My Kind of Town
>> Queen's Medical Center Breaking up
Dr. Laurie Tang grimaced when she checked the call-back number on her pager. Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka was the last person she wanted to talk to. But it had to happen sooner or later. Taking her phone outside to the ER parking lot to get a little sunshine and fresh air, she punched in the number for the senator's cell phone.
"Laurie, thanks for getting back so quick," she heard. "Hey, I've been missing you. Can I come over tonight?"
"You miss me?" she said incredulously.
"Of course!"
"Donovan, you disappeared for three days!"
He was stunned into silence. Laurie had never yelled at him before.
"I called your home, your office, your cell, left messages everywhere, and no answer for three days! And then comes the news that an ex-stripper crashes your car off the Keeaumoku Overpass!"
"It's not what you think, Laurie, please ..."
"Here's what I think, Donovan: It's over."
"Please, I can explain everything. Let me just see you tonight."
"No, I have plans tonight. I'm having company."
"Who's the guy?"
"Read the paper. Goodbye, Donovan. Oh, and good luck with the campaign." Hanging up, Laurie knew that her mother would be disappointed. An immigrant from what was then called Formosa, Tang Wei Lin was already making plans to move into Washington Place when Donovan was elected governor and Laurie became Hawaii's first lady. The plan had been for Donovan and Laurie to be married at Washington Place right after Donovan took the oath of office. Hawaii's voters have such short attention spans, Laurie figured that by November the business about the stripper and Donovan's car would be long-forgotten, and Donovan would indeed become the state's next governor.
But Laurie didn't really care. For the first time in her life, she was driven by passion. Something had happened today at Ala Moana Beach Park with HPD Detective Sherlock Gomes, something like a spark. Her mother and some of her friends and colleagues would think she was crazy to walk away from the chance to be the first lady. But they had not stood next to Sherlock, or touched his muscular chest, or looked into his eyes, or felt so breathless.
>> Makiki Heights
Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka couldn't remember the last time a woman had broken up with him. It just didn't work that way. So Laurie was having company tonight? She would also have a surprise visitor.
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