A Promise Kept Ch. 04

~~~~~~

I woke bright and early the next morning, and because she had the day off, Rita walked me to her door, kissing my lips before I left to go to work.

~~~~~~

"Hey, L.B.," Dave gently smiled, when he saw me that next morning, "You doing alright this morning?"

"I'm good to go," I lied, "What's on the agenda this morning?"

"Admiral White wanted me to tell you to go home when you showed up," he said, "And he wants to talk to you before you leave, okay, L.B?" as he gently patted me on the back, "I'm gonna miss him, too, Mike," and then I saw Dave wipe the tears falling from his own face, "It'll get better, believe me, Mike..."

~~~~~~

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I asked, as I stood in front of Admiral White.

"Hey Mike," he smiled, rising to his feet, "Come on in, and sit down, if you will."

"Yes, sir," I replied, as we both took a seat, "What can I do for you Admiral?"

"Nothing really," he quietly grinned, "I just wanted to see how you were holding up, kid."

"I'll be alright, sir," I said, hanging on to my sanity just then by my fingernails, "I just need a little time, that's all."

"I'm glad to hear that," he smiled, handing me a large manila envelope, "Here is a round-trip ticket to Hawaii, more specifically, Pearl Harbor. I want you to go there for ten days and just take it easy.

"Why, Admiral," I asked, not giving a shit what happened to me at this point in my life, "You know that I'm fucked up from doing my job, and yet you guys didn't teach me how do deal with what I'm feeling sir."

"You're right, I didn't," he firmly replied, "That's why I want you to do as I asked...I can order you to do it, Mike, but I'd much rather ask you to do this as my friend...okay?"

"Yes, sir," I replied, "Besides, I think I could handle getting away from here for a little while."

"Glad to hear it, son," he softly replied, gently patting my shoulder in a fatherly way, "I'm going to miss Reed, hell, we all are, but if you want to honor him, then I suggest you do as I asked you and go to Pearl Harbor...trust me, kid."

"Yes, sir," I quietly told him, "Thanks, Admiral."

"You're welcome, Mike," he told me, as I was leaving, "Oh...someone is going to meet you at the airport so; wait on them if they're not there when you get there."

~~~~~~

HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
HONOLULU, HAWAII
1300 HOURS

The moment I stepped off the plane, a pretty young lady with long dark hair all the way to her waist, and dark brown, almond shaped eyes, walked up to me and said, "Are you Masterchief Walker?"

"Yes," I smiled, "Who might you be?"

"My name is Lelahni Lihu," she sweetly smiled, "And Admiral White asked me to meet you here this afternoon."

"Is that right," I chuckled, "And exactly how is it that you two know one another?"

"He and my father served together in Vietnam," she sadly began, "Before my father died, he made J. Evan promise to look out for me as I grew up so; he's kind of like a godfather of sorts."

"I see," I gently smiled, "So; where do we go from here?"

"First we take a taxi to your hotel," she lightly chuckled, "Then you check in...your room has already been paid for, and is ready. Once that is done, you and I are going to sit down and have a long talk, okay?"

"Uh huh," I commented, "And I suppose I don't have a choice, because this is all Admiral White's doing; correct?"

"That's right," she knowingly grinned, "You're pretty smart for a sailor..."

~~~~~~

My hotel room was more than just an ordinary room, hell; it was a suite which sat on the top floor of the hotel itself. And to say that I was impressed would be a major understatement for anyone who saw it.

It had two bedrooms, a den, kitchen, and a dining room with a small den, which, with the large glass doors, opened up onto a very spacious balcony that overlooked all of Waikiki beach in its entirety.

"What am I doing here," I quietly asked, "And who's paying for this?"

"I was instructed to tell you that it doesn't matter," she smiled, "I was also told that to stay here with you the entire time you're here in Hawaii."

"Come on, Lelahni," I kindly asked, "Can't you even give me a hint?"

"I'm sorry, Michael, but I really can't tell you anything," she softly told me, "You're here to heal, and if I told you who paid for this, you'd be too busy trying to think of a way to pay them back instead of concentrating on getting better...okay?"

"I guess that's going to have to do for now," I told her, "But I think it sucks that you won't at least tell me that much."

"Once again, I'm sorry," she sweetly replied, gently taking my hand as she'd hailed a taxi, "Come with me, Michael; so that we can get you to your hotel room...you've got a busy day tomorrow, and we still have a lot to talk about, Master Chief..."

