A Brat in Paradise or Just Beautiful!
Christmas time 1980 my mother, father, sister and I took our last great family vacation. Hawaii!!! We stepped off the plane and I was absolutely enchanted. The weather was beautiful, the air smelled beautiful, the scenery was beautiful, and it wasn’t 30 below zero! Beautiful! (Yes, I do know what a thesaurus is – I’m just liking the word beautiful today!) Wooo HOOO! Take me to the beach and leave me there! ForEVER!!!
But Mom and Dad had other ideas. We had sites to see. Oh NO! Please don’t cut into my skin cancer sun tanning time. If it didn’t involve watching waves I didn’t wanna do it!
But, we did end up visiting several of the tourist attractions. What I remember most – with chagrin – is our visit to The USS Arizona. The memorial was not my "cup of tea". I am ashamed to say that in my self centered immaturity I was unappreciative of the opportunity to visit the site. I failed to consider the sacrifice of the soldiers who lost their lives there. What I remember feeling was fear. The man who barked the RULES of visiting the memorial scared me. I was really afraid I was going to accidentally make a mistake when we arrived on the ship. He started his lecture by hollering at a kid who was eating a bag of chips in the auditorium. “This IS NOT the school lunch room! Put away that food! How DARE you disrespect the memorial by eating chips in this room.” Well for heavens sake! Was there a sign saying don’t eat chips in here? It was scary. He was scary! He was going to take us out to the ship. He was going to be watching our every move.
I also remember thinking about the men whose bodies were still inside the ship. It frightened me. My silly, selfish, immature self was creeped out. I just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. In 1980 visitors were required to ride a ferry over to the ship. Once you were dropped off you were obligated to wait for the next ferry in order to leave. Bratty little me was irritated. The skies were clear, and I wanted to soak up the sun. I did not want to be stuck on this ship being scrutinized by Mr. Drill Sergeant with dead guys floating under my feet. My parents took a picture of me standing by the railing and my facial expression is priceless. “Help Me! I don’t wanna be here!” Eventually the ferry returned and we were able to proceed to the beach of the day. Snotty-two-shoes (me) was appeased
Another morning we drove to the top of Haliakala to watch the sun rise. A "highlight" as far as I was concerned. Um - NOT! It truly was beautiful (there’s that word again!), but at that time in my life, sleep and sun tanning were about the extent of my priorities. We got up at “stupidearly” a.m. and drove Barf Blvd. to the parking lot at the top of the mountain. I call it Barf Blvd because after weaving back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth in the back seat of a subcompact rental car a person really WANTS to barf – NEEDS to barf. Gaaaa!
So in addition to being tired and carsick I was also a boorish 19-year-old child. I picked a fight with my family members and by the time we parked the car I refused to get out and watch the sunrise. It was TOO COLD out there. Mom was frantic, Dad was disgusted, and my sister in her younger sibling wisdom was being an absolute angel. Cooperative and cheerful – JERK! They left to join the crowd and watch the sun rise. I sat in the car and pouted for a while – but then I snuck out and watched the sun rise. It was – BEAUTIFUL! I quickly returned to the car before my family did and it appeared as if I had stood true to my convictions and refused to watch the sun rise. YEARS later I fessed up. I’m not sure Mom and Dad were very amused. Tuffy laughed though.
We did spend time on the beach. You should have seen my mom's snorkeling get up. Curly hair sticking out of a face mask, snorkel tube in her mouth, swim suit and funny tennis shoes on her feet. We have a picture of her like that and we have titled it "The Snork". Don’t be scared Mom – I won’t ever post that picture.
One day, in the hotel we were staying at, we met a genuine "surfer dude". Tuffy and I – both bodacious young women – ended up riding the elevator a zillion floors down with the dude.
He says "So, like where ya stayin?"
We I answer "here".
"Allright" he says "First time in Hawaii".
We I answer "yes". Tuffy is nervous.
"Allright" He says. "I'm workin at the Mauii Surf, you should come on down."
"Well, ok" we I say “Sounds fun!”. Tuffy is apoplectic by this point.
"Allriiiiiiight” He says.
We exit the elevator and Tuffy hisses at me “Why did you tell him we’d go there! What are we gonna do NOW?!”
I was SO much wiser and more grown up than her – after all I was in college and she was still in high school. I KNEW things.
I laughed and said “We don’t really have to go – it was just an invitation – he doesn’t really expect us to show up.”
“Oh” says Tuffy looking relieved. “Good”.
We never did end up at the Maui Surf, but it was fun to have met a real beach bum.
I wish I could go back to Hawaii as an adult to see it with a more mature perspective. Because it’s so beautiful.
