Stone Undercover

by Bob Blanton

  “Ah, so reading Debs of Bletchley is more than a passing interest.”

  “Cryptography is my new hobby. I mess around with it whenever Brea is off playing tennis. It keeps me out of trouble.”

  “I’m taking a class in graph theory at the University of Hawaii,” Seaman Visconti added.

  “If you already have a degree, why aren’t you an officer?” Matthew asked.

  “I don’t have a degree yet,” Seaman Visconti said. “I have another year to go. Then maybe I’ll do OCS.”

  “But graph theory is a graduate level class.”

  “Lets just say that math is my favorite subject, too. Did you understand the proof to reduce the Hamiltonian circuit?”

  “Oh yeah, that was a bit confusing, I had to get help from my math professor at UCSD.”

  “Well, would you mind passing it along?” Seaman Visconti asked.

  “Sure, should I trade places with Petty Officer Langston?”

  “I’m sure he won’t mind the single seat, here I’ll scoot over.”

  “Geniuses can be so boring,” Brianna said, as she flipped the page of her magazine.

  “At least he’s cute,” Jennifer laughed.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Matt, do you know what time we get in?” Seaman Visconti asked, as she sat down after her trip to the bathroom.

  “We arrive in Honolulu at around seven thirty. Then you guys are home and we’re taking a helicopter over to Maui.”

  “You mean you guys are going to drop us off first instead of landing on Maui?”

  “I think we were always going to land in Honolulu,” Matthew said. “The helicopter can land right next to the house so this is quicker anyway.”

  “That’s great. I have to be at work at 0700 in the morning, it’ll be nice to get to bed on time. Why aren’t there seats over there?” she asked, pointing to the gap in the seats behind Petty Officer Langston and across from Brianna.

  “The plane is configured to handle a hospital bed. We’re taking a patient back to Seattle when we go home. There’s a cancer clinic there that does stem cell treatments.”

  “That’s nice, you guys are pretty cool for rich people.”

  “I’m not rich, I just know someone who is, which is cool. And they are exceptionally nice and giving people.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Hi, Matt, reading I see,” Mrs. Stevenson said, as she walked onto the lanai where Matthew was engrossed in his book. “You’re up early.”

  “Well, we’re two hours earlier here and I got plenty of rest on the plane,” Matthew replied. “I wanted to go running, but I decided I should wait until I had a chance to look around; it was dark by the time we got here yesterday.”

  “Smart choice. I’m making some coffee, would you like a cup?”

  “Please.”

  Matthew had watched the sunrise while he was waiting for the rest of the house to wake up. Although sunrise was officially at 6:30, with the volcano to the east it had been delayed another ten minutes; but it had been worth the wait to see the sun peaking over and around the volcano’s summit.

  “Here’s your coffee, Matt.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I hear someone stirring, so you won’t be alone too long. Walter and I will be having our coffee on the terrace, so behave yourself.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  Mrs. Stevenson gave Matthew a soft pat on the cheek before she turned and headed back inside.

  “7:05, wonder what Seaman Visconti really does for the Navy,” Matthew thought, as he brought his portal up.

  “Good morning, Jones. Anything urgent I need to be on top of?” Seaman Visconti asked, as she sat down at a desk with a cup of coffee.

  “Nothing much, NSA intercepts are on your computer; they didn’t flag anything special so you just need to sift through it. And hello yourself, you sure look pretty fresh for someone just getting back after a long flight from the mainland.”

  “I do, don’t I?” Seaman Visconti turned her head side-to-side so Seaman Jones could see just how fresh she was. “Can you believe I got to ride back to Hawaii on a private jet?”

  “No, I don’t believe it. How did you manage that?”

  “Through the USO. I checked in with them when I got to San Diego. I had to allow two days to make sure I could catch a flight. They said I could get on this private jet heading to Honolulu if I wanted to, no standby or anything, just sign up and show up.”

  “I heard about that, never been lucky enough to land one, but I’ll be sure to check-in more often now.”

