Hero of Hawaii (13 page)

“Again! Again!” Carlos hopped out of my lap and grabbed my hand, tugging me up. “Again! Again! Again!”

Carlos went down on his own after that.

On his belly.

On his side.

Headfirst.

Feetfirst.

Upside down and backwards. That kid was unstoppable.

Julio couldn’t believe it. “What did you do to him? You got some kind of magic, or what?”

I raised my arms and made muscles. “Incredible Hulk.”

For the rest of the day Carlos stuck to me like a shadow … a nice shadow that didn’t sing. Julio and Willy thought it was hilarious. But I didn’t care. It was like having a little brother.

After around nine thousand times down the slide, Mom came over and put her hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to have ice cream and cupcakes soon, and Darci’s going to open her presents. Did you get something for her?”

“Yup.”

Mom raised one eyebrow. “What is it?”

“It’s good, Mom. You’ll see.”

M
om, Ledward, Stella, and I watched as Darci opened her presents, surrounded by her friends. So far, she’d gotten a gift card for pizza; a T-shirt that said
I DIDN’T DO IT … SERIOUSLY
on it; two manga books, Yotsuba&! #1 and Naruto #27; a stuffed raccoon;
Chinese handcuffs; and a humongous Hershey bar.

“That slide was a great idea,” Ledward whispered as Darci chose another present to open. “Everyone had a good time.”

“I saw it on TV.”

Ledward chuckled.

I heard a car drive up. Yes!

“Mom, look!” Darci called, holding up something wrapped in newspaper. “It’s from Calvin!”

“That’s just the small one,” I said.

Mom turned to me. “The small one?”

I shrugged, suddenly worried that my idea was stupid. The small one she’d like … but the other one was kind of … different.

I heard the car door thump.

Darci ripped into the color comic paper.

“This I’ve got to see,” Stella whispered.

“Calvin!” Darci shouted. “I love it! I love it!” She held it up.

A book.

Birds of Hawaii
.

“Now you can name those birds,” I said.

Darci got up, stepped over the crumpled wrapping paper, and hugged me.

“I got it at the temple.”

Darci grabbed Stella’s hand. “We have to go back! Call Clarence!”

“There’s more, Darce,” I said. “I got you two presents.”

“Two?”

I dipped my chin toward the front door as Clarence walked in wearing swimming shorts, a T-shirt, and rubber slippers.

“You got me
Clarence
for a present?”

“Yup.”

Stella was as surprised as Darci.

Clarence gave Darci a big smile. “I going teach you how for be the best swimmer in this town. Won’t be anything you can’t do in the water. Calvin’s idea.”

Mom put a hand to her mouth, then grabbed my arm and pulled me close.

Darci looked at Clarence, then at me, then back at Clarence. Speechless for the first time in her life.

Clarence winked. “Start today, if you like.”

“You can invite Willy, too, Darce,” I added. “It’s okay with Clarence.”

Darci smiled, big. She reached out to shake Clarence’s hand. “Deal,” she said.

Clarence nodded. “You got it.”

“After all, Darce,” I said. “You live Hawaii, you live the ocean, ah?”

Mom surrounded me with her arms and whispered, “I’m so proud of you.”

“I try, Mom. I try.”

In September 1992, Hurricane Iniki, whose name means “strong and piercing wind,” became the most powerful hurricane to strike the Hawaiian Islands in recorded history. Damage was greatest on the island of Kauai, where over 1,400 houses were destroyed and more than 5,000 severely damaged. Steven Spielberg and his crew, who were preparing for the final day of on-location filming of the movie
Jurassic Park
, had to wait out the storm in a hotel.

You can listen to thunder after lightning and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don’t hear it, you got hit, so never mind.