My Less Than One-Year Crush - Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO
Hawaii ‘04
January and February passed, and I was now 10 years old. Katlin was 8, Jayden 6, and Brisa was still 11 because her birthday was in June.
It had been 1½ month since Traina had left to the Navy. Mom and Dad, at the time, tried talking to Traina about staying and going along with their plans for her to become a lawyer. However, Traina was tired and just wanted to get away. I understood her because our parents were very strict, and not every day was a happy day around them. Even so, I wished she thought the decision through more before leaving us.
During Katlin's birthday back in January, she sent a box through the mail filled with presents for Katlin, me, and Jayden. She only sent the three of us gifts because our birthdays were close to each other, and my second oldest sister, Brisa, her birthday was far from ours. Anyway, in the box, there was a letter:
From Traina:
I know you all weren’t expecting this, but just because I’m gone doesn’t mean it stops me from being your older sister or daughter. I want to wish Katlin a happy birthday and Jaelyn and Jayden a happy early birthday. Brisa, I will wish you a happy birthday when yours come.
Mom and Dad, I know you’re upset with me, and you probably don’t want to ever speak with me again. But I just want to let you know that I am doing fine and staying safe. I’ll mostly be doing administrative work until I graduate from college.
Also, Brisa, Jaelyn, Katlin, and Jayden make sure to take care of each other and look out for one another. One day when things are better, we'll all be together again and celebrate each of our birthdays together. I love you all, and I am here for you if you ever need me.
Take care,
Traina
This letter was the last time she contacted us. After our birthdays passed, we didn't hear anything from her. Mom and Dad felt angry and sad about the whole thing but being the type of person that my Dad is, he pushed his feelings down and pretended that he was "okay," but we knew how he felt. Time went on, and we dealt with the situation by mostly not acknowledging it.
#
In the early part of March, Dad and Mom started talking a lot about different states and jobs. One cool sunny afternoon, my siblings and I were outside playing soccer with some kids in the neighborhood.
"Pass the ball!" one of the kids yelled while Brisa was trying to avoid getting the ball taken away from her.
Whoosh. Brisa sent the ball flying, and it accidentally knocked over our neighbor, Mr. Kim’s drink. Mr. Kim was a chill dude, so he didn’t react negatively when the ball spilled the drink. Instead, he took our ball.
“Which one of you knocked over my Hawaiian Sun Passion?” He said, standing there with our ball in his left hand. Mr. Kim was in his forties, but he looked fit, and he always wore this floral unbuttoned shirt with a white tank-top, khaki shorts, and beige slippers. Kind of like Tito Makani from the animation series Rocket Power.
“Sorry about that Mr. Kim,” Brisa said.
“No worries nā keiki liʻiliʻi,” (which means little ones or children) he said while tossing the ball in his hands.
“I tell you what, if you nā keiki can get the ball from me, then you don’t got to worry about nothing. But if I kick the ball into the fence over there, you owe me another Hawaiian Sun Passion.” He said, smiling.
We all gathered in a circle to decide if we should play against him or just run upstairs to the apartment and get the soda. But, being the competitive kid I was, I talked everyone into playing against him.
“Deal!” we said facing Mr. Kim.
Mr. Kim laughed and walked over to the playing field. I told all the kids to spread out so he couldn’t get past us. There were ten of us in total, so we thought we had the upper hand. Mr. Kim did some fancy footwork with the ball, then gave a sideway smile.
“Ready?” He said. We all aligned ourselves to block him because we thought he would probably try to kick it over our heads.
“Ready!” We all shouted.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Mr. Kim ran forward while moving the ball from foot to foot. He was faster than any soccer player I had ever seen. Each kid try to stop him by jumping for the ball or trying to kick it away from him. I tried to trip him a couple of times by throwing myself in front of him, but he would hold the ball between his feet and jump over me.
Once he got close to the fence, he aligned himself perfectly to kick the ball. It was like watching a professional soccer player at the FIFA games. He raised his right leg back and forcefully kicked the ball into the fence that once it hit, the fence shook.
“CHEE-HOO!” He yelled while gesturing his fist in a winning position. All of us were shook and disappointed that he won.
