Bliss

𝓞𝓷𝓮

✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾

THE AMERICAN MAN

✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾ × ✾

I spent the majority of my time at an inn that was some one-hundred feet from the ocean in a small Hawaiian town. Pāʻia, one of the most peaceful townships in Maui; was known for its artistic talent and seclusion. A place that was once booming with sugarcane productions had become entirely reliant on tourism.

Hidden Jewels was the only inn located anywhere in town. It sat on top of the most heavily trafficked beach for miles. Still, a whopping fifty people soaked in the salty Pacific water at a time. Pāʻia was one of those everybody-knows-everybody sorts of places. The air was fresh and silky with a faint salty smell– a smell that was both familiar and comforting to all those who inhabited the friendly town.

"Isla, Lani wants to talk to you downstairs," Rosabelle poked her head into the storage closet to deliver the news. She wished me luck before resuming her cleaning duties around the inn.

I had just finished folding a stack of clean white towels when Rose approached. I quickly brushed any loose towel threads off of my uniform before going to find Lani.

"Isla, it is you?" Lani was squinting, trying to make out my figure without putting on her glasses. She was the owner of the inn– a fragile old lady with wiry grey hair that cascaded smoothly down her back. I crouched down in front of her with a small towel in my hands, watching as she rocked noisily in her chair.

"Yes, what is it?" I responded patiently.

Lani smiled brightly, revealing three missing teeth and happy wrinkles under her eyes. "Handsome man on beach, you go to him?" She spoke in a suggestive tone, waggling her eyebrows at me as she placed her hand delicately on top of mine. Despite her poor English, I knew exactly what she was saying. She wanted me to coax the tourist into staying at the inn.

The inn had been slow for the past few months. If Pāʻia received any attention at all, it was usually during the holidays when everyone was enjoying time off of work. The gloomy days of April were not favoured; regardless of the flowers that bloomed gleefully during the rainy season. I nodded lightly at her request and made my way onto the beachfront.

Sure enough, a man lay on the beach with his elbows propped up in the sand behind him. He had dark brown hair that danced freely in the wind. His skin was tan with a slight olive undertone. His shoulders were wide and his forearms were muscular, it made it hard to look anywhere else. He wore a jade green Hawaiian shirt that rustled loosely on his back as the winds gathered beneath his clothing. When I finally approached him, he looked up at me briefly before shifting his gaze back onto the ocean. My toes sunk slowly into the sand as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

"Are you visiting, Sir?" I asked politely.

Without glancing back up at me he said; "I am."

"For how long? Are you looking for a place to stay?"

He covered the sun with his hand as his eyes met mine. "I'm not sure." His voice was unique. The perfect combination of rasp and silk intertwined around his vocal cords– captivating anyone who listened. He sat up slowly with his shoulders slouched forward and his hands resting gently on his lap.

"Well, if you'd like a place to sleep or even a nice warm shower, I'll be just over there," I said in reply, lightly gesturing to the small little building behind us. He nodded and returned his gaze to the ocean once again. I took another second to observe his facial features. His face was chiseled. It was composed of a variety of harsh lines and edges that looked like they were carved by the Gods. His expression, however, remained cold. He hadn't smiled once in the time we spoke. I took his silence as my cue to leave, and I made the short walk back to the inn.