Emilia saw his face and grabbed his shoulders. She looked him straight in the eye. “You’re going to be great,” she said. “Remember everything Kai taught you and just have fun!”
Alfie took a deep breath and nodded. Emilia was right. It wasn’t like he’d even known this was going to happen—he should just have fun with it!
Emilia and their new friends cheered at the top of their lungs when Alfie’s name was called and he paddled into the surf. He waited for the surfer ahead of him to ride his wave and then got ready to catch his own wave. A wave came and he paddled hard to get on top of it, but he wasn’t fast enough, so he treaded water, waiting for another one. Then he saw one that looked perfect. Even over the rushing sound of the water, he thought he heard Kai yelling at him to go for it. So Alfie dug his arms into the water, paddling fast. He felt the wave behind him and popped up into a solid stance. He wavered several times, but stayed upright on the board. He even managed a slight turn as he rode the wave into shallow water.
He heard his name called over the intercom system again, and the crowd clapped for him. He felt great! And more importantly, it was fun.
They waited for a few more surfers to finish the round, and then the judges tallied the scores. Alfie’s score wasn’t high enough to qualify him for the next round, but he didn’t care. After all, it was only the third time he’d ever surfed! The contest organizer came over and held out an envelope to Alfie. “Thanks for competing!” she said.
Inside the envelope was a ribbon with WEST MAUI JUNIOR SURF COMPETITION PARTICIPANT written on it and fifty dollars in cash!
Uncle Gene gave Alfie a big hug. “Way to go!” he said. Then he pulled Emilia in for a hug, too. “I should get back up to the kitchen. Thank you both again for your help with the luau. I couldn’t have done it without you and your amazing banana bread recipe.”
“We loved it. It was really fun!” Emilia said.
“Good. And don’t forget, you’re ohana now.” Uncle Gene smiled and waved as he headed back to the resort.
Next Kai pulled Alfie under his arm and ruffled his dark hair with his fist. “Nice job, bro. I still can’t believe you did that!”
“Thanks.” Alfie grinned.
“I gotta go get ready,” Kai said. “I’ve got back-to-back lessons today.”
“We’ll come help you this afternoon,” Jacob told Kai. “We thought we’d take Alfie and Emilia to old Lahaina town first.”
“You guys have done so much for us already,” Emilia said. “Are you sure you can spare the time?”
“Absolutely,” Jacob said, looking at Emilia with soft eyes. “We’re happy to.”
Alfie saw that Emilia was blushing again.
They walked back to the resort and hopped on a shuttle bus to take them to the center of town.
It was a short ride on the shuttle bus, and soon they were pulling up to the old town square.
“Whoa. Look at that tree!” Alfie cried as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. The entire town square was shaded by an enormous tree with branches extending out in all directions. There were even sections where more roots had sprouted from branches and anchored to the ground away from the main trunk. It was the biggest, coolest-looking tree Alfie had ever seen.
“That’s the banyan tree,” Lana told him. “It was brought all the way from India in the late eighteen hundreds.”
“And it’s been here ever since?” Alfie asked.
“Yep.”
They walked under the giant branches of the banyan tree. Alfie turned in circles looking at it from all angles.
“Like Kai said before, this used to be the center of the Hawaiian government back in the eighteen hundreds,” Jacob said. “People came here from all over the world—especially because of the whaling they used to do.”
Emilia looked stricken. “But they don’t hunt whales anymore, right?”
“Definitely not!” Jacob said. “Now the big business is whale watching.” He gestured across the street at the row of sandwich boards advertising all the different whale- watching trips you could take from the Lahaina pier.
“Hey, we should get some fish tacos from that little stand,” Lana suggested. “Does that sound good?”
“Yes!” Alfie replied instantly. He had definitely worked up an appetite after surfing that morning.
They crossed the street and found a vendor selling fresh mahimahi tacos. Lana and Jacob ordered two tacos with a dollop of pineapple salsa on top for each of them.