  “Yeah, the air on the plane was fresh as a daisy and no waiting in lines. We boarded the plane and took off ten minutes later. Got here, got off and walked to the taxi.”

  “Ah, now you’re making me cry.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Seaman Visconti jested. “And better yet, I got an extra day and a half in San Diego, no waiting at the airport all day to catch a standby. I met up with a girlfriend stationed at the Naval Warfare Center and we had a great time down in the Gaslamp Quarter.”

  “That girlfriend have a number? I’ve got leave coming up in a few months.”

  “Sorry, Jones, she bats for the other team. But if you want someone to just get hammered with, she’s your girl.”

  “I don’t need help with that. Anyway, it’s all yours. See you tomorrow.”

  “Interesting,” Matthew said to himself.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “The winner and undefeated sailboard champion is Matt,” Brianna yelled, as she clapped her hands.

  Matthew guided his sailboard to the beach; he had finished well in front of Tyler who was looking none too happy at his second defeat at the hands of Matthew. Tyler had easily beaten Jeffrey and Jason, his strength and extra weight helping him out, but Matthew had made him look foolish both times.

  “My champion,” Brianna said, as she gave Matthew a kiss. “Now my turn; are you ready, Jen?”

  “She has to wait for Tyler to bring the board in,” Matthew said. He made sure that his voice was just loud enough for Tyler to hear.

  “Here’s your board, Jen,” Tyler said, as he pushed the board to the beach. “Good luck. Emily, I’m going to try to rotate into the volleyball game, how about you?”

  “I’m here to relax,” Emily said. “I’ll come over when you get in and cheer you on.”

  “Okay,” Tyler said, and he jogged over to the volleyball game that was being played just up the beach.

  “Okay, Matt, you’re cheating!” Emily scolded, as Matthew sat down on the mat next to her.

  “Only against Tyler. I thought he needed some help with humility after offering lessons to everyone.”

  Emily laughed. “It was a bit much the way he bragged about all his sailboarding experience. As if nobody else has ever been on one.”

  “Glad you noticed that he needed a lesson, too.”

  “You just can’t resist needling him.”

  “That ego of his makes such an easy target.”

  “Okay, okay. Be nice, he is my boyfriend.”

  “All right, I’ll try.”

  “How did you do it?” Emily asked.

  “It’s easy. You know my portal can be set to maintain a constant distance between ends.”

  “Yeah, but how does that help?”

  “You might not have realized this, but the force at each end of the portal transmits to the other and acts on it as if they were back to back. It doesn’t matter what their relative positions are.”

  “Okay.”

  “So I just make my end small, behind my back, and put the other end out front, angled to catch the wind, so no matter what, I always have the wind pushing me forward. I just adjust the size so that it doesn’t overwhelm the sail.”

  “So you could hang glide without a glider.”

  Matthew gave that some serious thought, “I guess so. Wonder where I could try that out? I think most people would find it a bit suspicious.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  Matthew was
just finishing up his run. As he approached the house, he was catching up with the woman who was staying in the house next door.

  “On your right,” he called out, as he started to come up beside her.

  “You think so,” the woman yelled, as she sped up.

  Matthew really had to work hard to finally pass her before they got to her driveway. “Thanks,” she said. “I needed some motivation to finish strong.”

  “Well, you certainly did that,” Matthew said. He was breathing a bit hard from the sprint.

  “You’re staying at the house next door, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, we’re here for a week,” Matthew replied.

  “I see you guys have a tennis court. Any chance I could use it?”

  “I can ask.”

  “Thanks, I’m trying to keep in shape for the upcoming tournament. My husband and I are out here for our anniversary, so I’m taking a break. But I need to get a few games in.”

  “Does your husband play?”

  “He does a little. I could use better competition, but beggars can’t be choosers,” she said. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

  “I won’t. Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson don’t play, but we have three serious players, so if you’re looking for some competition, I’m sure one of them will oblige you.”

