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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Reunion with Rinpoche
>> Kalakaua Avenue
Te-Wu had several agents hanging around at the port cochere and in the lobby of the upscale Waikiki hotel, posing as tourists. But when the person they were there to kill stepped out of Lily Ah Sun's teal BMW with a woman and her daughter, not one of the Chinese secret police noticed.
It was a testament to the disguise worn by the second Lama Jey Tsong Khapa -- blond surfer boy wig, black East Side Boyz T-shirt, green Quiksilver board shorts and T-Macs -- as well as to the performance of his stand-in, Michael Tenzin Campbell.
The lama, the new little lama Elizabeth Resurreccion and her mother Rosalita headed straight for the elevators, followed closely by a member of the Free Tibet Warrior Society. He noted two of his FTWS brethren also hanging around, posing as tourists and keeping an eye on Te-Wu. Because none of them followed the lama, he drifted back as people filled the elevator. He'd take the next one.
The lama had specific instructions on what to do, and not just because this would be the first elevator ride for this elevated being. Khan had cased the hotel before the lama's arrival. The wall above each elevator showed which floor it was on, and which way it was moving. Which made Te-Wu's job way too easy.
The elevator was crowded because of the big tele-communications convention in town. Rosalita -- because the lama was incapable of any active deceit or subterfuge, and even wearing the necessary disguise made him uncomfortable -- waited until everyone else had punched the button for their floor, then punched the button for 7.
Which was not the floor where his stand-in awaited in a suite. The lama, Elizabeth and Rosalita exited on seven. A young Japanese couple on their honeymoon was snuggling as they waited for the next car down and barely noticed as Rosalita said, "Oops, wrong floor. How did that happen?" Shortly after their car arrived, one going up arrived. They stopped at 14, followed the same procedure, finally arrived on the 17th floor, where a member of FTWS awaited and whisked the three of them into the suite.
Relieved, happy, grateful -- the young lama's teachers felt all of that as he entered the suite to much bowing. Rinpoche Rimshot and the monk Lawang had known the lama for 16 years, since he was just short of his third birthday. And while the core of Buddhism is having no attachment to his world, over the years they had developed fatherly relationships with the second Tsong Khapa. Since he disappeared, they found themselves worrying about his safety, missing his laughter. They had invested so much in him, and the work he was yet to do would be so important for Buddhism in general and especially the Tibetan people.
Which was why Te-Wu had flown in reinforcements.
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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