My Kind of Town
My Kind of Town
Food to die for
>> Above Kahuku
Meg Choy Primitivo drove her Lexus from Nuuanu over the Pali, made a left for the North Shore, looking for a place to die. Passing the Hygienic Store, she heard on the radio that The Eddie was happening at Waimea Bay -- 28-foot waves would be perfect for her grand exit.
She drove, crying all the way, as alone and defeated as she'd ever been, knowing she was seeing this fabulous stretch of mountains and sea for the last time. She'd just passed through Kahuku when her stomach rumbled.
She'd been so absorbed in suicidal thoughts this morning, all she'd had was coffee. Which is how she came to be in line at a fruit stand across from the entrance to Turtle Bay. It wasn't that she didn't want to die on an empty stomach. She'd heard since she was a little girl taking swim lessons at the Y that you're not supposed to go into the water for at least an hour after eating because you'd get cramps and drown. Which is exactly what she wanted to do.
She was paying for bananas and a chilled slice of watermelon when she noticed a familiar vehicle approaching from the opposite direction, it's left signal flashing, with an equally familiar driver. But she did not recognize the laughing young woman in the passenger seat of her husband Victor's Escalade.
Suddenly revenge trumped death. Before meditations of self-destruction swept over her in recent days, Meg was considering hiring a private eye to follow Victor, and had gone so far as to look in the Yellow Pages and to call one of the agencies, Mr. Peepers, and set up a meeting. She thought it was just a cute agency name, but it was a real guy, Jake Peepers. She said she had to think about it before paying his retainer, but on his advice gave him a photo of Victor. "You want to get going on this, we go."
Meg watched Victor and the young woman turn into Turtle Bay. Victor had said he was going on a hunting trip! Ha! They were getting a room! She called information, asked for Mr. Peepers. He answered on the second ring.
"I've decided," she said, "I'd like to hire you. They just arrived at Turtle Bay! And I'll bet they're getting a room!"
"Who's they?"
She explained everything she'd just seen. As it turned out Peepers was on his way to Waimea to watch The Eddie. And hopefully score with one of the local beach blanket babettes. But this was a pay day.
"Stay right where you are. I'll be there in 20. You can write me a check. Meanwhile keep an eye on the Turtle Bay entrance in case this was just a quick turn-around."
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com