  “You guys are pretty young; in high school aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Matthew said, thinking, what’s the point.

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone. I play on the pro tour.”

  “Oh, then you’ll definitely want to play Brea,” Matthew said. “She’s always complaining she can’t find any real competition.”

  “Are you hoping I will give her a lesson in humility?”

  “Well one of you will get a lesson,” Matthew said.

  “Touché. My name is Maya, by the way.”

  “I’m Matt, Brea is my girlfriend. Do you want me to ask her about playing?”

  “Sure. I’ll be up for a game in an hour, if she is.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  Matthew trotted over to their house and went inside.

  “Hi, Mrs. Stevenson.”

  “Elizabeth,” Mrs. Stevenson corrected.

  “Sorry, hi, Elizabeth. Are the girls up?”

  “Yes they are. They should be down any minute. How was your run?”

  “Great. I met our neighbor.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “She wants to know if she can use the tennis court.”

  “I don’t see why not. We’re not going to be using it that much, if at all.”

  “Morning, Matt. You’re all sweaty,” Brianna said, as she gave Matthew a light kiss.

  “Had to run hard to pass our neighbor.”

  “Oh, you’ve met them?”

  “Just her. She wonders if you’re up for a game of tennis. She plays on the pro-circuit and is looking for someone to help keep her sharp while she’s on vacation.”

  “Really, who is she?” Brianna asked.

  “Maya, I didn’t get her last name.”

  “Oh, I’m sure I know who she is. She’s ranked like 60th I think. Great baseline.”

  “Well, she said she’d be up for a game in an hour, if you are.”

  “Great,” Brianna ran upstairs.

  “Well, I guess I’ll be reading a book this morning,” Matthew said.

  “Aren’t you going to watch?”

  “Yes, but she’ll be warming up for the next hour. She’ll probably get Emily to help her.”

  “It’s a good thing you told her before she ate,” Mrs. Stevenson said. “She won’t want anything too heavy now. Why don’t you have some juice?”

  “I will, but first I need to run over and tell Maya that the match is on.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Can you believe the look on Maya’s face after that first serve?” laughed Jason.

  “Hi, kids,” Mrs. Stevenson said.

  “Hi, Mom,” Emily acknowledged her mother. “Yes, it was priceless. I wish I had gotten a picture of it.”

  “What are you talking about, how did Brea do?” Mrs. Stevenson asked.

  “She won, six-four,” Jason said.

  “That’s great. Didn’t you say the other girl is a professional?”

  “Yes, but Brea was classic. She comes up and greets Maya all little girl like.” Jason said. “Oh, it’s so nice to meet you. Matt says you’re a professional. What tournaments have you played in?”

  “Then Maya says Brea can have the first serve,” Emily said. “So Maya sets up right on the baseline.”

  “Isn’t that a little close?” asked Mrs. Stevenson.

  “Maya would sure agree now. She sets up and stares Brea down. Brea serves the ball right down the outside line, and Maya is, like, making a move to it, when it goes by her. You could see her going, ‘Where did it go’?” Jason laughed, as he mimicked looking for the ball.

  “Yes, then Brea set up for the next serve. Maya backed off the baseline a foot or so, and Brea served one of those top-right spinners. I swear that ball made a right turn when it hit the centerline. Maya swung into open air a foot off,” Emily added. “She managed to get a racket on Brea’s next serve, but she was so rattled, her game was really off. Brea won the game at fifteen. Then Maya gets set to serve and what do you think Brea does?”

  Mrs. Stevenson gave a shrug.

  “She set up right on the baseline, bold as brass. Maya decides she needs to teach Brea a lesson, so she really lays into the serve. Of course it goes long and she winds up double faulting. On the next point, she serves it so easy, Brea didn’t have a problem passing her with a winner.”

  “Priceless head game by Brea,” Emily laughed. “Maya finally settled in, but with a two point handicap she lost the game. After that they played even, but Brea had the break, so it was curtains.”

