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Ka Ho'omaka 'ana

By Terri Whitman © 7-8-07

The activity going on outside the plane temporarily captivated his attention. Most of the others had disembarked, their destination reached, but his was further on. Less than half the amount of people repopulated the vacant seat. None took the empty seat next to him. Taking advantage of this stop, he got up, stretch his legs and retrieve his briefcase from over head.

Placing the briefcase in the seat next to him, he sat back down. He delayed opening it, because he felt the movement of the plane indicating it was getting ready to take off.  After fastening his seatbelt and another quick glance out the window, he sat back allowing the increasing speed to push him into his seat. He automatically swallowed several times to ease the pressure he felt in his ears as the plane gained altitude.

Once the seatbelt light went off, he unsnapped his, crossed his legs and reached for his briefcase placing it on his lap. Opening it, he withdrew a manila folder. Closing the briefcase, he now used it as a table as he opens the folder. Several photos of similar size were papercliped to the left side. These he unclipped, looking at them individually.

The top photo was of a silver haired man, who he estimated to be in his late 40’s maybe early 50’s, seated between two large red and gold standards made out of what looked like to him of feathers. The thing he noticed most was the intense look the man had in the photo. A typical pubic and cultural photo he thought to himself. Over the course of the last few weeks, he had had several discussions with this man.

This guy is going to be interesting. I wonder what type of track record he has he thought.

The next photo was of a slightly over weight oriental gentleman. As with most of his race, his age was hard to decipher. His slightly thinning black hair was combed back, he had an almost cherub look but his eyes held a lot of wisdom. He knew this man was part of the team, someone he would need to know a lot about. However, that was for the future.

He shifted this photo to the back. A woman’s photo was next. Mature and confident in herself is the impression it gave him. Most women he met fell into two categories for him, those who tended to be on the emotional side - almost to the edge of hysterical and were husband chasers; the others were matronly, a bit more stable and frequently over protective of their charges. This was where he thought this woman fit.

Slipping this photo to the back, he looked at a dark haired chiseled face man. He was smart and cunning. He knew this man from years back. A slight smile came to his face. It’s nice to know someone he thought to himself.

The next to the last photo was of a much shorter balding man. He knew this man to be a sharp lawyer. He did not have much use for lawyers in his past, as they tended to be a source of a lot of trouble.

He stopped when he came to one of an old building. “American Florentine" in style, it was completed in 1882 and was the former home of the rulers to this area before the area was taken over by his government. There were pictures of the inside of this grand old building. In the middle was an impressive and imposing staircase giving access to the upper levels. Massively framed portraits lined the walls on the main floor.

Clipping the photos back together and securing them to the folder, he picked up the other paperwork. The first few sheets gave information on the man in the first photo, how he came to that position and some of his expectations. There were several sheets of papers on others as well. These he reread for the umpteenth time. The two last sheets outlined why he had traveled almost half a world away.

So engrossed in his findings, he was unaware of the plane’s banking until the flight attendant informed him they were preparing to land. Nodding his head, he placed the paperwork back into the folder, which he returned to the briefcase. Snapping it closed, he stood to secure it back into the luggage area above his head.

As he sat back down, he noticed others getting ready for the landing. Landings always made him a bit nervous. An accomplished pilot and a frequent flyer he knew more things could go wrong with this mode of transportation in the next few moments. In addition, if it did happen it would happen at a faster rate, for any aircraft with problems do not bounce very well upon hitting the ground.

He watched out the window as the aircraft banked again, this time to the left. The large cratered mountain caused some of the others around him to comment on its impressive slopes. It was the icon of the area and well known through out the globe.

He sat back upon hearing the engines were adjusted to slow the plane. He exhaled softly when he felt the soft thump and heard the screech of the tires encountering the tarmac. Immediately, the sounds of the engine intensified after the pilot threw them into reverse. Finally, the craft slowed almost to a stop. It sat for a moment before beginning the slow trek over to the terminals.

*****

With his carryon luggage in hand and his heavy winter coat draped over his arm, he followed the others off the plane. The bright tropical winter sun was bright, making him squint and wishing for his sunglasses.

Having retrieved his checked in luggage, he hailed a cab instructing the driver to take him to the Royal Hawaiian hotel where he made a prior reservation. Called the ‘Pink Palace’ it was a quaint yet classy establishment. He selected it for its proximity to the beach and it was near enough to town to be convenient yet somewhat secluded.

Once signed in, he followed the bellboy up to the room. Pleased, he tipped the bellboy who placed his luggage onto one of the two beds. When the bellboy opened the drapes, he noticed the large lanai.

