The Islands (15 page)

‘Handy. And who's Lester Manning?' asked Catherine as they began walking along the water's edge.

‘Lester Manning? He was a world champion surfer for years. A legend. Like Duke Kahanamoku. And Tom Blake. Made some radical changes to surfboard designs. Very famous in his day,' said Kiann'e.

‘Oh. I see. How do you know him?' asked Catherine. ‘Is he a relative?'

‘No. But I've kind of adopted him. He doesn't have any family. Abel John looks out for him too, when he comes to Honolulu.'

‘You don't take him out?'

‘Sometimes. He's in his seventies and has terrible arthritis so he finds it difficult to move around now. It's hard for a man who was so active, such an athlete who loved the water so much not to be able to enjoy it. Eleanor looks after him too. I heard she owns the apartment and lets him live there for free.'

‘He didn't make money as a world champion surfer?' Catherine wasn't very interested in surfing, but even she'd read about its becoming commercialised with movies, magazines and surf shops.

Kiann'e knew what she was thinking. ‘In the old days there wasn't the money to be made as is starting to be now. Mind you, very few make a living at it even now. Surfers are a special breed anyway. They do it for the love of surfing and hope they can pay a few expenses. That hasn't changed. I'll introduce you to Lester later if you like. C'mon, let's go as far as that palm tree bending over, and swim back.'

‘Ah, that's why we left everything back on the beach,' said Catherine as Kiann'e sprinted ahead before wading into the clear water.

There were no waves, just a gentle wash that slapped in and out onto the sand. Catherine waded out to her waist then dived underwater as she'd seen Kiann'e do. She stroked behind Kiann'e who was swimming like a fish, her head down, arms barely making a splash as she cleaved through the water. It was like being in a huge pool protected by a reef, which suited Catherine. Large pounding waves like those at beaches in Australia didn't appeal to her. There were several other early morning swimmers stroking lazily through the water or floating on their backs, almost looking to be asleep. All were older people who perhaps were retirees from the mainland. Bradley had told her it was the dream of all his parents' friends in California to retire to the Islands.

Holidaymakers were stirring, sitting on their balconies, appearing at the open-air dining rooms of the beachfront hotels.

‘Hey,' said Kiann'e, ‘you're a good swimmer.'

‘Well,' laughed Catherine, ‘I mightn't have lived anywhere near the sea, but we did have a pool in our backyard.'

‘Got time for a coffee with Lester?' asked Kiann'e.

‘Why not? Bradley is taking the car today as he has a few other things to do so I don't have to race back.'

‘That's terrific. Maybe we could go out for lunch. Or I could you show you some of Oahu,' suggested Kiann'e.

‘Sounds great. Our apartment is so small, I feel a bit claustrophobic at times, after the wide open spaces at home.'

They got out of the compact elevator on the third floor and Kiann'e rapped on the door of the end apartment then let herself in. ‘Hi, Lester, it's me. I've brought a friend to meet you.'

The two women walked into the small apartment to be met by an older man leaning heavily on his walking stick. Catherine was struck by the man's straight posture and forceful presence. He had silver hair but his face and upper body were tanned. His skinny legs looked like those of a bird poking beneath his voluminous shorts. He wore a yellow singlet and his bright blue eyes and cheerful smile made Catherine think of a cheeky canary.

‘Hello, hello. Who have we here? Another pretty girl. What a lucky man am I. What's your name, girl?' He held out his hand.

Catherine took his hand to shake it and was impressed by his firm and friendly grip. ‘I'm Catherine. I'm so very pleased to meet you. Kiann'e has told me a lot about you.'

‘Has she now? She exaggerates. So, where're you from, Miss Catherine? You a malahini?'

‘A newcomer to the island? That's me,' she smiled, glad she'd heard the expression before. ‘I'm from Australia. Western New South Wales. Near a town called Peel.'

‘Australia! Went there with the Duke once. My, those Down Under boys took to surfing like ducks to water,' he chuckled. ‘Captain Cook, after he discovered Australia and came to Hawaii, was the first person to write about surfing.'

‘He was?' said Catherine. ‘It goes back that far?'

‘Way, way back. The Hawaiian kings were the first surfers. Royalty and the chiefs used to ride wooden planks on the waves. Show off to the villagers.'