“Hey, nice game nā keiki,” he said high fiving each of us. I didn’t want to give him a high five, but it would’ve been rude since we were the ones who knocked over his drink.
“I believe you owe me my soda,” he said as he tossed the ball to Brisa and walked back to his chair. Brisa went upstairs to get the soda, in which she brought back two just in case.
“Sorry again, Mr. Kim. It won’t happen again,” Brisa said.
“No worries, I can always go another round,” he laughed and beckoned to Brisa to go continue playing.
#
It was around 7:00 PM and we were still playing. Mom had gestured from the balcony for us to come inside since the sun had gone down. We each took our last shots and tally the game to a tie so that we could continue another time.
"Go, go, go," Brisa said as we rushed up the staircase. The second we entered the apartment, out of nowhere, our Dad declared a meeting.
"Family meeting time!" Dad said as we all gathered in the living room. Usually, family meetings in our home last 2 to 3 hours. Literally, my dad always thought family meetings were a valuable time for him to discuss everything. However, this particular family meeting only lasted for about an hour.
"Do you guys want to see snow!" Dad said while we were still sitting down. We each looked at one another weirdly because we didn't know where this conversation was going.
"Snow, what's snow?" Jayden said trying to annoy my parents.
"Here, come take a look." We gathered by the table as Dad laid a book down from the Library that had the word "DALLAS" printed on it.
"Where's Dallas?" Brisa said.
"Dallas is in Texas, and they have snow and lots of fun activities for the family to do over there. Also, you will all learn how to ride horses.”
However, this would turn out to be a lie because we stayed in Dallas for 10 months, but never rode horses.
"How far is it from here?" I commented because I did not want to leave Hawaii, especially since Traina was still here.
"Dallas is located in the mainland, so it's very far from Hawaii," Mom said.
There was no way I was going to leave Hawaii. I really like the state, and I have lots of friends on the island. Also, there is still a chance that Traina might come back.
These thoughts were running through my head as I pretended to listen while my parents were talking.
"Do they have cowboys there?" Katlin added while staring at an old cowboy picture in the book from the earlier periods of Dallas.
Mom and Dad both laughed. "No, they don't have cowboys anymore, only in Football." My Dad joked, but at the time I didn't get it.
"Do we have to move there?" my siblings and I said.
"Yes. The decision has already been made, and we leave in two weeks." Dad declared.
After our “Family Meeting”, I felt like things were getting worse and I was losing everything I cared about. I lived in Hawaii for two years, and this was the only place I felt like I could be myself. Where I could be goofy, silly, just a kid. However, it was slipping away from me, and I knew that I had to mature in order to prepare myself for what would happen next.
#
Two weeks had passed. It was March 22nd at 8:00 AM, and my siblings and I were packing our suitcases. Mom and Dad woke up early so that they could take the furniture back to the shop where they rented it.
"Make sure you don't forget anything," Brisa said as we were packing our parents’ suitcase.
"Also don't forget their toothbrushes."
"I don't see why we have to pack up their stuff, we should just leave it." I said.
"Hurry up. They'll be back in seven minutes, and we have a plane to catch at 10:15 AM," Brisa said.
I checked the bathroom cabinets to make sure I didn't forget anything. However, my siblings and I would later realize we lost our favorite hats because they were left inside one of the drawers that our parents took back to the furniture store.
The clock stroke 9:30am as Mom and Dad finally arrived back at the apartment.
"Start taking the bags downstairs," Dad said. He was panting and he had sweat dripping down his face from moving furniture from the truck.
"Make sure you don't forget our passports," Mom said as she grabbed a suitcase from Jayden. My siblings and I went downstairs with our bags, but we stopped once we saw the vehicle.
"Is that our car?" Jayden and Katlin said.
"Yes, your dad rented a limo to take us to the airport," Mom said.
Our faces lit up as we rushed to get into the limo. I was more careful to get into the limo because I was holding my Bratz playhouse in one hand, and my Bratz backpack in the other. I was a huge fan of the Bratz merchandise back then. My second older sister, Brisa, liked My Scene, my younger sister liked Polly Pocket and Mary-Kate and Ashley toys, and my brother liked Bob, The Builder. The chauffeur opened the door for us as we approached the limo.
