by Karen Badger
“How long will this trip be?”
“If we leave on time, we should arrive in Honolulu before dark. All in all, the trip should take eleven or twelve hours if the weather cooperates.”
“And if the weather does not cooperate?”
“It could be as long as twenty or more hours.”
“Twenty hours?”
“Yes. We need to sail all around Kauai from its northern most point here in Hanalei Bay to Kapa’a, then cut across about a hundred miles of open ocean, and then around the southwestern shores of O’ahu before we reach Honolulu in Mamala Bay on the southern shore. It’s quite a long sail, and the ocean can be treacherous when the waves are high. If we’re lucky, it will be smooth seas, and we’ll get there in a reasonable amount of time.”
***
Frankie walked to the doorway of the cabin and looked at Spencer, who had remained on deck since leaving Kauai.
“Is she still out there?” Leilani asked from where she sat at the table behind her.
“Yes, she is. I’m surprised she doesn’t find shelter. The wind is pretty strong out there,” Frankie replied.
“Her choice.”
Frankie turned to look at Leilani. “Is it? You’ve done nothing to make her feel welcome.”
“I don’t know if I can trust her, Frankie.”
“So in your eyes, she’s guilty until proven innocent. Tell me—what has she done wrong?”
“It’s not what she has done…it’s what she could do.”
Frankie swung around and approached Leilani. She planted her hands firmly on the table and leaned forward. “Listen to yourself. It’s what she could do? Seriously? Since when do you judge someone by what is possible rather than what is real? When I first came to Kauai, there were a lot of things I could have done. As his doctor, I had free access to the chief. I could have done all sorts of harmful things to him…but I didn’t. Did you silently mistrust me as much as you mistrust Red right now?”
Leilani studied her hands on the table before her as she listened to Frankie speak. When the lecture was over, she looked up and met Frankie’s gaze. For a few moments, nothing was said. Finally, Leilani nodded. “You’re right. You’re right—I’ve been unfair. I…I just worry about Papa, and I worry about you.”
Frankie cupped the side of Leilani’s face. “Sweetheart, I love the way you protect us. I love that more than you know, but I’m a big girl who can take care of herself, and your father has plenty of protection around him whenever he is out in public. Lei, you have such a beautiful heart. I hate to see it so full of angst and suspicion, especially when it’s directed at someone who may not deserve it.”
“Red?”
“Yes. Do you know that before we set sail, she asked me who Makenna is? She has no idea.”
Leilani stood and walked to the doorway. Frankie joined her and slipped her arm around Leilani’s waist.
“It must be cold out there. I should probably invite her inside,” Leilani said.
Frankie nodded. “I think that would be appropriate. I’ll prepare a light lunch for the three of us and maybe we can knock this emotional wall down that has risen between us.”
Leilani made her way quickly to the closest railing. The wind blowing as hard as it was made the ship heave up and down through the whitecaps. With a firm grasp on the railing, she slowly made her way to where Spencer stood. When she reached Spencer, she stood beside her and shoulder-bumped her.
Spencer jumped. “Jesus, you scared me!”
Leilani grinned. “Sorry about that. I’m on a mission. Frankie sent me out to get you. She’s making lunch.”
Spencer looked her directly in the eyes. “Frankie sent you out?”
“Okay, I confess. I volunteered. Look, Red, I don’t have an excuse for the way I’ve been behaving around you all day, but I do have an explanation. I promise to tell you all about it, but right now, we need to get out of this weather and in where it’s warm and dry. Boss-lady’s orders. You don’t want to get me fired, do you?”
Spencer entered the cabin and removed her cloak. She ran a hand through her stiff hair. “Damn. I’m covered from head to toe in salt,” Spencer complained.
“It’s from the whitecaps and mist in the air. There’s a basin in the corner of the cabin if you want to wash before we eat.” Franking pointed to a bowl and urn.
“So you two have a cabin of your own?” Spencer asked.
