  Aloha! and the Royal Hawaiian where it all began. The Outrigger Waikiki Surf and Steinhardt's, leaving. Walk, don't walk. Denny's, and the karaoke. A girl says to her friends: "that guy by the newspapers said..." Hawaiian rock, people bored on lounge chairs watching... as bored as me?
They don't know what to do. Not here for the music either: Righteous Brothers and the 50's muzak for the gray fat older man, dancing aloha shirt and lei. Lot of first nighters admire a buffet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Vegasization &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; of Hawaii. Overheard near a phone on Kuhio. Two guys meet two Japanese girls.
"How long you here? " asks one. "We only got two days. " To buddy aside: "She's a nurse. " (Fake falling down) "She'll take good care of me. " (and pause) To girls he says: "So anyways where you girls going tonight?
" They giggle (a giggle that betrays none of what they're thinking). Found the place! No jazz! Nothing but a hostess in her white blouse and smile; she's apologetic, intoxicating. She looks like she's from Spain. Her black skirt her brown legs...
The district of Kuhio. Towels, t-shirts, Ray Bans three for twelve or twenty-five to forty-five off. Multi-colored pants and luggage. Taps, Converse and Armani inside there's Karaoke White lady in a Muu Muu &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; perhaps the ugliest &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; piece of women's &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; clothing ever &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; devised. Prostitute on phone: "No sir. " Three guys, two young girls.
Lotsa guys in jeeps. Three stunning black men with two prostitutes. Their satin waists wrinkled, tightening as they balance and twist on floral spike heels. Thick legged ladies, and Japanese couples, pink-faced from the sun, holding hands. Newlyweds, second honeymooners. (As if holding hands will help.
) The young males come in two main types: militaries - punks. Just the same as all white boys and out for sex or trouble. The black boys like to yell and swear their blackness as a badge. Interesting vignette. From a car that honked, yelling obscenities at a group of other punks. Why so loud?
They look for any confrontation. Then down the street comes one, a tower of quiet strength, alone with pacific expression He reminds them to behave. Bored, i could go back home. ((No jazz. ) (Other bored people have others to be bored with too. ) (Another Jeep-full of guys screaming.
)) back to Waipahu. Instead i go to the beach. --- Old lady swings a fancy metal detector Black lace black shirt black bra black hair black striped Sarong and a thing on her head that looked like a showercap A pastel multi-colored lei around Her head probably silk and pink and blue Yellow expensive looking metal detector Small black fish net and bag to put her loot. Amber street lights just came on. The khaki Row of the olive trees announce the park (Kapiolani?). Amber lights and red Taillights.
Distant sound of crowds like roller- Coasters. Momentary scream of girls. The metal detector lady has stopped to talk To guitar player and his wife on a towel. --- All people in this world can be divided into two types: those who think it's cute when parents let their toddlers run around naked on the beach, and those who think &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; it's shameful. --- The Royal Hawaiian is on my right. (1927) A truly great hotel on par with the Coronado.
Torches line the patio and pink half-buried trash cans face the roped-off beach. Reminders not to mess the public view of the guests. A cop rides by on an ATV. Sitting on a sea wall, waiting, nothing yet. Some people looking up. A few small fireworks shot from boats.
Ship lights blinking on. i count them. Over thirty. A drunk local plays with a braid of his own hair. A friend calls to him. Kids carry their wrapped surf boards back to the rental counter.
"Dad! Dad! Dad! You know I saw some lizard in the bushes! " On my right: a little man with a bag and white cap, his aloha shirt unbuttoned low, tucked into his Bermuda shorts. He cruised by twice already.
He looks at me, then he looks at the latin man with a mustache, who's standing alone in a striped open-collar dress shirt. His feet haven't moved since i been here, he keeps his flip-flops in hand. Then just as they sensed me watching, they're gone off along the strand. On my left: an older gent with his wife sit down. Well bred, not too old, wears his tan well. Still handsome, with a touch of bald in back.
He lights a cig and while we wait, two lovers play in the surf. In unison they fall forward into the water they butterfly a few strokes, then spin onto their backs and stand up. Arriving on a catamaran, someone blows a conch shell. A flash of red falls to the water. (This is it, i think. ) No, it came from the boat.
"Es'cuze do you know miss, is any firework tonight? " (The older gent is French. ) i gesture sadly to my left, over to Diamond Head, toward the flashes near the park. "i think we're in the wrong place. " Tradewinds pick up a bamboo mat it blows across the sand. It belongs to the lovers from the sea, The pretty blonde and her husband.
She chases after their little mat huraches in her hand. A little girl catches the bamboo mat And now it starts to rain. She hands it to the laughing blonde. who bends to give her a kiss. The little girl runs back to her mommy who wraps her in a towel. Someone shoots off a flare from a boat.
It's our only firework tonight. The flare is the kind that floats on a parachute, and as it drifts down i hear: "Mommy that's my guardian angel. " "I'm sure it is, my dear. " While the ocean fairly glows with light from a spotlight atop the Royal Hawaiian. 
