The Islands (27 page)

It was exhilarating, the sense of power and speed. She assumed she wasn't going very fast and that the wave wasn't very big but, like Lester, she felt elated.

The board slowed and stopped, bobbing on the shallow sandbar. She rolled off and stood up in knee-deep water and saw PJ splashing towards her, a large grin on his face.

She picked up the board and together they waded to the sand.

‘So how was that?' asked Lester.

‘You're both right. That was great. It felt terrific. But that's it. I'm not learning to surf, I'm not going into the ocean alone again.'

The two surfers were smiling at her and nodding.

‘Okay,' said PJ easily.

‘Thanks, PJ,' said Catherine. ‘Would you like to join us for some lunch? I owe you that at least. Where'd you like to go, Lester?'

‘Back home,' he said.

‘I have a few things to do, thanks,' said PJ. He touched Lester's arm. ‘We'll do it again, hey? Hit the waves, have a bit of a swim, sit in the sun. Suit you to hang out a bit, Lester?'

‘Only if you have the time and don't mind an old man and his thoughts,' said Lester gruffly.

‘It's an honour. You're still a legend. I'd enjoy just hanging loose with you.' PJ smiled at Catherine. ‘See you round. Give me a call. Give Lester my number.'

Catherine nodded. ‘Hope we see you again.'

‘You will.' He picked up his board. ‘Might head out to Rocky Point, see you, guys.'

Catherine was about to ask Lester how he felt about his swim, but the expression on his face as he gazed at the ocean stopped her. There was an intensity in his eyes, but also a sadness and something else she couldn't fathom that almost shocked her. She'd found Lester so easygoing and friendly, his life a seemingly open book by newspaper accounts, that she never imagined there could be a side to him that hid pain, anger, dark secrets.

By the time they returned to his apartment and he'd settled in a chair on his lanai as Catherine made them both a sandwich, he was back to his old self. Sometime, she thought to herself, I really want to talk to him about the old days.

A group of the Wives' Club were gathered in Catherine's sitting room, some spilling out onto the lanai. She was glad Mrs Goodwin hadn't been able to attend today's meeting to discuss a suitable charity for the club to support as they were looking for a new project. Mrs Goodwin's presence always made Catherine feel as though she was in school. Julia Bensen topped up coffee cups as Catherine handed round a plate of Mrs Hing's malasadas and freshly baked pineapple cream pies.

‘I think it would be nice to do something for the local community, don't you?' suggested Catherine. ‘A children's play and activity centre perhaps. A place that specialises in Hawaiian culture where they can learn dances and songs and stories, and mainland kids could also go along and join in.'

The women stared at her, a silence falling over the group.

‘I'm sure they do that in their schools. Or families show them that sort of thing,' said Amy Cord.

‘Our hula show was fun. Learning the dances,' said Julia thoughtfully. ‘Maybe our kids would get a kick out of doing the same thing.'

‘I was thinking of a sort of cultural exchange. We could show them how we do some things, they teach us how they do some things. It'd be great to connect with the locals. Win a few hearts and minds,' said Catherine with a smile. ‘After all, there have been a few . . . incidents. Bradley told me there are a lot of hapa streetkids whose fathers were servicemen based out at Manakuli Point.'

‘What's a hapa kid?' asked a newcomer.

‘Mixed races,' said Julia. ‘Left over from men who have been stationed in Hawaii. There are thousands of single men on an aircraft carrier who go wild when they get into Waikiki or downtown. You can bet those kids are never going to see their fathers again.'

‘It's not our boys' fault, really. You can't blame them for being red-blooded. Some of the local girls are a bit, well, loose,' protested Amy.

‘That's a bit harsh, surely,' said Catherine, amazed at the turn in the conversation. ‘Hawaii is touted as the melting pot of the Pacific – Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos, whites, they've intermarried and had children.'

‘And you know who gets treated worst? It's not the hapa kids. It's the white kids,' said Amy. ‘Especially in school. D'you know some of the girls get harassed in the bathrooms? My friend's little girl refuses to go to the toilet all day. Another time her brother came home and said tomorrow was “Kill Haole Day”. When she went to the school the principal just said it was harmless fun. They've been put in private schools now.'

