place I had always wanted to visit was Hawaii. I
cashed in my 401K and booked a flight to Honolulu for five
days.
When I checked in on Tuesday, I met Shauna,
the concierge. In a land filled with peace and beauty, she stood
out from all the rest. I asked her for some suggestions on places
to go to eat.
Once I unpacked, I decided to go shopping.
What better place to buy Hawaiian shirts than the source itself. As
a typical tacky tourist did, I picked up a few souvenirs, too.
I wanted to experience some Hawaiian cuisine.
That night, I went to one of the best restaurants in all of Hawaii.
Great but expensive.
I woke up early Wednesday and headed to
Waikiki Beach. I wanted to learn how to surf. As expected, I
couldn’t get my balance for the first ten or twenty tries. On that
twenty-first try, I actually rode a wave in. A small wave, but
still a wave. As I was trying another wave, the headaches came back
and threw off my equilibrium. With that, I called an end to my
surfing career.
Still early in the afternoon, I wanted to
check out Diamond Head Crater. It took me a while to climb it, but
eventually, I reached the top. What a view. I didn’t stay long. I
climbed down to change for dinner.
As I came back to the hotel, I saw Shauna and
told her how I rode my first wave. She greeted me with a blinding
smile and gave me a brochure about the Polynesian Cultural Center
on the North Side. She also recommended a great place to eat dinner
tonight.
I changed and went to her recommendation.
Dinner by myself in such a beautiful place just didn’t feel
right.
The next morning, I got up early to catch the
trolley to the North side. As I walked out, there’s Shauna,
flashing me another smile. I spent the whole day there, just taking
in all of the sights.
Coming back to change, there was Shauna
again. I knew what I need to do now. However, when I came down to
leave, she was gone. Guess her shift was over.
Thursday night, I went out to eat again.
While I had been having Hawaiian food these past three days, when
people thought of Hawaiian food, they thought luau.
On Friday, I decided to head out to Pearl
Harbor and the monuments out there. It was also suggested to me to
check out Iolani Palace.
When I left the hotel, there’s Shauna again.
Thinking of the past two nights eating alone, and with this being
my last night on Maui, I approached Shauna.
“Hi, Shauna. Thanks for all your help.”
“It’s my job.”
“Listen, I was wondering. I am going to the
luau tonight, and I wanted to know if you would like to accompany
me.”
“Wow. You know, as long as I’ve lived here,
I’ve never been to a luau. Okay. Sounds like fun. I get off at
six.”
After a day of historic sightseeing, I got
home to dress for the luau. I was meeting Shauna in the lobby. I
lost my breath when I saw her. Flowered bikini top. Flowered
sarong. And a flower in her hair.
As we walked into the luau, I got leid by a
stunning Hawaiian female. They seated us at a table and gave us
each a mai tai.
After everyone was seated, the first course
was presented. While they were serving us, the pig was dug up from
the imu.
I could tell Shauna was a bit nervous,
because she was on her second mai tai. Me, I was just soaking in
all of the entertainment. Hula dancers. Flaming batons.
After an hour, the main course was served.
Kalua pork, from the roasted pig. Poi. Various fish caught that
day. Pineapple coleslaw.
Shauna had already had two mai tais and was
working on her second blue Hawaii. I had only had the one mai tai.
When dinner was served, I tried a lava flow.
After dinner, we had a choice for dessert.
Haupia, a coconut pudding, macadamia nut tartlet, or pineapple
caramel cake. I tried the haupia; Shauna had the cake, along with a
piña colada.
I had to help Shauna home. After all those
drinks, she was in no condition to drive. She could barely stand. I
walked her in. As I was leaving, she grabbed my hand.
“Where are you going? All this time in Hawaii
and
The Haunting of Henrietta
Eleanor Coerr, Ronald Himler