The Islands (18 page)

‘I've always known that,' said Catherine. ‘I've never had much of a career. I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I got back to Australia after travelling, but meeting Bradley changed all that so I haven't had to make a decision.'

‘Very romantic. But you can still do a course of some kind. The University of Hawaii is excellent, as is their East West Centre. I left it very late to do my masters degree, but I've never regretted it. I'm a school principal, due to retire in two years and I'm already making plans to keep busy and fulfilled in the next phase of my life. Just remember, Catherine, nothing lasts forever, the good times and the bad times. Keep moving forward is the objective, don't stagnate, that's my motto.'

‘Now, Meredith, don't earbash Catherine.' Richard appeared in the family room. ‘Angela is ringing the bell. Time to eat.'

The conversation was general. Catherine was seated on Richard's right, Bradley was on his mother's right at the other end of the table. Dishes were passed along the table as Richard carved the huge golden turkey that Angela had fretted over as it was a self-basting one which she'd never tried before.

‘Everything is absolutely delicious, glorious, Angela. You're such a great cook,' said Trudy. ‘I must get your recipe for the potato salad.'

‘It's my mother's. One of her secrets is sprinkling vinegar over the potatoes overnight with –'

‘Not now, Angela. Now that we've finished dessert, let's have a toast,' interjected Richard who had poured the red wine, but kept his bourbon beside him. ‘To family and friends, thank you for sharing this bountiful meal. We are all damned lucky to live in the best goddamned country in the world.' He lifted his glass, ignoring the frown from Angela at his cussing. ‘Welcome to young Catherine, as part of our family and who'll be an American soon enough, not that we don't love those Aussies. American forces are out there fighting communism in Asia, and we pray that we clean up this mess and our boys will soon be home. So thanks to the Lord, to my dear wife, my children and friends. You too, Meredith,' he gave a nod in his sister-in-law's direction, ‘thanks for coming so far, it's been too long since we shared a meal. Of course, your curiosity about Bradley's wife might have had something to do with it. So let's hear from Catherine, the new Mrs Connor, to propose the toast.' He sat down.

Catherine paled, no-one had prepared her for this ritual. She rose and lifted her glass, catching Bradley's eye who looked apologetic but gave her an encouraging smile. ‘I'd just like to say thank you for the wonderful hospitality,' she smiled at Angela, ‘for making me feel so welcome.' She turned to Richard. ‘And yes, we all hope the men fighting in Vietnam will be home soon . . . Australians have fought beside Americans in the Second World War, just as they have done in Vietnam,' she gently reminded everyone. I think Thanksgiving is a wonderful occasion, and I look forward to being a part of this great tradition. Happy Thanksgiving.' She raised her glass and sat down as everyone chorused the toast and sipped their wine. She didn't look at Bradley but along the table Meredith gave Catherine a broad smile and raised her glass to her.

Richard leant over to her. ‘Well said, young lady. We haven't forgotten the Aussies. I was there too, my ship was in the Pacific theatre. Met General MacArthur several times.' He patted her hand. ‘Even had leave in Sydney once. What a town. What girls!'

‘I didn't know that. But, Richard, what did you mean about me becoming an American? You mean take out citizenship? Bradley's never mentioned that,' said Catherine.

‘Why, I just assumed you'd do that, honey. Especially if he wants to be stationed abroad. Much better for his career if you're an American. Anyway, I thought you'd just love to be a part of this glorious country.'

Angela stood up. ‘We'll take coffee in the sitting room, shall we?'

As Catherine curled beside Bradley in bed that night, she raised the subject of citizenship as it had been bothering her. ‘What did your dad mean about me taking out American citizenship? I don't have to do that do I?'

‘There're a lot of advantages, darling, besides making life simpler for us. And any children, of course. And my career. Let's not worry about it now. We have to get up early. Mother wants us to be in the city by nine.'

Catherine turned over and hugged her pillow. She didn't want to spend a freezing day in San Francisco, which she'd been told was going to be wet and windy. Shopping at I Magnins and some wholesale outlet that sold designer clothes for seventy per cent reduction didn't excite her, especially as they would all be winter clothes. Lunch at the Top of the Mark and afternoon tea with some rich friends who had a beautiful home on Union Street sounded exhausting. She missed
Heatherbrae
, even though Bradley had promised her they'd take a trip back after Christmas. But most of all, she missed the warmth of the Islands.

6

T
HERE WAS ACTIVITY AT
the harbour. A destroyer was preparing to sail. A tender with tourists aboard headed to the
Arizona
memorial. Catherine was not yet familiar with the workings of Pearl Harbor, but now, after a few weeks studying the panoramic view from her tiny kitchen, she was becoming more aware of the routines of the naval shipyard and dock.

Bradley had been excited when he'd come home and announced they could move to the base and rent out their apartment in the TradeWinds. Catherine was just starting to feel comfortable and at home there and she loved being so close to Waikiki. She'd accepted Lester's invitation to use his parking space and several mornings a week after dropping Bradley at the base she drove straight to the Ambassador apartments, parked, walked the beach and then took a leisurely swim.

Kiann'e had gone to Kauai for a few days to see her mother but Catherine still followed the routine of coffee with Lester as well as doing his grocery shopping, taking it back to his apartment and sitting to talk awhile. She loved these visits and found Lester's stories of life on the island fascinating.

At Pearl Harbor she felt isolated even though she was surrounded by other naval families. Nevertheless, the condominium was bigger than the TradeWinds apartment, with a second bedroom, and it had a view towards the harbour. The block was set in well-kept lawns and was close to the amenities on the base.