“Wait!” Alfie said, digging in the pocket of his board shorts. He pulled out the envelope with his surf winnings in it and handed some cash to Lana.
“That’s okay,” Lana said.
“No, please,” Alfie replied. “You guys have done so much for us. We have to be able to thank you somehow!”
Jacob and Lana smiled. “Thanks!”
The four friends sat on a bench under the banyan tree while they enjoyed their tacos. The fish was so fresh, Alfie wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been caught that morning. After a while, Lana stood up. “I guess we should head back to the resort and help Kai with all the lessons he has booked this afternoon. Are you guys coming?”
Alfie looked at the boats across the street. “We might try to do a whale-watching trip first.”
“You definitely should,” Lana said.
“Will we see you back at the resort?” Jacob asked, catching Emilia’s eye.
“Maybe . . . ,” Alfie said. He really wasn’t sure if they’d make it past Frank again or when their adventure might be coming to an end.
“I hope so,” Emilia added. “But if not, thank you both again for everything. We’ve had such a great time.” Emilia hugged Lana and then hesitated before hugging Jacob. Her cheeks were bright red.
“Okay,” Lana said. “Well, hopefully we’ll see you later.”
“Mahalo!” Alfie called as Lana and Jacob headed across the square where a resort shuttle was loading up.
Alfie looked at Emilia, unsure what to say. He thought she looked sad. “I know something that will cheer you up,” he said finally.
“What?” she asked.
He led the way down the street past the fish taco vendor to another vendor he’d spotted earlier. It was a cart selling Hawaiian shave ice. Alfie gestured toward the cart, and Emilia smiled. “Okay, you’re right,” she said.
“Two rainbow flavors, please,” Alfie told the man.
“Would you like a scoop of ice cream in the bottom of your cup?” the man asked.
“Yes, please!” Alfie said. “Even better.”
The man handed back two cups overflowing with ice shaved off a large block and colored in a rainbow of blue, red, yellow, and green. Alfie paid with his surf money, and they headed toward the waterfront to watch whales while they enjoyed their frozen treat.
Alfie crunched on a raspberry-flavored icy bite. “This has been a pretty incredible trip,” he said.
“It has,” Emilia responded. “I’m going to have a lot to write about in my journal when we get home.”
Alfie smiled. He’d gotten Emilia a journal for her birthday to write about all their adventures. It made him happy to think of all the pages she’d be able to fill in from their time in Hawaii.
“I wonder when we’ll be going back home,” Alfie said between bites.
“Good question,” Emilia said. “We should definitely do one of the whale-watching tours today. It would make up for the disastrous one we took a few summers ago. Remember?”
Alfie almost spit out his bite of shave ice. “I remember. The water was so choppy, and we were all seasick. I swear Mom’s face was green!”
“Yeah, like the color of this shave ice,” Emilia added.
Alfie laughed and took another bite. Just then he felt the air shift around him, and his stomach did a flip—almost like being on a boat in the wave
s . . .
Alfie blinked a few times, and his eyes came into focus on Zia in their kitchen.
“I know we’ve just made banana bread, but I thought we could make some popcorn and watch a movie,” Zia said, smiling at them with a bit of a twinkle in her eye.
Alfie looked at Emilia and exchanged a grin.
Zia added vegetable oil and popcorn kernels to a large, heavy pot on the stove. “Emilia, would you mind grabbing a TV tray from the garage?” Zia asked.
“I’ll do it!” Alfie offered.
“Thanks,” Emilia said, opening the garage door for Alfie. “Let me know if you need any help.”
When Alfie came back into the kitchen with the TV tray, Zia just stood and stared at him and Emilia.
“What?” Emilia laughed.
“It’s just that you two seem to be getting along much better,” Zia said, still looking surprised.
“We are,” Alfie told her. “All thanks to you!”
“Me?” Zia asked. “What did I do?”
