c. 2024 Rod Ice
All rights reserved
(6-24)
Anakoni Aka was completely out of place at Evergreen Estates. He had come to Ohio a year earlier, to visit the Cleveland Clinic in search of treatment for a rare heart defect. A journey that was long and tedious. His miraculous recovery thrilled everyone, both in Hawaii where he had been born, and in his new sanctuary by Lake Erie. But once the challenge of his health crisis had been overcome, he realized that money for a return trip did not exist. This predicament left him stranded temporarily in a climate where winters could be severe and bone-chillingly harsh. He did not know anyone other than members of the hospital staff. But a sympathetic nurse named Lulu McCann offered to help him find lodging in the Buckeye State. She was petite and pretty and had hair like cotton candy, tied in a red bandana. Her voice soothed him and brought a sense of calm that he desperately needed.
When she spoke about living in an eastern county known as Geauga, it did not register. He knew almost nothing about local townships, villages, or cities. So, her offer of help in finding a place to stay while he sorted out his personal life was welcome. He hitched a ride in her Chevy Colorado pickup, which was painted maroon, with a Confederate flag on the front. The emblem seemed unfamiliar to him, an oddity that he thought must have been a reference to ‘The Dukes of Hazard.’ He recalled seeing reruns on YouTube, while recovering from his cardiac procedures.
Their trek through the suburbs, and into rural lands outside of the metropolitan area went quickly. Lulu had a lead foot on the road. She whooped and yelped to Country tunes on her in-dash stereo. And cheered when they reached Pine Trail Road, in Thompson Township.
It was then that Anakoni realized where his adopted companion from the clinic actually lived. Her residence was a singlewide boxcar, situated in a dusty, dirty mobile-home oasis called Evergreen Estates. A community that looked forlorn and forgotten. The sort of place where modern mores and habits meant little to anyone.
When they pulled into her narrow driveway, feral cats scattered off the porch. A fence constructed from pallet wood marked the borders of her rented lot. She had a flower garden growing inside of a truck tire, in her front yard. And various sets of wind chimes and spinners made from two-liter pop bottles hanging along her outside roof.
“This ain’t no mansion, buddy! But it’s where I grew up. Going to college got me hooked on medical assisting. Then I continued my education, and found a gig in the city. The pay is good, and I like helping people. Y’all know my roots are out here though, both parents came over the river from Kentucky. They moved out of Cincinnati to Cleveland when Dad got hired at a steel mill. All those jobs are gone now, and so are my folks. But I’m still here! And by God, I’m going to stay here!”
Her Hawaiian pal rubbed his eyes and groaned out loud.
“That’s lolo, brah! I’ve seen pictures of neighborhoods like this... shantytowns in Hati or Jamaica or places like that...”
Lulu shrieked and cackled at his candid remark.
“SHANTYTOWN? WELL HECK, I NEVER THOUGHT OF MY TRAILER PARK LIKE THAT! BUT I GUESS YER RIGHT, DUDE! THIS DEFINITELY AIN’T AN EXCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD! EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY ELSE! BUT WE DON’T SCREW WITH EACH OTHER! CAMPFIRES GO ON ALL SUMMER, AND THERE’S ALWAYS COLD BEER IF Y’ALL WANT ONE OR NEED ONE!”
Anakoni shook his head in disbelief.
“Shoots, this looks a hillbilly hale! Kind of cozy though, quieter than living downtown, by the clinic...”
He had barely finished making his observation when gunfire began to echo across the development. Shotgun and rifle blasts split the silence. The violent noise made him flinch and then jump behind her pickup truck, defensively.
Lulu stood, hands on her hips, and let out a squeal of wild amusement.
“DANG BUSTER, Y’ALL ARE SKITTISH AS HELL! DON’T GET YER SHORTS IN A BUNCH, SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE OUT HUNTING IN THE WOODS! IT’S WHAT WE DO OUT HERE FOR FUN, RIGHT? UNLESS THERE’S NASCAR OR WRASSLIN’ ON THE TV! IT KEEPS US FROM GETTING BORED!”
Her exiled friend seemed lost between worlds. Yet he was good natured about being so far away from home.
“Howzit feel living with all these guns around though? Don’t you worry about your keiki running the streets? You know, little kids?”
The clinic nurse shook her head and frowned.
“I’m a lot more worried about folks carrying heat in the city, man. Out here, people protect their shit. That’s like an unwritten law with citizens of our park. We don’t have much crime, anybody who trespasses is likely to get popped! Might be a warning, just a kick in the teeth. If things go further, then anything can happen!”
Anakoni gulped hard. He really wanted to get a plane ticket back to his island paradise. But he trusted the feminine wisdom of his benefactor.
“That sounds like opala to me, wahine! Trash talk, girl! Somehow though, I figure you aren’t exaggerating...”
Lulu opened her refrigerator, which was stocked with bottles of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and Bud Light. She had already managed to peel off her uniform shirt.
“Hey, y’all wanna drink? I need to relax, dude! That was a long-ass day at the hospital. Tomorrow, I’ll look on the computer, maybe there’s a deal on airline tickets. I’ll do my best. Yer homies on the islands must be freaking out. I’m an only child but my fam still keeps in touch. Blood matters, right? It matters to me, anyway!”
The Hawaiian refugee glowed with gratitude. He twisted the cap on a bottle of brew, and began to drink. The cool refreshment eased his mood, immediately.
“For a haloe chick, you are a godsend. I’m in your debt. You took kuleana for me, you know, responsibility. I was screwed! Thanks, sistah! Maybe someday you’ll come visit the islands, I’ll show you around! It’ll be a good time. I promise!”
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