~~~~~~

ONE HOUR LATER

The taxi dropped us off in front of the Waikiki Hilton, which was right on the beach. I felt blessed at being able to open my balcony window and have the warm Southern Pacific breeze permeate the whole suite, reminding me of my apartment back home in Coronado, California. Still though, this was Hawaii, and to be totally honest, there really was no comparison to California.

'I want to talk to you before we go to sleep tonight, Michael," Lelahni softly smiled, "But how about we go get a bite to eat first?"

"That sounds good to me," I smiled, "My stomach's been growling ever since I got here..."

~~~~~~

The restaurant in the lobby of the hotel looked to be as good a place as any to eat, and I was about to lead us into it until Lelahni stopped me, shaking her head.

"You don't want to eat here, Michael," she smiled, taking my arm, "Come with me...I'll take you to the best place on Oahu; and it's not known to the tourists, well, not many anyway...sound good to you?"

"Definitely," I grinned, "You lead and I'll follow..."

~~~~~

On the way to the restaurant, I was watching out the window of the cab, as it headed in a northerly direction. And of course I widely smiled when I saw rows upon rows of Pineapples growing in the fields that we passed along the way.

"I can tell that we're headed north," I told Lelahni, "Where are we going, Lelahni?"

"The name of the restaurant that we're going to is named, "Joe's Place", and it belongs to my cousin, Teela. She took it over after her parents, my aunt and uncle, died."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Lelahni," I quietly said, "Please give my condolences to your family, okay?"

"Thank you, Michael; J. Evan was right when he said that you were a good guy," she sweetly smiled, "That only reinforces my belief that you're a very kind and gentle man, but we'll talk about that when we get back from dinner..."

~~~~~~

"Please don't be worried when you first see the place," Lelahni smiled, as the taxi began to slow down before the turn-off, "I know it may look a little scary on the outside, but believe me when I tell you, not only is the food excellent, but Teela's floors are so clean that you could practically eat off of them and the tables."

"If you say so," I smiled, "I'm just hungry and as long as the food is good, I don't care if it's cooked in a trash barrel."

"You're silly," she grinned, gently taking my hand as the taxi came to a stop at the front of the restaurant, "Come with me, Michael. There's a steamed lobster somewhere in there with your name on it..."

~~~~~~

Ten minutes later we were sitting at a table on the back deck, which was shaded and overlooked the Pacific Ocean as the small waves gently lapped ashore, while across way and further down the road, the Banzai Pipeline roared...after all, we were on the world renowned North Shore of Oahu, the surfing capitol of the world.

"I like the atmosphere in here," I smiled, as we took our seats, "It's very relaxing."

"LELAHNI...HOW YOU DOING GIRL?" came from behind us, followed by a large woman, who stood at least six feet tall if she was an inch, with her arms open and a smile on her face. "How you doing, little cousin?" the woman asked, using the dialect used by the locals islanders there in Hawaii, gently hugging Lelahni when she reached our table, "I hardly see you anymore since you go to work for Uncle Sam...and who is this handsome thing you bring with you?"

"Teela," Lelahni widely smiled, returning the hug, "It's so good to see you, too."

"So," Teela knowingly grinned, "This your new boyfriend, huh?"

"No, it's not like that," Lelahni giggled, "We're just good friends, that's all."

"If you say so," Teela teased, as she handed us two menus, "Whatever you eat tonight is on the house, okay?"

"Please, Miss Teela," I smiled, "We're more than happy to pay you for whatever we eat."

"You're guests here," she said, her local dialect totally disappearing, "And because you're with my baby cousin, I want your first time here to be memorable."

"If the food tastes as good as it smells, then this most definitely will be a night to remember," I smiled, "But I don't want your people to have to work for free just because you want me to remember this night."

"They eat more than they cook around here," Teela grinned, making me double over with laughter, "If anything, they're paying me what they already owe me," and of course that time I saw Lelahni beginning to giggle.

"So whatchoo wanna eat, girl?" Teela asked Lelahni, her dialect returning with full force, "The lobster is real good tonight."

