, not enough. Whatever the case, this man she'd never met except for this moment lay everything bare in front of her.
"..Blame it on the night, blame it on the dim-lit room
cause no one's gonna blame it on you.."
Laukani finished the last of her poke and asked for one more glass of whiskey, which she finished in one gulp. When she came out of her haze, she didn't realize he'd been looking directly at her the whole time. Feeling she had no right to intrude on his thoughts, she excused herself, paid her tab, and went back to her room.
3
The following afternoon, she went to Low International to purchase a loaf of their Rainbow Bread. She'd intended to have it later with some guava butter and wine while watching a random show on one of the streaming networks. She saw someone approaching her from her peripheral but didn't notice who it might have been. Whoever it was didn't move now, and if it felt like they were looking directly at her. Turning to see who it was, Laukani was surprised to see the guitar player/singer from the night before. He was already speaking to her, "Sorry for being intrusive, but you were at the bar last night at the Laniloa," he confirmed more than he asked.
"Yes, I was there," she laughed.
"I remembered because I've never seen anyone down their shoyu poke' with a glass of whisky like it was water," he chuckled. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable if I stared too hard."
"At least now I know why," she shook her head. "I thought you thought that I was weird or that I had a piece of food stuck in my teeth,"
"No, it was just that for me, at least; shoyu poke,' and whiskey seem to be a strange combination," he extended his hand. "I'm Lawrence Koamalu."
"Laukani Kapihe," her voice was warm, which was unusual for her. She was a single mother who had been through an unsuccessful marriage. Her job at the state office also hardened her, and she felt like she was standing outside her body, watching herself let her guard down.
"You have a nice day," he said before leaving.
"Are you playing again tonight?" She hoped he was.
"I'm going on at nine. If you're still awake, come see me," Lawrence waved, walked to the parking lot, got in his truck, and drove away.
Briefly glancing at the spot where Lawrence's truck just was, she saw a red rainbow hovering there, vivid and solid. "Oh no!" She gasped. "Not yet! Not yet! Wait for me!" In tears now, she pressed the speed dial on her phone. Oliana answered, her voice croaked the words. "Hello?"
"What hospital are you at???!" Laukani shouted.
"Kaiser," Oliana struggled. "I just got admitted; I was going to call you," she said. "The kids are with Jonathan,"
"Oliana!" She shouted into the phone. "Don't you die! You wait for me, you understand??!! You fucking wait for me!!!"
"You saw the red rainbow?" Oliana's voice was filled with anger. "Not even fucking dead yet, you think they would wait until after,"
4
With their parents gone, Oliana's services were attended by friends, co-workers, and exes. It was a humble occasion. Everyone who knew her was given opportunities to get up and say a few words. Some were funny, others were sad. Laukani got up to thank everyone for their kind words when the funeral director waved at her, indicating that one more person had something to say. It was a former classmate from U.H. Hilo. They were in an electrician class together and hung out with the same circle of friends. The man walked up to the microphone and introduced himself.
"I'm Lawrence Koamalu from Wainaku. Oliana and I were classmates in college," Laukani was speechless, to say the least, but she had a chance later to explain to Lawrence that on the day they met at Low's is when she found out that her sister had been admitted to the hospital where she died the following day.
"That's why I didn't come to see you play that night, and then I had to come home and..well, you know the rest," she said. "Small world, yeah?"
"Small world," he replied. "But no coincidence,"
A year later, Laukani and her children live in Wainaku on Lawrence's thirteen-acre property. Although he'd been through a few relationships himself, Lawrence never married or had children. However, he had a ton of nieces and nephews. Laukani's children became like his own. In the past, when Laukani would fret and worry about ever meeting the right person again, Oliana would always tell her, "Alia, wait. Whoever it is will come when you least expect it. Alia."
Awesome
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