‘Well then, a sharing of cultures might be a good thing,' said Catherine. ‘Why don't we talk to Kiann'e about it?'

‘We'd better ask Mrs Goodwin what she thinks,' said Julia.

‘Why? Surely we can do a bit of sounding out beforehand so we have all the information when we discuss it,' said Catherine, wondering why these women were so scared of the commanding officer's wife. Then she remembered: their husbands' career prospects rested in not rocking the boat.

But Catherine didn't feel as wrapped up in Bradley's life as these women were in their husbands'. They always talked about what their husbands were doing, saying, thinking. They didn't appear to have lives of their own. Once again, Catherine was so glad she'd met Kiann'e, Aunty, Lester and Vince.

She raised the idea about the club's project with Kiann'e the next morning.

‘Mmm, basically it's a good idea, but these things can be tricky. It can't be called a school or have a teaching component, but you could call it Hale Pihana Kanaka – a shared gathering place – where they learn to appreciate that everyone is different and we're all special and that'd be a positive thing. God knows there have been enough problems from the forces. Our people hate having the military bases here,' said Kiann'e.

Catherine slowly digested this. She felt like her life was divided into sections: her life with Bradley with its regimented, structured naval lifestyle and her involvement with the local people with whom she felt such a bond and whose company she far preferred to the naval wives.

‘So do you think I should push this wheelbarrow for the club, or just sit back and let them run another handicraft stall or something?'

‘Catherine, you have to realise that the other wives aren't like you. They know that they're only going to be here for a short stay and they aren't interested in the problems of Hawaii, even if the navy has done a lot to create them. They just want to help their husbands' careers and not worry about anything else because they'll soon be moving on. Even though you want to make a difference, you're not going to change the Navy. So what are your plans for today?'

‘Mr Kitamura is in town, he and Paul want to see me. Something about my photography course.'

‘You must know everything about a camera by now.'

‘That's what Bradley says. He doesn't appreciate the challenge of learning all the finer points of things you can do with exposures. I'm now learning to print my own photos. Wish I had a darkroom at home.' She sighed. ‘That's the downside of Bradley's career, not having a permanent home where I could set up a little studio, a workroom, a desk, that sort of thing. My mum has a lovely sewing room at home. It's her space, Dad never goes in there.'

‘You have to weigh up the other advantages – travel, free housing, the commissary and PX. These things sound very attractive to people struggling to pay bills and live in an expensive tourist city,' said Kiann'e. ‘They say the price of gasoline is going to shoot up with the Middle East oil crisis. The cost of freight is going to add a lot to the price of food brought in to the Islands.'

‘Then we'll have to live on pineapples and sugar cane juice,' said Catherine.

‘And coffee. Boy, I'm ready for a cup of Kona,' said Kiann'e.

Mr Kitamura rose and shook Catherine's hand, beaming at his favourite pupil. Paul was also smiling.

Mr Kitamura picked up an envelope and handed it to her. ‘For you.'

‘What's this all about?' She ripped open the envelope and drew out a formally printed certificate announcing she had won the Photographic Portrait Prize.

‘My goodness! Wow, this is so great.'

‘Congratulations,' said Paul. ‘It was a terrific picture of the surfers. You have really captured the essence of the Hawaiian surfing culture. But most of all your use of light and shade to highlight the respect that the young surfers have for the old man is exceptional.'

‘You can take your prize soon,' said Mr Kitamura, ‘While we have a break between classes as it is a vacation week.'

‘The prize!' repeated Catherine in a bit of a daze. She knew that she had spent a lot of time and effort into getting just the right photo, but she also knew that she was up against really stiff competition and she hadn't expected to win.

‘Yes, a week on Kauai. Staying at the famous Palm Grove Hotel,' said Mr Kitamura with a big smile. ‘Mrs Lang has been very kind. You will enjoy to be back on Kauai?'

‘I might wait till my husband comes back from sea.'

Mr Kitamura looked uncomfortable. ‘It would be more convenient to take this trip soon. Mrs Lang has put the room aside, our classes are on a break . . . Is it possible for you? To also take photos of the Garden Isle . . .'