"That sounds great," Lelahni brightly smiled, "Bring us two with everything..."

~~~~~~

"Wow," I smiled, as we ate, "This is really good, Lelahni. Thank you for bringing me in here this evening. I've really enjoyed myself."

"Is that right?" she smiled, playfully elbowing me, "You're not such a bad date yourself."

"I didn't realize that this was a date," I quietly replied, which also made Lelahni's face turn ten different shades of red, "You need to tell me these things from now on so that next time I can dress a little nicer."

"You like to stir up trouble," Lelahni laughed, "I can already tell."

"Maybe so," I teased, "But you still haven't told me what you want to talk to me about when we get back to the hotel ya know..."

~~~~~~

It was nearing 9:00 in the evening when we got back to our hotel suite, which also meant that it was dark outside. I took off my shoes and proceeded to make a fresh pot of coffee, while Lelahni went to her room to change into something a little more comfortable.

It didn't take Lelahni very long before she returned to the kitchen wearing a pair of gray, cut-off sweat pants and a form fitting tee-shirt that was the same color as the pants. Me, I remained in what I was wearing, a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt.

"Hi," I smiled, the moment she walked into the den that evening, "You look very comfortable, Lelahni...and very pretty, too."

"Aw, thank you, Michael," she smiled, "You're the first man who's ever paid me a compliment without ulterior motive."

"Is that right," I teased, "And what makes you think that I'm not the same way?"

"Because," she smiled, placing her palm against my cheek, "Number one, you're not like that at all, and number two, my heart tells me that you would, without question; take the life of anyone who would try to harm me."

"How do you know all of this about me?" I bewilderedly asked, walking into the kitchen and leaning against the stove, "You don't even know me, Lelahni...I mean...don't get me wrong, I'm not upset about it, or anything, I was just curious, that's all."

"Scoot over and let me make us some hot chocolate," she smiled, gently nudging me out of the way, "Then we can sit out on the balcony and have our little talk before you go to sleep tonght, okay?"

"Alright," I replied smiling, "I'll meet you out on the balcony in a few minutes then."

"That sounds good to me," she teased, "That way you won't be getting in my way while I make our Hot Chocolate, which, I might add, is a delicacy among us Hawaiians."

"No it's not," I laughed.

"You're right, it's not," Lelahni girlishly laughed, "I thought it sounded good though," and then she continued to delightfully laugh, her laughter affecting me in ways I wasn't used to...it brought me a sudden feeling of peace...

~~~~~~

"This is good," I smiled, after tasting the cup of nice and sweet, just the way I like it, Hot Chocolate, "Thanks, Lelahni, I really appreciate this...not just this either. I want to thank you for everything you've done for me since I got here."

"You're welcome, Michael," she softly replied, gently patting my hand, "You'll be as good as new in no time."

"I'll be as good as new in no time?" I asked, almost burning my lip on the hot chocolate, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Relax, Michael," she childishly giggled, "It's not as bad as you think."

"Alright," I said, wiping my mouth with my napkin, "Why don't you tell me then?"

"It all started when I was a child," Lelahni told me, "I was six the first time it happened."

"The first time what happened?" I asked, still confused, "I don't understand, Lelahni."

"I was playing with my two older brothers, and we were down on the beach," she began, "My oldest brother, Kolo, poured water on me, and it made me so angry that I wished for a cocoanut to fall on his head...and as soon as we began making our way home, it did."

"Come on, Lelahni," I said, "That sounds like a coincidence to me."

"Yes, I thought so, too, at first," she said, "Then that night my mother slapped my hand for acting up at the supper table, and when I wished for the bowl of soup to land in her lap...I don't know...I watched the bowl move by itself across the table and land upside down in Momma's lap. The next day she took me to my grandmother's house and told her what happened the night before. The funny thing about it at the time was that neither my mother nor my grandmother seemed too upset about it."

"So what happened after that?" I asked.

"My grandmother took me in and I stayed with her until I graduated college," Lelahni smiled, "At first I was angry at my mother for leaving me with her until she taught me that I not only had a gift, but also how to use this same gift to do good things."

"I guess I'm still a little lost," I said, now totally confused, "What gift?"

"My grandmother called it "sparkling"," she softly said, "Modern science tried to call it telekinesis."

"Telekinesis," I asked, "You mean that you have the ability to move things with your mind?"

"No, nothing that extraordinary," she smiled, gently patting my hand again, "It's more like...I have the ability to wish things with my heart. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Michael?"

"I'm trying to," I said, "But why did your grandmother call it sparkling?"

"This is the really sweet part," Lelahni quietly smiled, "She said that every time we wished for something good to happen to someone, a new star would appear in the night sky, sparkling brightly so that all the angels in heaven could see."

For the first time in a very long time, I found myself totally speechless, and in that moment, I felt more loved than I'd ever felt in my life. It wasn't a physical, nor was it an emotional type of love. It was simply love in its purest, most beautiful form, and it began to warm me from within until it was all over me. And because I felt so overwhelmed at that moment, tears began to slowly and silently flow in a path down my cheeks.

"Lelahni," I gently asked, "Can you take my pain away?"

"That's why you've been sent here, Michael," she softly replied, "But it's time to go to sleep now...tomorrow you begin the journey so; sleep...