‘Lester is an encyclopedia on surfing. How are you feeling this morning?' asked Kiann'e. ‘Ready for some coffee?'

‘You girls go ahead. I've had my quota. But you can make me one of those concoctions of yours, Kiann'e.'

‘I whip him up a milkshake in the blender with plenty of fruit and vitamins,' she said to Catherine. ‘You guys sit and chat.'

‘So what brings you to the Islands, young lady? Pull out a chair.'

Catherine sat on a cane chair opposite Lester. ‘I just married an American, he's here with the navy.'

‘Uh huh. And what do you do with yourself while he's at sea?'

‘He's onshore, at the base. Administration. So I'm not on my own.'

‘You've got a good friend in Miss Kiann'e. She been showing you round? You been to Kauai? That's one beautiful island.'

‘Yes. I had my honeymoon there. At the Palm Grove.'

The old man's face lit up. ‘Ah, that's a magic place. Eleanor and Ed had a dream and that Eleanor, she's made it happen. She's a hard worker and a tough boss but, by golly, that place is one in a million.'

‘She seems an amazing woman. I really liked her,' agreed Catherine.

‘Heart as big as Hawaii, too. She sure been good to me,' said Lester. ‘This is her place, y'know. Belonged to her and Ed and she lets me stay here. And I'm not the only one. She don't talk about it, but I know she helped that Abel John. Put him through some school.'

Kiann'e handed Lester his milkshake. ‘I'm not surprised that Eleanor helps you. You're a somebody, for sure.'

‘I'm just an old kamaaina.'

Kiann'e wagged her finger at him. ‘You're more than an old timer in the Islands and you know it. They call him an Hawaiian treasure,' she said to Catherine.

‘Have you always lived here?' asked Catherine as Kiann'e made their coffee.

‘No. Would've been 1918. Our boys were fighting in France and I was a young man. It was winter in Nebraska and I was watching a newsreel in a little movie house trying to get warm and they showed a clip of the Duke standing up on a board off Waikiki, his arms crossed, cruising down a wave like he was standing still, with sand and palm trees in the background. And I said to myself that's where I'm going.'

‘And you never left?'

‘Oh, occasionally. When my father died – my mom died when I was a baby – and a couple of times I had to scratch around for some money.' He paused. ‘And once or twice I went to the desert. Arizona. When I needed to think about things. Sitting on a mountain, out there in the wilderness, on your own, helps me think. I reckon it's the air . . . so clear and sharp, the light so bright, nothing gets in the way between you and a conversation with God.'

‘I know what you mean,' said Catherine. ‘There's a small hill, a knoll, at the back of my parents' property and I like to ride my horse up there and sit and look at all the empty countryside. It's so beautiful, so peaceful. A good place for thinking.'

Lester nodded. ‘Yep. The desert and the sea. Very important places in my life.'

Kiann'e brought in two mugs of coffee. ‘Bet you never imagined you'd end up staying here and becoming a surf champ like the Duke, eh? He helped you a lot didn't he?'

‘He was a mighty man. Helped many kids. But we became pals, real good pals. He died a few years ago and I miss him. He was an Olympic gold medallist swim champ, but he'll always be remembered as the father of modern surfing. That's right, isn't it, Kiann'e?'

‘Sure thing, Lester. But you racked up a few achievements yourself. Now where's your shopping list?'

‘On the kitchen counter. Say, Kiann'e, you taken Catherine to some special places? She met your family?'

‘Not yet, Lester. But we'll do that.' She turned to Catherine. ‘Now that's something we could do today. Go and visit my family on the windward side. I have to take some things to them anyway. My aunty will make us lunch.'

‘I don't want to put her to any trouble,' began Catherine, but Lester and Kiann'e both laughed.

‘Wait till you meet my family, there's always a small tribe hanging around. Nothing's ever any trouble. C'mon, I'll drop you back at your place and you can change, I'll go home and feed Willi, then we'll head over the Pali.' She dropped a kiss on Lester's head. ‘Take care, I'll bring your groceries over tomorrow.'

‘Aloha to your aunty. Nice to meet you, Catherine. I know I'll see you again. Say, any time you want to swim here, you know the ropes now.'

‘Really? That's lovely of you, Lester. Thank you.'