She was stunned at the big base PX, which supplied all the naval families with everything from furniture to stereos and TVs and souvenirs, especially Hawaiiana, all at what Catherine thought to be very cheap prices. The Commissary stocked favourite American food and products at lower prices than in the supermarkets in Honolulu. But, while it was convenient, Catherine preferred to buy from the smaller local markets Kiann'e had told her sold local produce, especially the food shops in Chinatown.

Bradley thought it was silly not to shop at the base where the fruit and vegetables were chilled and flown straight in from California and so inexpensive. But Bradley, apart from this advice, let Catherine run the household as she wished. ‘It's your department, you're in charge of the budget and you're starting to turn out some interesting dishes,' he said. ‘But sukiyaki and that Korean fish dish you made, they're not really appropriate for dinner parties.'

‘Oh God,
the
dinner party . . . Do we have to?' wailed Catherine.

Bradley took her in his arms. ‘Of course we do, and it'll be fine. You underestimate yourself. It goes with the territory, Catherine. You saw how Mother does things; scale it down, six people, that's all. The Goodwins are very understanding.'

He kissed her and she rested her head against his shoulder but she was concerned that, as understanding as Bradley's commanding officer and his wife may be, it appeared that Bradley's career prospects could be judged on her entertaining abilities.

Bradley released her. ‘Do a beef Wellington, a crab starter. Something with mango for dessert.'

Subject closed, thought Catherine as she followed him out the door to drive him to work.

Kiann'e had returned from Kauai and as they walked the beach early the next morning, she told Catherine that her mother might be coming to Honolulu.

‘She's visiting Aunty, looking into all the pilikia about the Big House that's happening out at the beach.'

‘What kind of trouble is that? What's the Big House?'

‘It's a development planned along the beachfront where Aunty lives, they want to move people out. A group of haole businessmen have come in and want to put up these blocks to sell condos to rich people from the mainland.'

‘But that'd be terrible! Can they do that?' asked Catherine.

‘Apparently, depending on the type of ownership you have. Land entitlements vary from gifts to informal arrangements to ownership if you're lucky. There's a plan to displace the locals who live along the coast. My Uncle Henry's land could be resumed and even if he's paid for it of course, he doesn't want to leave. It's his home. Aunty is very upset and worried. When you hear my mother and the old people talk of the Hawaiian kingdom, before Queen Liliokualani was overthrown, it makes me sad. The queen was setting up a constitution that protected the property of the local people.'

‘What happened?'

‘She was undermined by her government, known as “the missionary gang”, which betrayed her to the rich white planters. Money always talks. So the foreign businessmen and their overseas supporters took control. They plotted with the American government representative who sent for the marines and declared Hawaii a US protectorate and raised the American flag in 1893.'

‘It doesn't sound very constitutional to me. But Hawaii became a state of the Union?'

‘In 1959. But it was much earlier, when we became a republic in 1894, that the fate of the Hawaiian people was sealed,' said Kiann'e with a grimace.

Catherine was shocked at the anger in her friend's voice. ‘It seems to me that Hawaii is a great combination of island and American culture.'

‘That's the problem! Mainland culture is not island culture. We were a sovereign nation with a long, long history laid down by our first rulers to cherish and protect our aina, our land, as the land is the provider of all life. It is the centre between the sky and the seas. Our land represents who we are and what we stand for, which it is why it's so important to us.'

‘I think Aboriginal people feel the same,' said Catherine hesitantly, now trying to recall the stories she'd heard at home, although she really didn't know very much.

‘Like American Indians and other indigenous peoples, our land and traditional customs are cherished. There's a change coming but it won't be easy and it won't be quick. Like, after hundreds of years speaking our own language it nearly died out when it was banned by the American government in 1900. But now it's undergoing a revival with Hawaiian language schools and so on. We're teaching Otis his own language as well as English.'

‘So what will happen about your aunty and uncle's land?' asked Catherine.

Kiann'e stared at the ocean as they walked. ‘I'd like to tell you. You seem sensitive and want to understand about the movement.'

‘What movement is that?' asked Catherine. She was becoming aware that there was a whole other side to Hawaii and that she was only seeing the superficial, touristy, postcard picture.

‘Let's sit down.' Kiann'e dropped to the sand and they looked at the smooth sea, slight rolling waves glinting in the early morning light. ‘There's a group of us, no special leader or anything, who've banded together on Kauai to stop the eviction of families from a couple of the old farms and save a strip of land along the coast. It's a special place for surfers and they don't want to see development there either.'

‘So it's the same as on this island? Once someone builds a resort or homes on a place like your aunt and uncle's land then I suppose it's open slather after that,' commented Catherine. ‘Can't the state government stop it?'

‘Heavens no, they're backing the offshore business people. It means money to the local government. The more buildings, the more people, the more fees, rates, tourism. Saving the land, keeping it the way it was and how it was managed by Hawaiian people for centuries, doesn't make them money.'

‘I suppose they call it progress. What are you going to do about it?' asked Catherine.

‘There's been a bit of action, petitions and so on, but that's done nothing. So we're planning a big protest here in Honolulu about eviction and property rights and development on all the islands.'

‘Wow. When's that happening?'

‘In a few days time. At Iolani Palace. Eleanor and Abel John are coming over from Kauai, Mr Kitamura too, I think.'

‘Eleanor? She's not Hawaiian. And in a way she's part of the problem isn't she? Promoting tourism?'

Kiann'e nodded. ‘Yes, but Eleanor is sensitive at least to traditional Hawaiian culture and she employs Hawaiian people. Tourism is fine if it shows our culture properly, but when our culture is used to sell refrigerators or motor cars it cheapens what is sacred – the aloha spirit, our dances, our way of life.'