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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Hello, stranger
>> Biggie's-Waikiki
A woman who can walk up a jet aisle in high heels carrying an armful of guava juice cups during rough weather without stumbling has no problem navigating a crowded dance floor. Jasmine Kekai looked as good dressed in a calf-length wrap-around alabaster silk dress and heels as she had in nothing.
"My two favorite men," Jasmine said, kissed her father on the cheek and then Cruz MacKenzie.
Biggie motioned for her to sit down on Cruz's side of the table.
"I should apologize for the other night," Jasmine said slyly. "But I won't. Instead I think I'll send a thank-you note to the photographer who shot that picture."
"What I told you?" Biggie said, shaking his head. "My daughter has brass allahs, and it's all my fault."
"Phone call for you, Mr. Kanaka," the waitress said, handing him a cordless phone. "Sounds like the mayor."
"I'll take it my office," Biggie said, added by way of explanation, "He needs help."
"Tell me something I don't know."
Waiting for their drinks, alone with Jasmine in a crowded room, Cruz wasn't sure what to say next and was relieved when the band started into the first bars of the Mauka Showers hit "Hello Stranger."
"Feel like dancing?" he said. It was a slow song.
"Sure."
She slipped her hand into his as they walked to the dance floor. Cruz found an open spot in the crowd and started to take her right hand in his left, the formal ballroom dance position, but she took his hands in hers and pulled them around her shoulders, then slipped both of her arms around his waist. They began to dance and somehow above the pounding of his heart Cruz found the song's 4-4 beat.
"So can we start over?" she said.
"No."
"Why?!" She started to back away, but he smiled and held her close. "There's no reason to start over. Not when our first date was so memorable. Not to mention front page news. Not when I'm so ..."
"So what? Fill in the blank." Remembering recent rejection, she mixed equal parts coy and unsure.
The most honest words he could have used to fill in the blank would have been vulnerable or scared or thrilled or falling in love. Instead Cruz said: "Not when I'm so amazed ... and excited ... and happy." Those were also honest words, but second-tier honest, and safer.
But they worked. She kissed his cheek softly, sweetly, pulled closer, and they danced the rest of the song in head-spinning silence. Swimming with sharks was no more believable than this.
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Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek. His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin. He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com