“It helps that my father is the chief,” Leilani replied.
“Sweet!”
Frankie frowned at the odd expression.
“Sweet? What is sweet?”
“The cabin. You know…way cool! Awesome!”
“Does everyone talk as oddly as you where you come from,” Leilani asked.
Spencer dried her face and arms. “Yeah. I guess we do.”
“Come sit down. We have bread, meat and salad for lunch.” Frankie retrieved three wooden plates from the cabinet and filled each one.
Leilani poured three mugs of wine and placed them in the center of the table.
Spencer sat and looked at their feast. “This looks good. Did you bring all of this from home?”
“Yes. Please enjoy it,” Frankie replied.
For the first few minutes, silence prevailed as they ate their lunch. Halfway through, Leilani took a deep drink from her mug and put it on the table beside her plate. “Okay,” she said. “I owe you an explanation.”
“I’m listening,” Spencer said.
“It’s hard to know where to start,” Leilani said. “Maybe a little history will help. More than one hundred and fifty years ago, when the first American traders came to the island, they exploited the people and the land. By the eighteen thirties the sugar trade took root.
“Next, came the American missionaries. They had a profound impact on Hawai’ian culture, and especially on Hawai’ian religion. By eighteen forty, the U.S. Government convinced the rulers to replace the traditional monarchy with a constitutional one, which basically reduced the Hawai’ian monarchs to powerless figureheads.
“What happened next confirmed for many natives that the United States was planning to overthrow the monarchy of Hawaii. In eighteen seventy-three, a little more than ten years ago, the U.S. military suggested they trade Ford Island for a tax-free import agreement of sugar from Hawai’i into the U.S. They argued that Hawai’i was strategically placed for the defense of the west coast of the United States. The U.S. military was willing to do anything to gain control of Pu’uloa, Pearl Harbor. Fortunately for native Hawai’ians, the monarch at the time, whose name was William Lunalilo, objected to selling the island and he officially opposed annexation of Ford Island.
“Then, just three months later—just when we thought Hawaii was safe—Lunalilo drank himself to death. He left no heirs, so the newly established constitutional monarchy elected David Kalakaua as monarch. He still rules today.
“The United States took advantage of the new ruler and pressured him to surrender Pearl Harbor to the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Government was relentless with their pressure on Kalakuau. He traveled to Washington, DC several times to work out a treaty, and finally, between Kalakuau and the U.S. Congress, they agreed to the Reciprocity Treaty of eighteen seventy-five, in exchange for Ford Island, of course.”
Leilani sat back and sipped her wine.
“So, the new monarch agreed to hand them Pearl Harbor for a treaty concerning sugar imports?” Spencer asked.
“Basically, yes,” Leilani replied. “Don’t misunderstand me…the tax-free treaty did result in a sugarcane boom in Hawai’i and a large investment in Hawai’ian sugar plantations, especially by Americans, but many Hawai’ians were concerned it would lead to the annexation of Hawai’i.
“This was supposed to be a seven year treaty. It was set to expire two years ago, but has been re-negotiated on a year-by-year basis for the past two years.”
“It seems to me that both the U.S. Government and the Hawai’ian people benefited from the treaty. Isn’t that a
good thing?” Spencer asked.
“You would think a boom in the sugar industry, which brought economic success to Hawai’i would be a good thing, but here’s the problem: The United States’ President Chester Arthur is in favor of modifying the treaty, and earlier this year, a proposal was sent to the Unites States Senate to extend the treaty for another seven years in exchange for exclusive use of Pearl Harbor by the U.S. Navy.
“The Council of Island Kingdoms is concerned that ratification of this new treaty extension will guarantee the annexation of the Kingdom of Hawai’i to the United States against the will of the Hawai’ian people. They fear that the United States—or forces backed by the United States—will actively remove the island monarchs from power, and take control of the islands.
