Chapter 26

During the third week of January 1976, the Turners returned to Hawaii for vacation. This time they flew directly to Hilo International Airport. Once again, Kepa Kekoa met them at the airport, this time as a friend and business partner. Kepa helped them gather their baggage and led them out to a sparking clean white passenger van. ‘Hokulii Inn - The Lovers Paradise’ was painted on the side of the van, as was an artistic rendering of Kilauea Volcano. Kepa and Jake yakked as Kepa drove the thirty miles to the edge of the Volcano National Park. They pulled up into the courtyard of the Hokulii, and Kepa, bursting with excitement, welcomed them to his resort.

The Turner clan made appreciative noises as Kepa led them into the main lodge. The lodge housed the reception desk, a nice sized lobby, and a first class restaurant. The large open space had high ceilings that were supported by large columns of laminated redwood. The staff was friendly, gracious, and efficient. It was obvious that Kepa knew his stuff and ran a first rate establishment. Jake went to the desk to check in while Kepa sat and talked with the women.

When Jake turned around to head back to where they were sitting, he almost had a heart attack. Kepa was standing by a big man who was nonchalantly tossing baby Jacob up in the air and catching him. Jake started to run over to them when he noticed that Melissa was calmly talking to the man and Kepa, both Melissa and Kepa seemed unconcerned with what was happening. Melissa was a fiercely protective mother, Leslie called her Mama Pitbull, and, if she was not concerned, Jake knew there was not a problem.

Jake walked over to the group and Kepa made the introduction. “Jake, this is my uncle, Kaneakua. He’s the Kahuna around here. In the Hawaiian sense of the word, he’s a holy man. Uncle Kane helped site the lodge and the cabins so they would be in harmony with the land, then blessed them in the Hawaiian tradition.”

Kaneakua tucked the still-giggling baby under his left arm and held out his right hand to Jake. His large paw engulfed Jake’s hand with a firm grip. Kaneakua Paoa Kekoa was a big, robust man, an inch or so taller than Jake’s six-three. He had long sinewy limbs and the biggest hands and feet Jake had ever seen. His close-cropped hair was black, shot through with silver. Jake guessed that the hail and hardy Kahuna was maybe in his early fifties. He was an imposing man but he radiated kindness and robust good humor. Jake liked him before he ever said a word.

“Good to meet you, Jake. You have a fine son and beautiful women, you are a lucky man,” Kaneakua said.

“Thank you, Sir. I marvel every day at my blessings.”

“Call me Uncle Kane,” he said, handing Jake the baby. “I have to go but I’m sure we will meet again. I am here every day.”

Kane clapped Jake on the back, gave the women a slight bow, and strode out the door.

“Nice man,” Jake commented.

“I’ll say,” a slightly flushed Trish said fervently.

Kepa showed them to the cabin he had reserved for them. Jake smiled when he saw that it was set up as they liked. The unit had two bedrooms, one with a king sized bed, and a large open room with living-room and efficiency kitchen. The Turners settled into the room and Melissa put Jacob down for a nap. The older women dug the muumuus they bought last trip out and slipped them on then called down to the lodge for a car. Leslie had out grown the outfits from their last visit so Trish and Melissa were taking her to town to buy some new ones.

Jake put on shorts and one of the aloha shirts they gave him last visit and sat on the lanai reading. Jake had finally slogged his way through Quo Vadis and had picked up a paperback copy of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions. It was a much easier read. Vonnegut’s sparse prose and humor made the pages fly by. He finished the book and was down on the floor goofing around with Jacob when his wahines came tripping in, loaded down with shopping bags. Baby Jacob was almost walking, now. He could stand on his own for a few seconds before he tottered over and was pulling himself up on the furniture. He scared the crap out of Jake as he kept doggedly getting up and falling down.

“We bought the cutest things for you and Junior,” Melissa gushed.

Uh-oh, more clothes he had no choice but to wear. Melissa and Trish started pulling clothes out of the bags as Leslie took her loot into the bedroom to change. Melissa finally rooted out her prize for him. It was probably the most garish shirt he had ever seen. The shirt was black with palm trees, white orchids, and, of all things, big pink flamingos. The shirt was so loud it needed a volume control.

