My Kind of Town
The Honolulu Soap Co.:
Sunday Digest>> Wilder Street
Kalani Silva isn't into politics -- who has time between his architecture studies at UH and driving for The Grocery Boy shopping service? But after dropping off a case of longneck Buds to a red-eyed guy up Makiki Heights, his next order includes the Star-Bulletin's morning edition. And Kalani recognizes the guy in a Page One photo, under the headline "Where's Donovan?" It's the same guy he just delivered beer to. The story tells how the car of Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka -- the Democrat's best bet in next year's gubernatorial race -- crashed off the Keeaumoku Overpass onto Cartwright Field. The lone occupant was an unconscious young woman, drunk, loaded on ice, naked."Who is she?" the story says. "The next first lady?"
"And where is the Democrats' great hope?"
Kalani picks up his cell, dials 1-411. "For the Star-Bulletin."
>> Portlock
Mickey has broken into a lot of fancy homes, but he's never seen anything like this. The swimming pool comes into the house, forming a private little cove in the master bathroom. He sits down on the tile steps leading into the pool and takes a puff on the ice pipe. He can hardly wait to see this woman Lily's face when he surprises her.Outside, Rosalita Resurreccion is checking the sheets and pillow slips on the line. But that smell! She knows it from the week she spent in a bar in Angeles City before getting fired for refusing to even talk with the customers. It's batu! But it can't be batu in Miss Lily's back yard and nobody here but Rosalita and her daughter Elizabeth!
>> Queen's Medical Center
The toughest job in the ER? Well, nobody else wants Lin Matsuo's job. While everyone else is busy trying to mend and fix and heal and save people, the social worker has to call families and share the bad news. The young man who suffered severe head trauma when he was attacked and fell at the Capitol during the hate crimes bill rally carried a drivers license that identifies him as Lance F.Q. Ah Sun. The address corresponds to one in the phone book for "Ah Sun, Sheets & Grace" in Kailua. Lin dials the number, takes a deep breath.
>> H-1, Ewa-bound
Lt. Col Chuck Ryan is driving the car of the drunken Shauny, who is riding in her twin Fawn's car just ahead of Ryan, when his encrypted secure cell chirps."Chuck, hi, Sheila." Jackson, at their D.C. office. "We just a message from Sandy." Code name. "'Remember Pearl Harbor.'"
"That's it?"
" 'Fraid so."
Remember Peal Harbor. What does that mean? Catch the movie, it's better than the reviews? It couldn't mean what he suddenly realizes it could mean. That would be too horrible, too savage, too depraved.
Which is exactly why it could happen. Ryan can smell World War III from here. His job is to make sure things don't get that far.
>> Kailua
Sheets should go for a walk at the beach. It always relaxes him. And he needs some calming, what with the news today about a new well in Waimanalo being contaminated by a previously unknown illegal chemical dump site.But there is one thing he can do to get his mind off what they might find in that illegal sump site. He can start packing for his son Laird's graduation from Stanford Business. It will be Sheets' greatest moment. No matter what they might find in Waimanalo, they can't take this away from him.
>> Foodland -- Aina Haina
Looking down at Quinn from the high cab of his truck, Lily Ah Sun's heart begins to race, remembering how she felt when he lifted her up into the cab back. Your first cousin isn't supposed to make you feel like that. But Lily is drunk, so she has an excuse."Just like before," Quinn says.
Except that his time she faces him as Quinn places his strong hands around her waist and gently lifts her down, her hands on his shoulders. And for a moment their lips are inches apart and Lily is tempted to kiss him. But she's not that drunk. Then her feet touch the ground and she kind of stumbles on purpose. And in an instant she is in his arms.
"Easy," he says.
"Let me just hold on to you," Lily says, meaning every word.
As they walk inside to buy Popsicles for the daughter of Lily's maid, Lily clings to Quinn's big, muscular arms.
Quinn is cold sober, but his head is spinning.
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