“We had the best time in Maui, Zia,” Emilia said. “I learned to hula dance, Alfie learned to surf, we helped with a luau . . .”
“And made new friends,” Alfie added.
Zia laughed as she removed the pot of freshly popped popcorn from the stove and transferred it to a bowl, sprinkling salt over the top. “I just love that you both have such vivid imaginations.”
“Zia!” Alfie and Emilia both cried.
Zia winked at them and picked up the bowl of popcorn and some napkins. Alfie and Emilia followed her into the family room.
“Now I definitely know what state to write my history report on—Hawaii.”
“Oh?” Zia asked.
“It’s just so unique and diverse—all those cultures coming together to create such cool foods and traditions. I think it’s the most interesting state in the whole country.”
“But you haven’t visited them all yet,” Alfie said, grabbing a handful of popcorn.
“That’s true,” Emilia said. “There are a lot of states I haven’t even seen . . .”
“I guess we just need to keep going on adventures, then,” Alfie said, grinning at Zia.
Zia nodded. “Visiting new places is the best way to learn and grow in all areas of your life. Each time you travel, you not only learn something about a new place, you learn something about yourself.”
Alfie and Emilia were quiet for a minute as they thought about this. Zia was totally right! They’d learned a ton of stuff about Maui and Hawaiian culture, but they’d also learned how important it was for them to get along and work together.
“I’ve learned how much I like surfing!” Alfie said, breaking the thoughtful mood.
Zia and Emilia laughed. “Well, in honor of your newfound love of surfing, I have the perfect movie for us to watch,” Zia said.
“Really?” Alfie asked. “What is it?”
“It’s called The Endless Summer,” Zia told him. “It’s a fantastic surf documentary from the sixties, and it’s one of my favorite movies of all time.”
“Is it filmed in Hawaii?” Emilia asked.
“Part of it. It follows a group of surfers around the world in search of the best waves and the best weather.”
“That sounds awesome!” Alfie said. “What are we waiting for?”
Zia laughed again. “The DVD should be in the cabinet.”
Alfie hopped off the sofa and skidded over to the TV cabinet. He searched through a couple of stacks of DVDs and finally found The Endless Summer. He opened the DVD case, and tucked inside was a small photo. Alfie pulled the photo out of the case and held it up. It was Zia from many years ago. She was posing on the beach in a bathing suit. A tall Hawaiian man stood next to her with his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. His other arm was arched around a surfboard that stood upright in the sand. He had a big, friendly smile and warm dark eyes. Alfie stared at the photo a while longer. The man next to Zia looked like a younger version of Uncle Gene—he was sure of it!
Alfie jumped up from the carpet and ran over to the sofa where Zia and Emilia sat. “Look!” he said, showing them the photo.
“Is that . . . ?” Emilia started to ask with wide eyes.
“It’s Uncle Gene!” Alfie said, unable to control his excitement. “It has to be!”
“You were friends with Uncle Gene?” Emilia asked, getting just as excited as Alfie. “He was so nice, Zia. We loved him!”
“Yeah, and he told us we are ohana,” Alfie added.
Zia stood up and went over to the DVD player. She slid the disc into the machine and returned to the sofa. A smile was beginning to form on the edges of her lips. “Such vivid imaginations,” she said finally.
“Zia!” Alfie and Emilia protested again.
Zia settled on the sofa between Alfie and Emilia, and put the bowl of popcorn on her lap. The movie started, and Alfie was soon swept away by the amazing surfers and their quest. But he couldn’t help sneaking an occasional glance at Zia, wondering where their next adventure might take them.
A Note from Giada
There is something about Hawaii . . . for one thing, it’s the food, with its bright, sweet, exotic fruits, and its savory dishes like slow-roasted kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, and, of course, poi! But more than that, it’s the feeling I get when I’m there. The sun is big and bright, the people are so happy and friendly, the air is clean and pure. When you live in Los Angeles like I do, it’s a very quick trip to Hawaii, and I love hopping over there to relax, surf, swim in the ocean, and even snorkel and see all the beautiful, vibrant fish.