Melissa held the shirt out to him triumphantly and he forced a smile as he took it from her.

“How did you know I loved flamingos?” he said wryly.

“I knew you’d like it, and look, I have one for Jakey also. You can be twins at supper.”

Sure enough, she had a miniature version of the shirt for their son. Baby Jacob’s reaction was anything but forced. He grabbed the shirt from his mom and started trying to pick the flamingos off it as he gave excited commentary in his best blah, blah babytalk.

Jake changed into his new shirt as Melissa put Jacob’s on him. When Leslie came out they all went to dinner. Jake was glad it was dusk outside because the shirt was so bright it would have caught fire in the sunlight. Tonight was a luau night at the Hokulii so the place was packed with guests from other hotels in the area. The large deck was set up to seat at least a hundred people and most of the tables not reserved for Hokulii guests were full. Every one was watching a group of men in traditional garb pull a couple of pigs out of a banana leaf covered pit. Jake’s saliva glands went to work as soon as the aroma of roast pork reached his nose. Real meat - and Melissa would have to let him eat it or risk being impolite.

Kepa saw them and made his way over.

“Dude, that is a very cool shirt,” he said as Melissa nodded and beamed.

The luau was excellent and Jake made the most of the rare opportunity to scarf some meat. Leslie stayed right with him as they studiously ignoring the looks they were getting from Melissa and Trish. Kahuna Kaneakua strolled over, pulled up a chair, grabbed the baby out of his stroller, and chatted with them as Jacob poked and prodded his face. By nine o’clock, both Leslie’s and the baby’s eyes were drooping. Leslie said she would tuck Jacob in and then hit the rack herself.

Jake and Melissa left thirty minutes later, strolling across the grounds hand-in-hand. Trish stayed, engrossed in conversation with Kane. Jake and Melissa made it back to the cabin and, sure enough, both the baby and Leslie were out like a light.

“Let’s sit out on the lanai and look at the stars a while, ok, Baby?” Melissa suggested.

Jake nodded as they slipped out the back door. The lanai had two of those big round papasan chairs with cushions. Jake plopped into one and pulled Melissa into his lap. She snuggled against him and sighed contentedly. As they sat there quietly, Jake once again thought about what an amazing creature his wife was. She was without a doubt the smartest person he had ever known. She was rich and movie star beautiful, yet she was unassuming and seldom flaunted her looks or money. She was content doing even the simplest of things with those she loved. Jake was humbled that he was at the top of that list. Melissa made no bones about the fact that she was madly in love with her husband.

Jake thought back on how the simple act of having been there for her when her father was murdered turned into something as deep as the love they shared. She had led their relationship in the direction of the openness it stood at now, and was happy to take in Patricia and Leslie. She supported his ambitions and did not balk too strenuously at his excursions into baseball, the military, or politics. How in the world could one person have that much going for them?

“What are you thinking about so seriously, Hubby?”

“I’m thinking about how wonderful you are and how maybe you deserve better than me,” he answered truthfully.

“Baby, as far as I’m concerned there isn’t a better than you. You are my man, the father of my child, and my soul mate. When I’m ninety I plan on being right here, sitting in your lap, hoping you’ll cop an old geezer feel.”

Jake did cop a feel as he slid his hand up under her muumuu. He helped her shed the white panties with pink hearts she wore and balanced the chair as she maneuvered around to impale herself on his stalk. Her long loose dress billowed over his lap hiding their connection. The chair was very comfortable as she sat on him, her knees on either side of his thighs. She did not move, he did not move, they just sat there enjoying being joined.

“I’m thinking we need one of these chairs at the ranch, Hubby. I could ride you like you were Secretariat at the Derby. Did you see Trish checking out the Kahuna? She says she is interested in his philosophy and why most Hawaiians are so mellow. I think she wants to see if his dick is as big as his feet suggest. And it’s also amazing how Jakey took to him, he is usually leery around all men except for you. God, this feels good. I didn’t really know you liked flamingos.”

