Karbie: Forever Adventures

Super Skipper Sitter

"Here ya go, one large mocha, no foam, extra espresso with a shot of gingerbread syrup"

The blue-haired woman smiled and accepted her caffeinated drink with a "Thanks, Skipper"

Skipper waved as she walked away, "Have a great day, see you later!", then hummed to herself and went back over to the next customer waiting in line, "Welcome to Lotta's Lattes, how can I help you?"

It had been nine months since Skipper Roberts, along with her sister and her self-proclaimed 'unofficial brother-in-law' had moved to the wonderful paradise that is Hawai'i. Nine months of glorious sunrises, sunsets, perfect weather, scuba diving, surfing, and a whole host of other amazing living experiences.

And while Barbie and Ken were busy attending college, Skipper had immediately entered the workforce. Granted, the others also held their own part-time jobs to help pay rent and other necessities (Barbie was a student employee in the journalism department while she worked on her minor and Ken signed up to be a senior lifeguard at their local beach when he wasn't in class), but Skipper had elected to work full time throughout the week. And so far, the local coffee shop, Lotta's Lattes, that served the University of Hawai'i at Manoa was a perfect set-up for the younger girl, offering her a competitive wage, reasonable hours of her choice any time between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm, and a supportive work ethic.

Thus became her routine... She rides to the University with Ken, starts work at 7:30 am while he goes to class, and then the two of them would head home around 4:00 pm, greet Barbie from her own school day. The rest of the evening was up in the air for interpretation depending on their schedule.

Skipper loved it... They all did. It was perfect!

RING DING

"Hey Skip! You almost ready to head home?"

Speaking of...

The brunette girl lifted her head to see Ken Carson strolling in through the front door with a happy-go-lucky smile on his face and a book bag over his back.

Right on time.

He had just finished up his classes for the day. Thankfully, there was only one day a week he had a long evening class, and it was not today.

Serving up the latest drink order, she grinned and nodded as he walked forward to the counter space.

"Yup, just as soon as I finish with this. I have five more minutes. Wanna drink for the road?"

Ken laughed and walked over to the counter, leaning on his elbows. He offered a wink and a finger point, "You mean the long and grueling five-minute drive home? You know it! My usual, please"

"Coming right up!"

Life was going great... the trio of transplants from the mainland couldn't be happier...

****

The Next Morning

"There ya go, one large cappuccino with extra espresso, whipped cream, and two pumps of hazelnut"

"Thanks!", waved the young college student as he turned to walk out the door.

"Bye!", Skipper saluted, turning back to the counter to greet the next customer in line. When she looked over, she saw it was the same lady she had seen multiple times, a regular of the establishment for quite some time. She had long, dark blue hair, and tanned skin that beautifully contrasted a white tank top, and multi-colored floral capris leggings. Over the past six or seven months, Skipper had come to know this woman as 29-year-old Kalei, a native-born Hawaiian resident and education major at the University of Manoa there in Hawai'i; however, there was something noticeably different about today.