"Thank You!" We each said with a big smile on our faces as we entered the vehicle.
"You are welcome!” He said, smiling while waiting for us to load up.
9:45am came and Dad had finally come down the stairs as he locked the apartment and left the key in some type of compartment for the landlord to retrieve. The Chauffeur got out of the car to assist in opening the door, but my Dad waved for him to stay in the vehicle as he sat to the front with the driver.
"Could you get us to the airport as quickly as possible," Dad said breathing heavily.
"No problem." The Chauffer said as he started the limo and began speeding down the highway to Honolulu airport. It was around 10:00am when we arrived at the airport. I was looking through the black tinted glass, and I could see people staring at the limo.
Maybe they were hoping to spot a celebrity. I thought to myself. Anyway, the driver exited the limo and opened my Dad's door first and then ours. While we were standing by the limo as the Chauffer and my Dad were loading the suitcases onto a trolley, a family had approached us. The mother and father looked like they were in their 50s. They had white hair and were wearing floral t-shirts with brown shorts, and slippers. Their daughter was around my age, and she was wearing a floral dress while holding her mother's hand.
"Where are you guys heading?" The man said smiling at us as if we were celebrities.
"We're heading to Los Angeles, but we first have to catch this plane because it leaves in 15 minutes," Mom said while looking down at her watch.
"I have a Bratz dollhouse too." The little girl said to me as she pointed to my dollhouse.
"Interesting," I said because I didn't know how to respond to her sudden comment.
The girl's mom and dad laughed as they continued talking with us. "Our daughter is 10 years old. Her birthday was yesterday." The mother said.
"Oh, happy belated birthday," Mom said. "My daughter is also 10 years old like you."
"Wow, their like twins!" The father smirked as he smiled at me.
The Chauffer and Dad finished putting the suitcases on the trolley and were ready to go. But dad decided to join the conversation, making us late.
“Hi, how’s it going?” Dad said.
“Pretty good. You have a really tall family. How tall are you?” the man said.
Dad chuckled. “I’m about 6’6.”
“Wow! Are you a basketball player by chance?” The man said.
“No, a regular person.”
“Well, do you mind if we take a picture with your family?” The man said while searching for his camera. The man looked like a big kid who had just seen his favorite player and wanted an autograph. We took pictures with the family, which drew more attention to us. However, luckily, no one else stopped us for pictures.
“Nice meeting you all!" The man said as he and his family waved goodbye to us. The clock was ticking down, and it was a disaster trying to go through the security check.
"My family has to catch a plane that leaves in 10 minutes, could you please get us through faster." Dad said to the TSA lady. She looked at my Dad with annoyance but went to her speaker phone to make an announcement.
“Excuse me, excuse me everyone," she blurted apathetically. “This family has to get on a plane in 10 minutes. Do you want to let them cut in front of you?"
I was completely embarrassed. However, believe me when I say this, but everyone was smiling at us with a big grin, and they all said yes. It was weird because I guess the people thought Dad was this famous basketball player, and he probably had a game to attend in Los Angeles.
"I hope you and your family make it on the plane in time," a bunch of people said as we passed through the security check. We finally made it to the door within less than two minutes.
"Why are the doors closed? We have two minutes left. Can't we go in?" Dad asked one of the staff members standing by the door.
"Let me check with the pilot," the staff said.
"Hey, I have a family here who just arrived, can we open the doors to let them in?"
"No, they should have come five minutes earlier, I am taking off.” The pilot said. The sound from the staff walkie talkie went silent.
"Sorry, you are just going to have to wait for the next flight," the staff said.
"Well, when is the next flight?" Mom said. The staff looked at my siblings and me as if he didn't want to disappoint my parents or us.
"Unfortunately, the next flight is at 8:00 AM tomorrow."
"8:00 AM?” But we don't have anywhere to stay.” Dad said. “We just gave our apartment back to the owner, and we can't rent a hotel because of our budget."
"I'm sorry to hear that let me speak with my manager and see what I can work out," the staff said. He went into a room with white tinted glass. About 30 minutes passed, and he came back slightly smiling.
