Sending up Shoots - Part II

Elizabeth dipped her clenched fist into the warm seawater and opened it slowly. She was not disappointed when the water before her became a roiling morass of orange, black, purple and yellow. It had happened the same way hundreds of times. Fighting each other for a share, Mamo, Kikakapu and countless other smaller fish jabbed and parried at the tiny niblets of fish food that laid in her palm. It was a really tourist-y thing to do, she thought, but she enjoyed it as much now as she had her first time there.

Elizabeth had been to Hanauma Bay a hundred times since her dad was transferred to Pearl Harbor in 1977. She was only five when he was promoted to captain and assigned duty on the USS Columbia. To ease the pain of leaving some of her kindergarten friends in San Diego, he'd bought her a Bugs Bunny diving mask and a matching snorkel on their first day on Oahu. She still had them in a box, stuffed in the attic. Numerous other pairs had found their way into her possession in the 25 years since, including the one she wore on top of her head.

“Excuse me.”

Elizabeth continued feeding the fish, acknowledging the voice with an almost imperceptible "Mmm hmm". It was another fat, sunburned tourist, no doubt, asking again one of the vapid questions she'd heard a million times before.

“Hi. Um, I have been watching you feed the fish," said the voice, "and was wondering if you could tell me where I can buy some of that food. It looks like fun.”

"I knew it," she said to herself, though barely silently. Closing her eyes to keep her frustration bottled inside, and shaking her hand to clear away the rest of the kernels, Elizabeth stood erect and wheeled toward the voice.

"Listen," she said impatiently as she turned. Taking in a large breath, she was ready to unleash it on the unsuspecting intruder. "I...I...I..."

Stammering in front of him, seawater just covering her knees, she wriggled her toes an inch deeper into the sand. He was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. His gray eyes shot shivers through her skin. The proverbial Hawaiian shirt he wore barely concealed a muscular, tanned frame that had been fine tuned in a garage gym. Playful dimples danced on his cheeks.

“I..I..I’m sorry?” she muttered, trying to buy herself some time to recover.

“The fish food. I’d like to buy some. Can you show me where to get it?”

Looking into her now empty hand, she laughed nervously and pointed to the kiosk on the edge of the beach. “Over there,” she spluttered. “Over there. It’ll cost you 50 cents.”

“Thanks,” he said, turning slowly and gracefully as he smiled and winked.

Elizabeth watched him intently for a few seconds before she found herself instinctively walking after him. She felt drawn like the needle on a compass. It was an attraction that reached to her most central fiber.

“Excuse me?” she called.

Stopping, he turned quickly towards her.

She looked quickly at the white, sandy beach. Instantly she was 12 again, asking Heath Gilbert if he'd like to go to the 6th grade dance. “Ask!” her brain shrieked at her. “Ask!!”

Furrowing her brow, she gripped her courage with all her might and said, “Would you like to feed the fish with me?”

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Coming soon - Part III