Jake nodded every time she paused for breath during her soliloquy. Muffy’s ability to chat about everyday things while screwing without missing a beat had to be the epitome of personalized multitasking. She kept talking as she squeezed him with her internal muscles.

“Doctor Pritchett turned me on to doing these exercises. I practice them at work with a hefty mechanical pencil. Boy, have I had some close calls from being caught. I think about you when I do them and usually can make myself cum. Did you know that Janice and her husband were my lovers once? I told Janice that, now that she was divorced, she should return the favor. I figure her Mercedes is bought and paid for by Jake Turner babies.”

Jake groaned as she told him about the doctor and their not-totally-professional relationship, no wonder Muffy got such good OB/GYN care. Melissa picked up on his heightened arousal from her mention of the doctor.

“So, Hubby likes the idea of a little vintage nookie. Well, she is amazing. She has such good muscle control down there she could pick up a dime off the floor. Snatch it right up, so to speak. Not to mention she sure knows her way around a pussy.”

Jake almost fell out of the chair as he started laughing and cumming at the same time. Melissa put on a little self satisfied smirk. She was the only woman in the world who could make him laugh and cum whenever she wanted.

“That’s right, Hubby, fill me up. I’m off the pill again. Did I mention that to you? I don’t think I’m fertile - yet - but next month I will be for sure. I’m going to Spring Training with you, and work your ball control harder than Billy Martin could even dream about.”

The next day, everyone went to the black sand beach near where the continued lava flow from Kilauea Volcano meets the ocean. Trish and Kane joined them there at noon. Trish had returned to the room from her cultural inquiries at two in the morning and had slept in. The women sat on towels sunning themselves while Jake, the Kahuna, and the baby splashed around at the edge of the ocean. Kane picked up the baby and walked out into the water up to his waist after motioning Jake to follow him. As Jake waded out, he took a good look at the elaborate geometric tattoos that covered most of the Kahuna’s lower body and left side. Triangles were the tattoos’ predominant theme.

“Patricia says you are going to be President one day. She is a Makuahine, wise beyond her years. Jake Turner, if she says you will be Pelekekena I believe her. I hope that you fulfill your dream, my brother, and make the world better. Patricia also told me you are a Kahuna in your own right in a village by the sea in Ireland.”

“Trish seems to have shared a lot with you, Sir,” Jake said.

Kane looked at him and laughed. He was holding baby Jacob in his outstretched arms so that the baby was parallel to the water and just touching it. Jake was transfixed as his son started to dog paddle as Kane supported his weight.

“I do not have designs on your woman, Jake. She loves you and your family. But she is delightful company for an old man. She is a seeker of knowledge, so I am going to teach her how to live as one with nature. I have a feeling you will benefit from her learning.”

Jake told Kane that he was always a willing student and that the native islander’s gracious serenity was worth learning. Baby Jake was splashing around now, only lightly supported by one of Kane’s hands under his belly.

“Babies are born with a connection to the land and water, Jake. Then most cultures work diligently to break that bond in the name of civilization. Look at your son. No one has taught him yet that he cannot be Nai’a, the dolphin - so, he swims.”

There on the beach that day, Kahuna Kaneakua blessed baby Jacob in his native tradition. By the end of the day, the baby had a Hawaiian nickname. Kane dubbed him Iakopa Mo’o - Jacob the Lizard, for the way he scurried around on his hands and knees.

Another thing Jake learned about the Kahuna came as a result of Jake’s curiosity about a strange weapon Kane wore on a leather cord around his waist. When Jake asked about it, Kane said it was a Lei-o-mano, a sharks’ tooth knife.

“Mano, the shark, is my family’s amakua, our spirit guide. My tattoos and my weapon show my family affiliation.”

That explained the triangular theme of his tattoos -- they represented sharks’ teeth. The knife was a fearsome instrument. It looked like a wooden dagger with a guard that wrapped around the hand. The guard was imbedded with sharks’ teeth. It was part of the weapons of Lua, Hawaiian martial arts, Kane explained. Jake expressed an interest in Lua so Kane promised to show him some of it the following day. The demonstration was an eye-opener for Jake. For an easy-going culture, they sure had a bad-ass fighting style. Lua centered on techniques that dislocated joints and close-in fighting that was meant to be quickly deadly. Kane gave Jake some pointers, mildly surprised that the younger man could handle himself as well as he did.