“So now it is, eighteen eighty-four, and we are in the midst of fear and unrest among the Hawai’ian people. On one hand, they are fearful that we will lose our homeland, our traditions and our way of life if this treaty is extended, but on the other hand, the treaty has brought economic prosperity to the islands and would continue to do so for yet another seven years.”
“It sounds like you’re conflicted about this, Leilani,” Spencer said.
“I won’t deny that is true. There are other benefits to this treaty beside the sugar trade. It would also afford us protection by the United States against hostile invaders. It’s not a black and white issue, unfortunately.”
Spencer sat back and crossed her arms. “So what has this got to do with me? Why would any of this make you think I want to hurt the chief?”
“There are rumors of insurgents who are working against the monarchy. Many natives believe they are being funded by rich Americans. One of the insurgents is named Makenna. She is a ruthless pirate, and she has been hovering on and off in the waters beyond O’ahu for several weeks. The fact that she has apparently appeared to you in your dreams is concerning to me.”
“How do you know she’s one of the insurgents?” Spencer asked.
“She has a reputation for being ruthless. She’s all about winning and taking the prize. Would she commit treasonous crimes if it paid well enough? I think she would. Why else would she be staging such an intimidating presence off-shore?”
“Why don’t you just arrest her?”
“Because she hasn’t committed any crimes in Hawai’i. At least not yet. She’s just waiting out there in the harbor. We can’t arrest her for being a bully unless she does something harmful or illegal. What she is doing, is making a lot of people nervous.”
“I want to meet her,” Spencer interjected.
Leilani stared at her in disbelief. “That is out of the question. Why on earth would you want to do that?”
“If it was her who appeared to me in my dreams, she may be the key to finding out who I am.”
Frankie, who’d been passively listening to their conversation, piped in. “Maybe that’s not a bad idea,” she said.
Leilani turned quickly at the unexpected interruption by Frankie. “What did you say?”
“I said, maybe that’s not a bad idea. What better way to get close to Makenna without her being suspicious that the authorities are on to her?”
“Whoa,” Spencer said. “I’m not sure I want to get in the middle of your political unrest here. I just want to know what connection she has to my dreams.”
Frankie leaned across the table. “Look, Red. If you want a chance to prove yourself, this might be it.”
“It’s too risky, Frankie,” Leilani said. “We could be putting Red’s life in danger here. We have no idea how Makenna would react to her.”
Spencer held her hand up. “No…no, Doc may have a point there. I mean…I’m American. If the insurgency really is being funded by the U.S., that might give me an edge with her. I could approach her like I know she’s one of the insurgents and convince her we’re on the same team.”
Leilani stood up and paced the cabin. “I don’t know about this.” She stopped and looked at Spencer. “What if she doesn’t take kindly to you showing up and invading her space? Can you even defend yourself?”
Spencer reacted like she had been slapped. “Why should I have to defend myself?”
“Because she’s a pirate?” Leilani said sarcastically.
“I…I don’t know. I have no memory of having to defend myself. Maybe I should be armed just in case, although I’m not sure I could shoot someone.”
Leilani paced again. She ran her hands through her hair. “Ugh! The more we talk about this, the more I hate the idea.”
“The idea is to appear as if you can take care of yourself,” Frankie suggested.
“What did you have in mind?” Spencer asked.
Frankie stood and walked to the center of the cabin. “Come here, Red.”
Spencer pushed away from the table and joined Frankie in the center of the room while Leilani stood nearby.
Frankie walked in a circle around her and then stopped in front of her. “Okay. We dress you in leather trousers, knee-high boots, white buttoned shirt and a black vest. You can wear my Bulldog Derringer on your hip.”
“You have a derringer?” Spencer asked incredulously.
“Yes. My father insisted on it when I came to Hawai’i. I always take it with me when we travel…just in case we have to defend ourselves, so as luck has it, I have it with me on this trip. We’ll put it in a holster on one hip, and a sword on the other hip.”
“Wait…a sword?” Spencer asked.
