In that spirit, even though I haven't had the comments or readership here that I would've liked, I am going to show the first four pages of Adirondack Luau. Decide for yourselves if you would like to see more in the future.....so here it goes.
Oh yeah, please feel free to comment.I love hearing from you.
. Adirondack Luau
By
Pieter
David Gaskin
Every year Peleki looked forward to his school’s summer
vacation. He loved the beaches of his native O’ahu, Hawaii. As often as he
could talk his parents into going, he would play on the white sand and splash
in the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean. However, this summer was going to
be different. He had just arrived home when his parents gave him the news.
“You mean I’m not going to the beach tomorrow? Dad, Mom, that’s not fair!” Peleki complained.
“Besides, I’ve already told Aaron that I’d meet him at Waikiki tomorrow morning
to go boogie boarding.”
“We have a surprise for you instead,”
Dad said.
“A surprise? What kind of surprise?”
“Well, you remember I was born and grew up
in New York state?”
Peleki nodded.
“That’s where your grandparents live. You
know, the ones you talk to on the phone?”
“Are they coming here to visit?”
“Your grandma is coming, but not to stay,”
Mom replied. “She’s flying here to pick you up. Then you’re going right back
with her to New York to stay with them for two weeks.”
Peleki scowled. “Two whole weeks? But I wanna go to the beach!”
“The
beach will still be here when you get back,” Dad said. “Besides, you’ll get to
see the Adirondacks. The mountains there aren’t as tall as we have here, but the
Adirondack region is bigger than all the Hawaiian Islands put together. Besides,
they have plenty of lakes to swim in.”
“But what about our family band? You know I
love playing music even more than the beach.”
“I know you do. You asked to play my ‘tar
tar’ when you were just three years old. The guitar was bigger than you were.
Then you saw that koa wood ukulele in the music shop window. You didn’t stop
talking about it until we bought it for your fifth birthday.”
“And I take very good care of it, don’t I?”
“Yes, you
do, Peleki. There’s not a scratch on it. That surprises me since you play it
morning, noon and night.”
Peleki folded his arms.
“If I go to New York, I’ll miss playing for
the all the tourists,” he said. “And all the money they throw into my ukulele
case. Why can’t Grandpa and Grandma
come here? Why do I have to
go there?”
“It’ll be nice for you to see where your
father grew up,” Mom answered.
“I’ll come out to get you in two weeks and
we’ll fly back together,” Dad said. “You won’t miss out on too many tips.”
“Can I take my ukulele?”
“Oh, Peleki!” Mom ruffled his hair. “You won’t have time to play your ukulele.
Grandma and Grandpa will have things to keep you busy. Besides, it might get
broken, or even lost, if you take it on the airplane. You wouldn’t want that, would
you?”
“No.”
“So, what do you think?” Dad asked. “Two
weeks at your Grandpa and Grandma’s, and the rest of your summer here at the
beach?”
“I know I won’t like it,” Peleki grumbled.
***
The
next day was spent in a flurry of activity as Peleki got ready to make the big
trip.
“Here are a couple of pairs of warm socks,”
Mom said. “It might get cool at night. Be sure to pack your sneakers. It’s not
always sandal weather there.”
“How long will it take to get to New York?”
“Hard to say for sure,” Dad answered. “It
depends on the weather between here and there. Somewhere around 17 hours.”
“Seventeen
hours!” Peleki groaned.
“Don’t worry. Your plane leaves at 11
o’clock tonight,” Mom said. “I’ll bet you’ll sleep through most of the trip.
Now let’s finish packing.”
The Honolulu
International Airport was a busy place. Travelers were purchasing tickets and
checking their bags at the counters.
“Mmm,
just smell all the fresh flowers. The plumeria blossoms, they’re everywhere!”
Mom pointed as they passed the open gardens. “Everything is so bright and
colorful here. Even the airport staff’s uniforms have flowers.”
“How will we ever find Grandma among all
these people?” Peleki asked.
No sooner had he spoken than he saw Grandma waving.
“There she is!” Peleki ran to greet her.
Grandma knelt down, opening her arms to him.
“Grandma! Grandma! Aloha!” Peleki shouted. “Here’s a Ti Lei just
like mine. I made it for you. It’s for a safe trip home.”
He placed the Ti Lei around her neck and
hugged her tight.
“Thank you, Peleki,” Grandma said. “Now, look at you! Eight years old. My, have
you grown! It been six years since I last saw you in person. You’ve become a
handsome young man!”
“Mahalo,” Peleki said. “That means ‘thank you’ in Hawaiian.”
“Ma, how were your flights?” Dad asked,
giving her a quick hug.
“It was a long one to California,” Grandma
answered. “Now, we had better hurry up. We have to go through security for the
return flight.”
Mom and Dad knelt down and took Peleki by
the hands. “Now, you have a safe trip, and have fun at Grandpa and Grandma’s,”
Mom said.
“I’m going to miss you,” Peleki said quietly.
Then, whispering in Dad’s ear so he wouldn’t hurt Grandma’s feelings, he asked,
“Are you sure I’m going to have a good time?”
“Don’t worry,” he assured him. “You’re in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa. Besides,
you may find things in the Adirondacks that are a lot like home.”
Peleki nodded. We’ll see about that.
“OK, Peleki,” Grandma said, taking his hand.
“Let’s get a move on. New York, here we come!”
***