Chapter Twelve: A Picture of Himself With God

Aloha’s End
by Michael F. Zangari © 2006 with all rights reserved.
Aloha’s End

Chapter Twelve: A Picture of Himself with God

TrueWest looks at his watch.
It’s newly set to Hawaiian Pacific Time.
The second hand clicks, clicks, clicks forward.
The sun has cleared the mountains. The soft morning light spills into the valleys and floods the land to the coast. It throws highlights and shadows across the bluegreen waters under the volcano crater known as Diamond Head.
In the darkness of the alley the light bleeds in and flickers across the face of the Tiki TrueWest knows is the God Kane.
But he sees Ku.
The expression on the face of the idol seems to change.
The bone china coffee cup glued to his hand glints silvered sand in the places where it is chipped.
First Kane likes his coffee. He is going to have another sip. Then he doesn’t like it anymore. It is bitter. He’s pulling the cup away.
Next he is satisfied and wants more. A broad grin plays sparkles in his wide eyes.
Suddenly the eyes flash with anger. It is Ku again.
The mouth turns in tortured agony.
The tongue protrudes.
He doesn’t want the coffee at all.
He wants tea.
TrueWest is spooked as the shifting shadows change the contours of the god’s face.
He takes his Canon out of its case and takes and shoots a few pictures.
He holds the camera out at arms lengths to get a photograph of himself next to the Tiki.
A Japanese couple is on their way into the restaurant.
They stop and watch him grimace into the lens of the camera.
They wait for him to finish wrestling with it before proceeding into the dark club.
TrueWest takes off his hat and introduces himself.
The couple stops again, looking nervously at one another.
He hands the man his camera.
“Would you mind?” he asks. “It’s for my family back in Texas.”
The Japanese man holds the camera in the palms of his hand like a baby bird.
He looks at it.
“But we not going to Texas” he says. He tries to hand the camera back to TrueWest.
“No. I mean would you take my picture? With my uncle Ku?”
He motions towards the god.
“Ah” says the Japanese man. “You are a tourist.”
The couple looks at each other again. “Yes. I will take your picture.”
“Thank you “says TrueWest.
He steps back and leans against the idol. He crosses on boot toe down over the other on the pavement. He crosses his arms and waits.
The Shadows flicker across him like a strobe, then FLASH.
The bulb goes off.
“Accident” says the Japanese man.
His wife giggles at him.
“Nice going Buddha head” she says.
The man puts the camera strap around his neck, and then cradles the camera in his palms.
The woman makes a smiley face and encourages him to smile.
TrueWest doesn’t want to. People never do. But he does.
A big dopey cowboy grin blossoms as he blushes out.
The Japanese man aims and shoots. The shutter trips.
“One more” says TrueWest.
The camera trips again.
The Japanese man slowly lowers the camera as TrueWest’s pose dissolves.
He hands the camera back.
“Thanks” says TrueWest.
He puts the camera back in its case as the couple walks off hand in hand.