"My manager said that you could spend the night in the airport, and there is an area where you and your family can rest until the flight.”
“Also, since the pilot did not wait, my manager will pay for your hotel in Los Angeles when you arrive, so you'll have a comfortable place to sleep. This was all we could work out." The staff said. He stared at both my parents waiting for an answer. Mom and Dad quietly talk back and forth with each other concerning the offer.
"Can the manager also provide blankets and snacks for our children?" Mom said.
"Yes, anything you need we will be happy to assist you," he smiled.
"Okay, we'll wait it out," my parents said.
"Thank you very much, and I apologize for the inconvenience.” He said. “Now, I need one of you to follow me to the office so that we can reschedule your flight and book you a hotel in Los Angeles."
Dad volunteered and left Mom with us. From hearing this, Katlin and Jayden were excited and thought it was an adventure. Brisa didn’t care, and I felt like maybe we were being cursed for trying to leave Hawaii.
I didn’t mind being cursed, especially if it meant I could spend a few more hours in Hawaii.
#
Night approached, and Mom and Dad were setting up the area for us to sleep. I thought the airport might be a fun place to spend the night, but it was cold. My fingers were numb whenever I touched things, and the windows by our area were covered in fog. Mom was fixing the blankets on some blue and silver chairs for us to sleep on.
"Two of you will sleep here, next to me, and the other two will sleep there next to Dad." Mom said.
"You and I should stay up and keep watch," Dad said.
"Okay. Everyone go to sleep we have a busy morning tomorrow," Mom said.
I didn't sleep that night and neither did my siblings. I just pretended to be asleep, the simple reason is that (1) it was cold and (2) people kept walking by and making weird comments.
"Are those your children?" The stranger said.
"Yes. They're currently sleeping," Mom would reply.
"They're so cute, can I have one?" Mom and Dad usually pretend to laugh.
“I'm kidding. I hope they're having good dreams."
After that, the strangers would walk away. This went on for hours with both men and women, and even families stopping by looking at us and making comments. Worse airport experience of my life.
#
Morning came and I was happy because we would finally be able to leave the airport and continue on to our destination. Mom took us four to the restroom to wash up, while Dad was getting breakfast for us to eat. Since we had spent the night at the airport, the staff at the shop gave my dad free hot chocolate for us four to drink.
Finally, the plane had arrived, and passengers, stewardess, and pilots exited through the doorway. We were sitting in these wheelchairs that were chained to the wall, and everybody that exited the plane walked by smiling at us. One of the pilots stopped by and looked at us smiling.
"Are you guys waiting for this plane?" The pilot asked me.
"Yes, we leave at 8:00 AM," Dad said.
"Oh, are these your kids?"
"Yes, we're waiting for our plane to board."
"I see. Well, you have very beautiful girls, and they seem well-behaved." We usually were nice the first-time people meet us.
"No, we have one boy." Dad laughed.
"Which one, that one?" The pilot pointed towards me while smiling because I was the tallest and people often assumed I was the boy even though it was obvious in the way my brother and I dressed.
"No, the small one with the hat." Dad pointed toward Jayden. My brother waved his hand laughing.
"Oh, I'm sorry he has long hair like his sisters, but you all are adorable and cute.” He said looking at us, then smiling back at my parents.
"Well, why are you at the airport so early when your flight leaves at 8'oclock."
"Actually, yesterday we were supposed to be on this flight, but this insolent pilot wouldn't let us on because we didn't come five minutes earlier. Can you believe that?"
The pilot got down on one knee and placed his hand on his forehead.
"I apologize. I was having a bad day, and if I knew it was your family, I would have let you on the plane.”
“I'm sorry guys." He looked at us four would a sad face.
AWKWARD, I thought to myself as our area became silent.
"It's no problem, besides we got a chance to see what life is like living in an airport." Dad joked to ease the tension.
"I tell you what since I am going to be your pilot today, I'm going to make sure you are treated like first class."
"Does that mean you are giving us first class seats?" Mom asked.
"Sorry, I can't upgrade your seats because they're all booked, but I can make sure that the stewardess and my co-pilot give you top service."
"Sounds good!" Our parents both said as they looked at each other.
