My Kind of Town
>> State Capitol Comfort food
Sometimes Machiavelli Yang's flashes of brilliance amazed even himself. He snapped his fingers, smiled to himself, and sitting alone in the senator's office said the new name out loud: "Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka-Gomes," stretching out the last syllable. It does have a nice ring, doesn't it?
And Machiavelli knew just the girl. Donna Gomes, his travel agent. Beautiful face, great figure, she'd been a Miss Something-or-another in her younger days. And whether she smiled or pouted, Donna was blessed with full lips that when glossed with lipstick made every straight man in the room want to kiss them, and an occasional gay one as well. Such was her charm and allure. She radiated warmth and grace, but in a down to earth, very local kine way.
Why hadn't Machiavelli thought of her before? Donna Gomes was the perfect complement to Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka! And if she could swing even half the Portuguese vote the senator's way in the fall election -- bingo! -- Machiavelli would continue to enjoy breakfast at Washington Place on a regular basis.
He speed-dialed Donna's number at Uku Miles Travel and she answered on the fourth ring. "Oh, Mr. Yang, where are we going this time?"
"Not far," he said. "I wanted to set a time when we could meet face to face, maybe over lunch."
"I'm working right through lunch today, both of my staff called in sick."
Machiavelli asked what he could bring her for lunch.
"Actually, my brother is bringing me lunch. But stop by any time."
"See you soon then."
>> PanAm Building
Donna Gomes pressed the button for line one, cutting the call from Machiavelli Yang on line two, and wondering what was up with him. Mr. Yang seldom came into the Uku Miles Travel office except to pick up a ticket. "Sorry, brother, that was one of my regulars," she said to the caller she'd earlier placed on hold. "Got to take care of them."
"Understood," HPD Detective Sherlock Gomes replied. "So what do you want for lunch, sis?"
"I feel like some comfort food. How about mochiko chicken from L&L?"
"It's on the way."
"Thanks. And I'll have the one-way ticket to Portland for your Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka ready when you get here."
It was hard for Donna to believe that the senator, so handsome and popular, had screwed up enough to warrant her brother booking him at that drug rehab center in Portland. Then the phone rang again and Donna put the senator out of her mind. But not for long.
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