‘Oh, I understand,' said Catherine quickly. She wondered if she could get in touch with Bradley but then thought why did she need to ask his permission. It was a wonderful opportunity, she knew Eleanor at the Palm Grove, she'd look up Kiann'e's mother, Beatrice. She'd send Bradley a letter to explain and anyway, she knew Bradley wasn't all that keen on the Palm Grove.

‘Of course. It sounds great. Really wonderful.'

‘The
Hawaii News
wants to use your prize picture on the front page. So you could talk to Vince about that when you see him,' said Mr Kitamura.

‘I'll ask Lester if that's okay with him,' said Catherine. ‘I'm sure it will be.'

Vince greeted her effusively. ‘Hey, what a star photographer we have working for us! Well done. Can you do a bit of a write up on Lester to go with it? Not the old stuff, everyone knows that, what he's up to now.'

‘Well, he's not up to very much, Vince. He's an older man with bad knees and a bit of arthritis. But he did get out on a board recently.'

‘Really? You get a shot of that?'

‘I took some, but nothing worth using.' Catherine felt Lester wouldn't want pictures of him being helped onto a board and lying down like a beginner being compared with the famous shots of him taking out surfing championships.

‘All right, run this other shot of him with the young guy as well. Is he a relative?' asked Vince as he picked up a copy of Catherine's picture of Lester and PJ.

‘No, PJ just met him. Though he's a fan of course. But they have a similar look don't they?' Catherine studied the picture and suddenly recalled the early photographs of the young and handsome Lester. ‘PJ has more hair, Lester's is a bit more cropped and smooth.'

‘That's the difference between the 1930s and the 1970s I guess. So when you heading for Kauai?'

‘Pretty soon it seems. To fit in with the arrangements. Shame my husband is away. But I'll make it a working holiday, Vince.'

‘Good for you. Whatever you feel like doing. You know folks there don't you?' When she nodded, he added, ‘You're becoming quite a local. Give me a call if you get onto anything worth covering.'

Catherine rang Julia Bensen to tell her she'd miss the next meeting of the Wives' Club.

‘You've won a trip? And you're going to Kauai? Won't Bradley be disappointed? And surely it won't be any fun on your own,' she said incredulously.

‘It's sort of a working thing,' said Catherine. ‘And I have friends there.'

‘You do? I'd love to go over there, I'm told it's beautiful. Well, I'll let Mrs Goodwin know. Do you want me to bring up your idea about the meeting place for the kids?'

‘No, if you don't mind. I might have more information when I come back,' said Catherine quickly. She knew that if she were not at the meeting to explain her idea, Mrs Goodwin would simply squash it.

As the island jewel of Kauai came into view from the plane, Catherine felt a ripple of excitement when she saw the postcard beauty of volcanic cliffs and forbidding dark-green forested hillsides, glittering waterfalls, secret coves of white sand, the bright blue water inside the ring of reef and the whipped-cream cresting waves. But glaringly sandwiched between the cliffs and the sea she saw the dazzling white buildings of a resort, a deep blue pool, artfully arranged palm trees and secluded bungalows. Then they were over the town and gliding to a halt at Lihue.

And there was the looming, smiling figure of Abel John in his familiar Palm Grove aloha shirt, striding towards her.

‘Aloha, Catherine! It's good to see you back. I hear you're Kitamura's star pupil!' He dropped a fragrant lei over her shoulders, kissed her cheek, picked up her bag and headed for the car.

‘I'm loving it! I'll be looking for ideas of places and people to photograph while I'm here. How's Eleanor and everyone?'

‘She's good. Things da same.' A slight frown creased his face. ‘Maybe that's part of the trouble.'

‘What do you mean? Is the hotel not doing well?'

‘It's not my place to speak stink but there are some big new places going up, big modern resorts that are biting into her business. The Palm Grove is old-style Hawaii now.'

‘But that's what I love about it,' exclaimed Catherine.

‘It's not what tourists want these days. You know what places are like in Honolulu. I'd hate to see that take over here. We all love what Mrs Lang has done to bring Hawaiian traditions to visitors. It's been important for us.'