Finally alone, he opened the lanai doors wide. The heady scent of the topics immediately assailed his sinuses. He did not know these smells by name yet, but if he stayed, he knew he would. The mid-afternoon sun prickled on his skin, a welcome contrast to the bone chilling temperatures he experienced that morning.

I could get use to this real easily, he told himself.

Waves curled gracefully into small tubes before washing up upon the sand. The white foam edge outlined the waves as they reached their zenith before receding back into the ocean. Bubbles dotted the foam, their moisture barriers breaking down before the next rush tide of water consumed them. This motion continued for several minutes, its sound music to his ears. The lap lap lapping giving his soul the solace he desired.

Leaning against the railing, he inhaled deeply, relishing in the salty smell. A mild internal growl reminded him he hadn’t eaten in the last few hours. Re-entering the hotel room, he closed the lanai doors before exiting. Ignoring the elevator, he took the stairs down to the main floor. There he inquired at the reception desk about the location of the hotel’s restaurant.

Assuaged by his meal, he lingered at his table to watch the others around him. A young woman seated at a near by table caught his attention. He couldn’t help but hear her heated argument with her companion, her voice rising above the others.

He looked way trying to give the arguing couple some privacy, but a loud slap and a cry from the woman brought his attention immediately brought back to the. Two fast steps brought him over to the man who had his arm raised back to slap the woman again. Grabbing the man’s arm, he whirled the man around, viciously pinning the man’s arm behind his back.

Ignoring the man’s cries of pain, he slammed the enraged yet surprised man firmly against the wall. Others were now comforting the stricken woman. A quick look at the bar assured him someone had called for enforcements and was pleased to see several uniformed officers enter the establishment. With his prisoner surrendered to the local authorities, he went to make sure the woman received medical treatment.

Those about him looked at him in astonishment. He heard the hushed comments made about his actions and the results achieved with so little effort. I suppose this is something I should get use to he mused upon giving his statement to the investigative officer.

Given the approval to leave, he had one more item he needed to do before calling it a night. A quick inquiry at the hotel desk gave him the name of a reputable clothier within walking distance. Knowing his taste in clothing, he purchased a suitable suit, complete with shirt, tie, socks and shoes.

The night was still young when he re-entered his hotel room. Instead of sampling the Hawaiian nightlife, he called room service for some iced fruit juice which he enjoyed out on his lanai. Thus relaxed, he listened to the various sounds outside. It was an interesting mixture of the ocean, music, traffic and what human voices he could hear.

So tranquil were the sounds, he felt himself growing drowsy. Surrendering to the need, he rose taking the glass with him. The soft night breeze prompted him to leave the sliding glass door opened half way. Not a night bather, he took care of his bathroom needs before turning off the lights and slipping between the clean sheets. Exhaustion from the long trip lent a hand in allowing him to sleep deeply that night.

*****

An early riser, he decided to take an early morning run along the mostly deserted beach. The moist sand cushioned his footsteps while giving his leg muscles an excellent workout. If I do this most mornings I won’t need to go to the gym very often he considered after turning around, retracing his path back to the hotel.

After a quick shower, he dressed and went down to the restaurant for breakfast and some much needed coffee. The rich full bodied flavor surprised him. Use to the strong over brewed military coffee, this coffee appealed to him a lot, enough to enquire as to where he could get some. Since his appointment was not until 9:30 AM, he took time enjoying an extra cup or two.

As the hour approached, he made arrangements for transportation to his destination that morning. The friendly cabbie filled his time with trivia bits of information about the islands and the local people. Discreetly he double checked to make sure he had all of the items he needed for this mission.

With ten minutes to spare, the cab driver slowed down after pulling into the parking lot. Stopping at the curb, the driver indicated where his passenger needed to go.

Paying the driver, he walked over to the front of the building. Before entering the vast building, he stopped, looking at the ancient building, its architecture even more impressive upon seeing it for real. The massive stone wings flanked the stone steps leading up to the entrance. It looks like a castle in a way he thought looking at the deep set windows and the square flat the roof line.

Smiling, he ascended the steps two at a time. Once inside, he took heed of the layout from what he could see. In the middle were the highly polished koa wood steps. His destination was on the upper level. A sign at the bottom of the steps indicating the offices he needed were up there and to the left.

Only a door separated him now. Firmly gripping the door handle, he took a deep breath as he entered. He noticed a middle aged dark haired woman sitting to the left of the door at the far side of the room. The sign on her desk said her name was May.

Hearing his footsteps, she looked up and smiled. “One moment sir,” she said reaching over to her intercom button. “Governor Jamison, Steve McGarrett is here for his appointment.”

Ka Ho'omaka 'ana (Hawaiian for ‘The Beginning’)

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