  “Where is Brea?”

  “She’s out there talking with Maya,” Matthew said. “She gets it handed to her by Brea, and now they’re talking like best friends.”

  “You have to be able to shrug it off if you’re going to compete at that level,” Mrs. Stevenson said. “Carl and I are off to play golf this morning. What are you kids going to do?”

  “We’re going to Lanai and hang out, do some shopping,” Emily said. “Maybe lie out at the beach.”

  “Okay, remember we have the Luau tonight, so don’t eat too much and don’t stay too late.”

  “Yes, Mother,” Emily said.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Good evening, welcome to the Kapalua Luau. May I have your tickets? Mr. Stevenson, your table is right here in front. You’ll have an excellent view of the show later. Noelani will be your waitress.”

  Everyone followed Noelani to the table; with ten people they filled a whole table by themselves.

  “Right in front of the stage,” Jeffrey said. “Cool.”

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Two Mai-Tais,” Mrs. Stevenson said, ordering for Mr. Stevenson and herself.

  “And Hawaiian punch all around,” Mr. Stevenson said.

  “Anything else?”

  “That will be it for now.”

  “If you are interested, you can walk over to the fire pit. They will be taking the pig out in about five minutes.”

  “I’ve got to see this,” Jason said. All the kids except Alex got up to follow Jason over to the fire pit.

  “You’re not coming?” Emily asked Alex.

  “No, I prefer to only see my food when it’s on a serving dish or my plate. Anything before that is just uncivilized,” Alex said in her best upper-crust English accent.

  “That pig looked delish,” Brianna told Alex when everyone returned.

  “Good, I do like pulled pork,” Alex said.

  “Kids, it’s a buffet, you should read the menu to get ready so you’ll know what everything is,” Mrs. Stevenson said.

  “Folks, the buffet is open,” Noelani said.

  “Tyler, what did you get?” Emil
y asked, looking at his plate askance after everyone returned from the buffet.

  “I got the Kalbi beef and the pulled pork along with the Hawaiian rice,” Tyler said.

  “No vegetables?”

  “I have to save room for dessert,” Tyler laughed. “Did you get any meat?”

  “Yes, I’ve got some of the Hibachi chicken,” Emily said. Her plate was sparsely filled with the kale salad, chicken, and steamed vegetables. “I want to have room for dessert, too.”

  “Is anyone trying the poi?” Alex asked.

  “I have just a little bit,” Matthew replied. “I’ve heard it’s pretty plain, but I wanted to at least try it.”

  “Alex, you did get the pork,” Jason said.

  “I told you I like pork,” Alex replied. “I just don’t like my food to look at me before I eat it. I hate it when they serve whole fish. I always make the waiter remove the head for me.”

  “That is kind of gross,” Brianna said, “its sad eye looking at you.”

  “If it’s a flat fish, it would be sad eyes,” Matthew joked.

  “How do you ask the waiter?” Jason asked. “Or do you just say, ‘off with his head’?”

  “A real comedian,” Alex retorted.

  After they ate, the Stevenson table was the first to be led to the dessert table.

  “Triple chocolate mousse cake doesn’t sound very Hawaiian,” Matthew said, as he noticed that all the girls had selected that as their dessert.

  “Well, pineapple upside down cake doesn’t sound very traditional either,” Brianna said, “but a girl has to have her chocolate.”

  “Yes, man cannot live by chocolate alone, but a woman can,” Alex said.

  “Everyone, get settled in. The entertainment is about to start,” Mrs. Stevenson said. “Those of you on that side of the table are going to want to turn your seats around.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the traditional hula was brought to Hawaii by the Polynesian settlers, our ancestors. As you see here, it is a smooth, rhythmic dance where the movements of the hands and hips tell a story. Please enjoy.”

  The six women who were dancing were dressed in flowered silk skirts with matching tops. Their hips moved slowly to the soft drums being played.

  “I really like this,” Emily said. “We should take lessons.”