Free Spirit

Aloha Hibiscus

My phone vibrates and wakes me up. I look out the window, and many feet below us, is water. Sparkling blue-green water. Light waves, a rainbow of bouies, man. This move is just what I needed. I'm only looking at one teeny part of the Pacific Ocean and I'm in love.

"Excuse me?" I glance over to where the kind voice came from.

"Can you please notify your friend here to turn off his phone? We will be landing soon."  I see the phone is on and playing music while he is sleeping.

I nod and as soon as she leaves I poke Jay in the gut. He flinches and soon he opens his eyes. Before I can tell him, the announcer comes on.

"Please shut off all devices as we are preparing to land. Thank you for your cooperation and~~~."

I blurred out the rest as I put my belongings in my carry on. It's a fabric MK bag that I found at a flee market at the airport in NYC. Great bag for $12 bucks. I've been through these kinds of announcements before. I push up my seat, fold in the table, put back the magazines, and sit tight for landing.

*****

My eyes are going back and forth as we walk through the entrance tunnel. It's decorated with hanging paper flowers and leis. Cardboard waves taped to the walls; This really is the Aloha state.

When we walk out of the tunnel, I turn and walk backwards so I can get a good last glance. My mistake, I bump into a flowerpot that's 1/2 the size of me and fall down. When I look up, a little Hawaiian girl is next to me and gives me something. Its a flower. I said thank you as she helped me up. When she ran to catch up to her parents I look over and saw Jay, at a snack stand, with a lei around his neck, drinking a bright orange liquid. As he makes eye contact with me I give him the death stare. He puts everything down and walks over to me.

"So we both got a little distracted.." Jay says.

"Umm, yeah." I respond with a little laugh. 'One more than the other' I'm thinking.

We grabbed our bags and headed to the airport entrance. My cab was waiting; to me, my future is waiting. Jay opens the door for me and I get in. The cab is surprisingly big, and blue. It too is decorated like the Aloha state of Hawaii. I tell the cab driver our destination and in no time flat, we're there.

It's a hotel located right next to the beach. It's beautiful on the outside, unlike the ones in New York.  I was tired of seeing those rusty broken down buildings people call home. I call it crap. Anyway, when I walked in (on the red carpet) I basically hopped to the front desk.

"Mm-hmm. May I help you?" Said the receptionist with a giggle. (I think she could tell I was excited)

"I'd like to check into my room. 527 I believe. The names Stem, Hannah." I'll admit, I was shaking. But not in fear, of excitement. Of what was gonna happen when I walked into that room, open a window, and smell the ocean's water.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry it seems that we might have double booked that room." My heart sank a level. She saw my frown and quickly said,  "Would you like to book a new one or speak to a manager?"

My heart flew up a couple steps. "Yes please."

*****

Jay opens the door for me and the first thing I look for is the bed. I run to it and jump, landing, belly first, on the soft mattress. Then I sit up and look around. The room is HUGE. It's got two desks (which I don't know why, I'm the only one staying here), an amazing walk in closet, a master bathroom, two dressers, a bay window, a full bed, AND SO MANY FLOWERS. Come to think of it, most of them look like the one that little girl gave me. I searched my purse until I found it. Placing it next to the others, I see there's a tag on them. Hibiscus it read. 

"The lady said House Keeping waters the flowers every morning, so don't freak about that. Oh and here are your cards." Jay hands me my room cards. Room 814, ha. Not bad.

I slip one into my wallet and one on the desk. I walk over and sit down at the bay window. Opening a couple of them, I smell the water (salty, but yea..). I get up and walk over to my suitcase and purse. Jays staying one night to help me unpack and adjust and his flight leaves tomorrow at noon. 

Instead of staying to unpack, Jay and I go down to the pier and play some carnival games.  I spend over $15 on the ring toss, but the $3 banana was worth it (only because it wore sunglasses). When we got to the beach, I took off my converse shoes and put on my bottomless sandals. The transition from the wood of the pier to the sand felt so good. To finally feel that Hawaiian sand on my New York feet. I brought my bag and a towel. Running to the water, I take out my towel and lay it down. Putting my heavy bag on the towel, I walk down to the water, and every step got me closer to freedom. By the time my brain turns back on, the water is already up to my knees. I turn around, facing the hotel, and fall back.

I'm watching the sun come up as I'm falling down. It's a new perspective, seeing the sun from Hawaii.