Kiann'e's little red pick-up wound up the Pali and she turned off at the sign pointing to the Pali lookout.

‘Have you stopped at the lookout?'

‘No. I'd love to stop, we seem to be very high,' said Catherine.

‘Hold onto your hat. It's always unbelievably windy,' said Kiann'e.

‘What happened to the day?' said Catherine as she got out of the pick-up and felt the cool wind whip around her. They were shrouded in mist and as they walked to the edge of the lookout Catherine could just make out the coastline below.

‘Pali weather. We're about a thousand feet up here.'

‘It's a spectacular view,' said Catherine. ‘But kind of creepy. The weather I guess.'

‘You're tuning in to the landscape. King Kamehameha the First conquered this island by forcing his enemies up here until they all went over the cliffs. There are a lot of superstitions about this place. Some silly – though my mother believes them.'

‘Like what?' asked Catherine.

‘Oh, not carrying pork over the mountain at night. And she swears she's seen a menehune up here one time. Says he followed her from Kauai.'

‘What's a menehune?'

‘Little people, as the Irish say. Spirit people. Small people with magic powers believed to live in the forests on Kauai. They've supposedly built many things.'

‘So they're not just mystical, they do practical things?'

‘Some academics say they are from an original race that first peopled the Islands. My mother doesn't agree,' said Kiann'e. ‘She prefers the history of the ali'i, the powerful Hawaiian chieftans. Did you see Abel John enacting the role at the torch ceremony at the Palm Grove?'

Catherine laughed. ‘I did. I have to say I'm with your mum. He looked so majestic, so big and strong. Is your mother pure Hawaiian?'

Kiann'e stared at the stretch of coastline, distant towns and beaches below them. ‘No, but her mother was. Mom's very proud of her connection to the old royal house of Kauai rulers.' Kiann'e shrugged. ‘It's a rather complicated history with marriages, deposings, wars, politics, the British, then the United States. The families of ruling royals exist in name only now. But she grew up on Kauai and won't move.'

‘So your mother has royal blood! And on your father's side?'

‘Ah, then we get into Chinese, Portuguese, other Europeans.' She grinned. ‘Many people have washed ashore on these islands, fallen in love and chosen to stay. Not always with happy endings,' she added. ‘Your Captain Cook, for example.'

‘He's not my Captain Cook. He was English,' said Catherine. ‘This wind is driving me nuts. Shall we go? I'm worried about being late at your aunty's.'

But when they arrived at Kiann'e's aunty's house, Catherine saw she needn't have worried about being so punctual.

The house was opposite a strip of parkland and a beach. The lawns were littered with palm fronds from the large coconut palms shading the house, which was a rambling old home surrounded by a wide terrace. The yard was crowded with cars, a playhouse and garden furniture, a couple of hammocks were strung between the trees. A faded striped awning sagged over the front windows. It was a house that looked as if it had been well lived in for many years. Two small children were playing in the front and when they recognised Kiann'e's little red pick-up they raced over shouting her name.

A tall stately woman came out of the house, calling to the children. Although her figure was more than ample, she walked with a straight-backed, regal carriage and was smiling broadly. Her dark hair was shot with silver and twisted into a braid on top of her head and a flower was tucked into the side. Bare brown feet poked from beneath her muu-muu.

‘Aloha, girls. Come on, Keiki, here's Kiann'e and her friend.'

The little boy and girl ran to Kiann'e, wrapping their arms around her knees, while glancing shyly at Catherine.

‘This is Catherine. Give her a hug too,' said Kiann'e. ‘These are my cousin's children. One of my cousins. We're a big family. Aunty looks after them while their parents work. And those two,' she pointed at two older girls hanging by the front door, ‘they're neighbours who are living here for a while . . . been a few problems in their family, so Aunty is caring for them.

‘Catherine, this is my aunt, Keialani Pakula – everyone calls her Lani.'

Kiann'e's aunt opened her arms and swept Catherine into a big hug. ‘Welcome to the ohana. Come, come inside. You two, cold drinks, go and pour them.' She waved at the two older girls who giggled and hurried inside. ‘Kiann'e says you are a new bride and new to the Islands . . . We'd better show you some old-fashioned Hawaiian hospitality, then.'