My Kind of Town

by Don Chapman

The Honolulu Soap Co.:
Sunday digest

>> Arizona Memorial

What a film, Muhammed Resurreccion was thinking, what with all the dead Americans. There were so many parallels between that Day of Infamy in 1941 and today. The Japanese had their reasons for attacking: America cut off Japan's oil supply. Muhammed had his reasons for attacking: America was siding with the Catholic government of the Philippines to fight the Muslims of Mindanao, Muhammed's people. And it made no sense to Muhammed. If any country should be able to relate to a people who seek religious freedom and self-government, it should be America.

Muhammed was feeling pretty good about himself and his plan when the female voice narrating the film said something he hadn't considered:

"The attack did what the Japanese thought was impossible. It united Americans ..."

But not today's attack. No, this would send Americans reeling. Just nine months after 9/11, it would break their spirit.

Muhammed turned to Wilhemina, Rosalita and little Elizabeth. "My stomach," he said. "I have to visit the men's room. If I'm not back by the time the boat leaves, Elizabeth, would you lay the flowers for me, please? Oh, and Wilhemina, call me on my cell phone once you arrive on the Memorial."

>> Queen's Medical Center

Lily Ah Sun was stumped. How do you gracefully introduce your brother's gay lover to your mother?

Lily knocked softly on Lance's door, peeked inside, saw her mother sitting beside Lance, who was hooked up to multiple tubes and wires.

"Hi, Mom," Lily whispered.

Grace Ah Sun looked up.

"I brought along a visitor." Lily ushered Greg in.

"Oh my God," Greg whispered when he saw Lance. "Mom, this is Greg. He's Lance's, uh, good friend."

Grace knew better. "You mean boyfriend."

"Mrs. Ah Sun," Greg blurted, "I love him too.".

"Well then come tell him so," Grace said.

>> State Capitol

What a crazy business this is, Machiavelli Wang thought as he unlocked Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka's office door. The senator, out of favor on account of his going AWOL during the last three days of the session and a stripper crashing his car, was suddenly again among the Democrats' frontrunners in the race for governor.

The office phone rang.

"Hey, Mike, good to hear from you." In fact, it wasn't good to hear from Mike Malarkey. The developer had invested heavily in the senator. "I sure did hear the news. Just the way we planned it."

"So where the hell is he?" The half-million-dollar question.

"A bit under the weather."

"Put some makeup on him if you have to, but get him in front of a camera! Things are happening fast."

"Absolutely." If Machiavelli could just find the senator.

>>Arizona Memorial

He was 51, long past his secret op days. But taking action was required. And Ryan was just the guy to take it. So when Muhammed walked back up to the entrance, Ryan was already dialing his partner Lt. Martin Luther Washington, who sat on the other side of the theater.

Marty saw Muhammed moving, then his boss up and in pursuit a moment before his phone vibrated. "Mm."

"Watch the three females. Stay on the line," Ryan whispered, following Muhammed to the men's restroom.

"Movie just ended," Ryan heard in his earpiece. "People starting to file out to the boat."

"No movement here." Was Muhammed stalling for time?

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Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be emailed at dchapman@midweek.com