One thing that I really love is all the “aloha”s you hear while you’re there. It’s one of those words that you don’t just say—you smile and almost sing it. It just makes you feel good! In Italian, we say “ciao” for both hello and good-bye, just like they use “aloha” to mean both in Hawaii. Aloha means many things: hello, good-bye, peace, compassion. And when I see my good friends or my family, and we say “ciao” to one another, I feel that same thing. It’s more than a greeting. It’s a little burst of sunshine, a wish for happiness in their day.
Hawaii is one of my favorite places to visit, and I am so excited to share it with you!
And now, a taste of the next book in the series, Recipe for Adventure:
Miami!
“How about a lunch break?” Zia asked.
“Yes, please!” Alfie and Emilia said in unison. Alfie, as usual, was starving, and he knew Emilia was looking for any excuse to take a break from her routine.
“Great,” Zia said.
Zia put her arm around Emilia and led her into the kitchen. Alfie followed close behind. Emilia was still quiet. “I know you’ll figure it out,” Zia told her. “Don’t get so down on yourself.”
Emilia nodded and managed a small smile.
Alfie took his usual place at the kitchen island and waited for Zia to assign him a task. Zia opened the refrigerator and pulled out honey mustard, butter, some deli meat, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, and arugula. “What are we making, Zia?” he asked.
Zia took some whole wheat rolls out of the bread box on the counter. “We are making Cubano sandwiches—with an Italian twist.”
“Cubano?” Emilia asked. “As in Cuban?”
“That’s right!” Zia answered.
“I’ve never had a Cuban sandwich before,” Alfie said. “Let alone an Italian Cuban sandwich!”
Zia laughed. “Well, you’re going to love my version.”
Zia put the cutting board on the counter and sliced each of the long wheat rolls in half horizontally. Then she pulled a couple of dill pickles out of the jar and cut those into long thin slices as well. She slid the bread toward Emilia. “Spread some honey mustard on each half of the roll. Then Alfie, you add a slice of Swiss cheese to the bottom half.”
“Okay,” Emilia and Alfie said.
Once their ingredients were added, Zia piled several pieces of meat on each sandwich.
Alfie, Emilia, and Zia worked on their sandwich assembly line. Alfie’s stomach growled loudly. “I like Cuban sandwiches already,” Alfie said. Zia laughed.
“The first time I had a Cuban sandwich was . . . ,” Zia started.
“In Cuba?” Emilia offered.
“Nope, in Miami. There’s a very big Cuban population in Miami.”
“When were you in Miami, Zia?” Emilia asked.
“I’ve been there several times,” Zia replied. Zia hadn’t only sent Alfie and Emilia on adventures all over the world, she had traveled a ton herself—exploring places from South America to China and everywhere in between.
“Wow!” Alfie said. “You must really like Miami.”
Zia smiled. “I do! Miami is warm and sunny, and the beaches are beautiful. And since it’s so close to the Caribbean, there’s a lot of great food and culture there.”
“My social studies teacher told us that more people speak Spanish in Miami than English,” Emilia said.
“She’s right,” Zia said. “I definitely learned some Spanish in Miami. Sometimes it feels like you’re in a Latin American country because the influence of those cultures is so strong there. Miami is very proud of its multiethnic heritage.”
“That’s cool,” Alfie said. “I bet it would be a lot more fun to learn Spanish in Miami than in Mrs. Vega’s class.”
“Being surrounded by a language every day is a pretty quick way to pick it up,” Zia said.
Zia added the top to the last sandwich and pressed each one down. Then she put a pat of butter in the skillet along with a drizzle of olive oil. She turned on the heat and Alfie watched the butter and oil melt together and start to bubble.
“Hand me two of our sandwiches, Alfie,” Zia said. “The pan’s almost ready.”
Hawaii! Page 7
