Wayne Higa and his buddy Kamka Hiona stood in line at the concession, waiting for their beer and snacks for the concert. Tower Of Power was in town for a one-night-only gig at the Waikiki Shell.
All the 70s purists attended, and the place was sold out. People who couldn't get in camped on the grass in the park."So, you said you put down a deposit on a house?" Kamaka asked.
"Yeah, yeah," Wayne nodded. "I cannot raise my kids in a three-bedroom apartment building, you know what I mean?"
"Oh yeah," Kamaka agreed. "Your kids going get big, and then they going need their own space and less stress for Linda,"
"Less stress for Linda and less stress on you," Kamaka confirmed.
"Yeah," Wayne sighed. "She's been losing her shit lately,"
"Good thing then," Kamaka nudged his childhood friend.
Just as the two received their four beers and hotdogs, the lights went out in the venue. There were audible gasps all around, and horns pierced the air. It was the opening to Tower of Power's signature song, "You're Still A Young Man." Everyone in the snack line scattered with their purchases in their hands and ran to their seats. Wayne and Kamaka waited until the lights came up before they headed back. They didn't want to get trampled by the mob. When the two got to their seats, Linda and her sister Sherry swayed and fro to the music. Wayne sat next to his wife and handed her her beer and hot dog while Kamaka did the same while sitting on the other side of Sherry. Wayne and Linda wrapped their arms around one another, smiling and looking lovingly at one another. Sherry grabbed Kamaka's arm and wrapped it around her waist. Moving his arm and putting it up in the air while slowly rocking his body back and forth, Kamaka smiled at Sherry. "Be cool, girl,"
"You be cool," Sherry snuggled her face into Kamaka's chest. "This can be for tonight; it doesn't have to be anything after the concert is over,"
"That's not me, Sherry," Kamaka whispered in her ear. "Just enjoy the music,"
After the opening song, the crowd lost its mind, and the energy continued for the rest of the night. Linda knew they would soon move out of their apartment and into an actual house, which gave her a great sense of relief. Allowing herself to relax and enjoy the evening, she held on to Wayne, snuggling her body up to his. They'd make love later tonight when they got home. Tomorrow, they'd take the kids out for pizza and a movie. It was all coming together. Sherry wouldn't give up until she got her way, but Kamaka was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of what Sherry wanted. Luckily, when the concert ended with "So Very Hard To Go," Sherry was blind drunk and could not implement her plan for a one-night stand with Kamaka. Wayne and Kamaka helped Sherry get to the car, where her sister Linda made Sherry throw up on the grass beside their parking space.
"You're not fucking puking in my 4Runner, Sher!" Linda scolded her younger sister like she always did.
"At least hold my hair, you fucking bitch!" Sherry muttered. "Don't let Kamaka leave either; I have to fuck him later,"
"He's too good for you," Linda retorted. "Everybody knows that,"
"Don't say shit like that," Kamaka protested. "Here, let me do it," Kamaka moved Linda to one side and held Sherry's hair for her while she threw up.
"Geeze Kamaka," Wayne shook his head. "I dunno if you too good for her, or if you perfect for her,"
"Help me get her in your car," Kamaka said while standing up and grabbing Sherry by the arms and then around the waist. The three hoisted her into the back seat, where Linda strapped on her sister's seat belt. Wayne gave her a few water bottles to drink from before they finally took off and drove home, and even though Wayne told him he didn't have to, Kamaka followed them in case they needed help getting Sherry out of the car, which they did.
"Sherry get issues, dad why she act like this," Wayne said.
"No need to explain to me," Kamaka and Wayne shook hands.
"Thanks for being cool, Kamaka," Wayne said. "I saw she was all over you tonight, and you treated her really nice like you never get embarrassed or nothing."
"You my friend brah," Kamaka gave the shaka. "Das how,"
~
The drunken sex was in full play while half-play. With their clothes off, and having completed all the foreplay, Linda was ready to go, but Wayne let out a burp and out came the smell of beer and smoked hot dogs and that was it for Linda. The foreplay was the bulk of the sex for the evening; getting to the finish line would have to happen later. Maybe the following evening or Monday morning? In any case, Sherry woke up the next morning in hysterics.
So much so that Wayne had to take the kids down to the pool so Linda could find out what was going on. Sherry said Kamaka knocked on her door. He'd come back to check on her, to see if she was alright? He sat with her all night, ensuring she was okay. The water she drank helped sober her up, and she apologized to Kamaka for being so forward; it wasn't like her. She admitted to always using her looks to get what she wanted, so she became more persistent when Kamaka refused her advances.
"Everything doesn't always have to be about sex," he told her. "People of opposite sexes or the same sex can be friends without having to sleep with each other,"
Sherry said they both fell asleep while holding on to one another, and nothing happened. When she woke up, Kamaka was gone. "I dunno how he got in because the door is locked, and even if he had a key, he couldn't get in. I know Wayne didn't open the door because he was knocked out, and it wasn't me."
Crying now, Sherry handed Linda her phone, showing her the IG profile for always-hungry Kanaka. It was clearly a video of Kamaka's Toyota. It was the only olive-drab one on Oahu, nearly merging into the front end of another Toyota on Ke'eaumoku. According to the video, the timestamp of the accident would have been the same time Kamaka knocked on Sherry's door. "How could Kamaka have been simultaneously in that accident and in my room?"
Wayne, Linda, and Sherry would find out that after Kamaka got into a head-on collision with another Toyota vehicle racing up Ke'eaumoku and lost control at 95mph. Crossing the center line, it hit Kamaka straight on. He was killed instantly, which meant he didn't suffer.
Wayne and Linda got approved for their house in Manoa that Monday, and by the latter half of the month, they were all moved in. They named their home after their friend Kamaka to honor him. They also hoped that his spirit would protect them like he protected Sherry.
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