~~~~~~

THE NEXT MORNING

I woke the next morning around 5:30, and of course it was still dark outside. Normally I would've immediately gotten out of bed and prepared to take my early morning run, as I'd developed that habit ever since I'd graduated BUD/S. Instead, I got out of bed, put on some clothes, and then went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

~~~~~~

I sat out on the balcony that morning, not only drinking my coffee, but also contemplating whatever it was that Lelahni had prepared for me to face. Scared wouldn't be the correct word to use to describe how I was feeling that morning. I think that the word "apprehensive" better described the feelings that were coursing through me instead. I knew that Lelahni wasn't going to lead me into anything that would bring me bodily harm, that much was certain. However, I wasn't so sure about my emotions though, and from the way I was feeling at that particular moment; I think that I was about to face something that would more than likely bring my heart to its knees, if you know what I mean.

~~~~~~

I hadn't been sitting out on the balcony for more than ten minutes, when from behind me, I heard a sweet and very familiar female voice tell me, "Good morning, Michael; did you sleep well?"

"Good morning to you, too, Lelahni," I grinned, turning around to find her wearing her bikini top, and a short wrap around her hips, that stopped just above her knees, "I slept quite well, thank you; how about you? How did you sleep?"

"Mmm," she purred, gently hugging me, "I slept better than I have in quite a while. Thank you for asking."

"Please, have a seat," I said, patting the chair beside me, "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"You most certainly may," she sweetly laughed, "I take mine the same way that you do; three sugars and two creams...am I right?"

"You know that you are," I laughed, standing up and moving toward the sliding glass, patio door, "I'll be right back."

~~~~~~

"So, tell me, Michael," Lelahni smiled, "How're you feeling today? DO you feel strong?"

"I feel great," I grinned, "Why?"

"Because," she knowingly grinned, "Admiral White said that you're an avid surfer, riding the waves at every given opportunity."

"I'm not a champion or anything like that," I replied, "But yes, Admiral White was correct in saying that I like to surf...why do you ask?"

"You'll find out soon enough," she again knowingly grinned, "After we eat breakfast, you and I are going to take a trip to the North Shore... and the Banzai Pipeline."

"Oh really," I asked, "I've never surfed waves that big...but I've watched the guys that do surf the pipe on the television, and it looks dangerous as hell."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much," she smiled, "You're one of the strongest men I've ever known, and I don't think that you'll have any problems at all with it...if you're willing to try, that is."

"Hell, I'm willing to try almost anything once," I grinned, "Twice if I like it; and three times if it's real good."

"You're so silly," Lelahni girlishly laughed, "And that quality is very rare in a warrior such as yourself..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Three

THE NORTH SHORE
OAHU, HAWAII

"Here we are," Lelahni smiled, as we pulled up to the beach, "I'm very anxious to see how well you do once you're out there."

"That's all well and good," I told her, "But if you remember, we didn't bring a surfboard, and mine is back on the mainland so; tell me; how am I supposed to surf without a board?"

"That problem will be remedied in just a few minutes," she smiled, looking at her wrist watch, "And before you ask me any more questions, my cousin, Max, began work on your board the moment you set foot on Hawaiian soil."

"You've got me again, Lelahni," I bewilderedly replied, "I don't understand what you're talking about."

But before she could reply, however, an older, but still in excellent shape, hunter green Chevy El Camino pulled up beside us in the parking lot; and because Lelahni was driving, the car/truck pulled up and stopped on Lelahni's side of the car.

"Lelahni," smiled the driver, a man of about thirty, with long dark hair the same color as hers, "How you doing, little cousin, huh?"

There were two people in the El Camino. And while they were both clearly of Hawaiian descent, the person sitting in the passenger-side seat, who was obviously a teenager, glared at me, and then to Lelahni, in a Hawaiian accent, snottily, quipped, "Why you bring dis fuckin howlie here, girl?"