“Yes, of course. She’ll be wearing a sword, so you should too.”
Spencer put her hands on her hips. “Lovely. You’re going to dress me like Errol Flynn.”
“Dress you like who?” Leilani asked.
“Errol Flynn. He was an actor in the nineteen forties. He made a pretty convincing pirate.”
Spencer was met with blank looks from both ladies. She shook her head. “Never mind. Do I get to wear a wide brimmed hat with a feather in it too?” she joked.
Frankie’s eyes opened wide. “That’s not a bad idea!”
“Oh, Jesus,” Spencer moaned.
Chapter 13
The sun trimmed the underside of the clouds with a magnificent array of red, yellow and orange hues as the boat made its final approach toward Honolulu. Spencer stood at the rail and watched as white water exploded against the cliffs of Iroquois Point, awash in red from the setting sun. As they drew closer to shore, she studied the acres of volcanic rock that made the land appears more like a remote planet, than Earth.
“This is amazing,” she said to Frankie, who stood by her side.
“I know. The first time I saw it, it made me cry. It was overwhelming,” Frankie replied.
Spencer fought to see into the growing darkness as they sailed along the coast of the island. “What are those fields?” She pointed to acres upon acres of plants in neat rows planted from the shore, to the top of a volcano.
“They’re most likely sugar cane,” Frankie explained.
Their attention was drawn to the cabin doorway as Leilani called out to them. “How about giving me a hand packing our provisions? We’ll be landing in the next half hour or so.”
“I sure hope the captain can find his way in the dark. I can hardly see my hand in front of my face right now,” Spencer said.
Frankie pointed into the distance. “See that light there? That’s Honolulu Harbor. The closer we get, the easier it will be to see. The captain’s done this a thousand times. Relax.”
“Okay. I’ll try. In the meantime, let’s go pack.”
***
From their perch on the deck, Spencer and Frankie watched the steady stream of workers walking back and forth between the ship’s cargo hold and the dock, each time, laden with a bag or two of produce on their shoulder.
Frankie glanced at Spencer. “You’re pretty quiet.”
Spencer replied without looking at Frankie. “Yeah, well, this isn’t what I was hoping for.”
Frankie placed her hand on Spencer’s. “I’m sorry,
Red. I tried to tell you that Kauai wasn’t in time delay. As you can see, it’s eighteen eighty-four in Honolulu as well.”
“You were right, unfortunately.”
Silence fell between the two women for the next several minutes.
“I’m amazed there is so much activity on the dock this late at night. It’s got to be at least eleven,” Spencer said.
“Commerce never sleeps.” Leilani arrived in time to hear Spencer’s question. “It’s better to do this now than in the heat of the day. Are you ready?”
Spencer hefted the carpet bag she had borrowed from the chief when she moved in with Frankie, and followed her friends down the gangplank to the dock.
Leilani put her bag down next to Frankie. “Wait here while I hire a carriage.”
“So, what are the plans for tomorrow?” Spencer asked.
“Well, Lei has to meet with the council in the morning, so you and I need to go shopping.”
“Right…Errol Flynn. I almost forgot.”
Frankie frowned and opened her mouth to reply just as Leilani returned. “I’ve got a carriage. Let’s go.”
***
The next day, Frankie pushed the door to their room open with her hip. She dropped her bags on the couch in the common room and then returned to the hallway to help Spencer carry the remaining purchases into the room.
“Thanks!” Spencer handed her two of the many bundles she was attempting to juggle. She followed Frankie into the room and pushed the door closed behind her. “I never would have thought when we left this morning that we’d buy so much.”
“We’re going to be here for a week, and maybe longer, depending on how the talks go with the island council. I thought it might be safe to get provisions for the week in one trip.”
Spencer carried two bags of groceries to the kitchen area. “Let me help you put these away,” she said.
Frankie took the bags from her. “No, I’ll do that. I’d like to see you in your new outfits. Why don’t you go try them on while I put the food away?”