Jake had his twentieth birthday celebration, Hawaiian style, with a big luau at the beach. It was a memorable evening as Kepa’s extended family helped him celebrate. Of course, some of the bajillion Kekoa kin were musicians who played and sang at the party. Leslie wowed them with a couple of songs and the women learned how to hula. Trish and Leslie did well, but surprisingly, Melissa was fantastic at the hip gyrations the native dance required. In no time she had everyone clapping as she rhythmically shook her derriere. When she finished dancing, she fell giggling into Jake’s lap.

“Tonight, if you want, Hubbybear, I’ll do that with you in me,” she whispered hotly in his ear.

“Tonight, my sexy wife, you are going to do that while I’m in your ass and spanking you,” he corrected.

Melissa could cut loose and shake her booty because Kepa’s mother had baby Jacob with her at Kepa’s table. Kepa’s mom was as amazing as his uncle the Kahuna. She was Trish the Dish super-sized and had amazingly red hair. Jake found out from Kepa that Jake was not the only person in the room with Irish blood. Kepa’s ancestry included Irish, Scotch, and Portuguese. Ehu hair was unusual, but not unheard of, among the islanders.

Earlier that afternoon, she had breezed into the Turners’ cabin with Kepa in tow and enchanted them all. The woman picked up baby Jacob and wrapped him up in a quilt covered in dolphins. She held the cooing baby and started chanting in a voice that caused Jake’s flesh to ripple in goose-bumps. Kepa translated for them.

“This is my gift to you, little Iakopa, and here is my blessing upon you. From now on, you are a part of this aina, this land, no matter where you go, a part of you will be tied to Hawaii and the Hawaiian people. I picked Nai’a the dolphin for your amakua spirit because I foresee you being at home in the water,” she said.

Melissa was moved to tears by the act, but the lady was not finished. She pulled flower leis out of the bag that had also held the quilt and hung one around each of the Turners’ necks.

“Ai aloha, welcome to our Ohana, our family,” she said, as she hugged and kissed them. “I am your Auntie Lani from now on.”

Then she gave them all their Hawaiian names, Trish was Pakelekia-Makuahine, Patricia the wise one, Melissa was Maleka-Nani, beautiful Melissa, and Jake was simply Kaikaina, brother. When Kepa pointed out that Lani missed Leslie, his mother was surprised because she had thought Leslie was a wonderful but local girl who worked at the resort. She thought for a minute and dubbed Leslie as Kiakamahine, my daughter.

Melissa, Leslie, and Trish spent a lot of time with Aunt Lani. She quickly had them going native. Uncle Kane had the same effect on Jake who was a pretty laid-back guy anyway. Jake confided a lot to Kane. The Kahuna was the type of guy you trusted instinctively. Jake told Kane all about his Buckley legacy and even about his grandfather visiting his dreams. Kane said it was a very special honor to have your ancestors come back to help guide you.

While the women did whatever a gaggle of women did to amuse themselves, Kane took Jake surfing and exploring both the Big Island and the sea around it. Kane seemed equally comfortable in both realms. Trish spent most evenings with Kane while Leslie and baby Jacob became fixtures at Auntie Lani’s house. Jake and Melissa spent a lot of quality time together strolling along the beach at night or sitting on the lanai watching the incredible night sky put on a show just for them.

Jake, Melissa, the baby, and Leslie were able to remain on the island for another ten days. Trish then stayed another two months learning all she could from Kane. It had been a renewing vacation for them all.

Jake spent the two weeks before spring training working on conditioning and adding five pounds of bulk to his six-three frame. How ironic, he thought, that Debbie filled him with protein supplements instead of letting him eat enough red meat to get the protein. A twist that Debbie had added to his workouts, and that Jake thought really helped, was practicing his delivery to the plate in the pool, waist deep in water. Ten minutes of that was the equivalent of pitching six innings for his lower body, Jake figured.