Stepping out of the van onto our new front yard was overwhelming yet welcoming. Having gone from the funeral of my mother, to packing up my entire life in a few days and then flying halfway across the globe, my feet needed to be on firm ground. I could hear the pounding of the ocean against the cliffs behind what I think is the house we are moving into. The wall of loud, large, and dark humans moved in on me quickly. I noticed my cousin running towards me first.
"Hey cuz!" Pono yelled.
He is one of the few small family members. Like me, no one really knows where he came from. Apart from his size, his appearance resembles most of the family but in a spunky little package. Pono and I have been close since we were babies. My Dad's youngest brother visited us often in Belfast, Maine. His wife, a beautiful Tahitian woman, was very close with my mother. They would often canoe out into the ocean until all hours of the night. I always wondered if it scarred my Dad, but it never seemed to. Raina, Pono's mom, was not what many might say "textbook beauty". Instead, she was exotic. She was very tall, like most of our family, and heavier set but she moved like she was floating on air. She was the first person I ever saw hula and if you have never seen Tahitian hula, well you may feel like you are watching an R rated movie with your parents. It is beautiful and exciting all at the same time. The drumbeats start slow and intensify in speed. How Aunty Raina got her body to move the way it did always fascinated me. The fact that she was kind and always engaging us in a new adventure made me love her more.
Pono got in trouble a LOT. He had a very curious personality that oftentimes went to the devious side. He wouldn't hurt a fly, but he loved to make people laugh and often would take it too far. Pono always had a "journey" to embark on. Whether it was trekking through the woods of Maine or surfing the coast of California near my Tutu's house, he always found the epic story to tell when we would return home. I think he got his adventurous side from his mom. She would always yell, "Pono, No Can!" but Pono definitely did, and often.
"Man, this is so cool Pono. Is this where we are staying?" I pointed to the house closest to us both.
"Yea, bra! That's your Pops house from wen his dad passed. Aunty wen kept it for him." Pono always spoke in an excited tone. I don't think the guy ever had a bad day. Even when his Dad gave him the belt, he was still smiling.
"Do you and Uncle and Aunty live close?"
"Yea, down the road a bit. We neighbors!"
"Eh, bra, bring dat haole over to meet the rest of the ohana", yelled Aunty Anuhea.
Pono and I walked towards the large crowd of relatives. I immediately recognized my Dad's two older brothers. Manu looked like a slightly smaller version of my father but with gray hair and a large gray beard. He was shirtless, like most of the men, and had what looked like a towel wrapped around his waist. At first, I thought, "Is he wearing a skirt" but I came to realize many of the men wore the wraps instead of shorts or jeans. I likened them to a kilt but with plumeria and banana leaves embossed on the fabric instead of the family crest. Manu never said much but when he did everyone shut up and listened. He was the patriarch of the family since his father passed and took that position with honor. Ikaika, his twin brother by two minutes, looked identical yet was taller and much thinner. He too was a quiet man who rarely was seen as he worked upcountry at Parker Ranch. He was an amazing hunter and taught me to respect all living things. He was also an expert trapper which helped at the ranch. Oftentimes when he would go off on a trek, I wondered if it would be the last time I would set eyes on him. As a child I believed he must be part animal as he spent so much time in the mountains of Hawaii hunting and trapping mouflon sheep. They both approached me with shy smiles, and each grabbed my shoulder.
"We are so glad to have you here, Kai" said my Uncle Ikaika.
"Please let us know if you need anything. This is your home now." continued Uncle Manu.
They turned me back towards the house and we continued on. People were talking loudly, and I could see my Dad with Aunty Anuhea on one side of him and my Dad's other sister, Pele, on the other. He had his arms around them both and a huge smile. Aunty Pele is the baby of the Kūulu family and beautiful. She is the principal at the high school I am attending, and I hear that kids know better than to mess with her. She is 6'2, dark complexion, like the rest of the family, but has amazing "fire" eyes. As a child, my Tutu told me she named her daughter because the Goddess Pele blessed the family in the 80's and diverted the lava from Pahoa Town. As an act of thanks, she named my Aunty, Pele, to remember how our family is truly blessed.
The house was a large plantation home which was traditional to the area. Most homes were single wall constructed with louvered windows. Our home was no different. It was a basic square home with a huge wrap around lanai. The double door entrance had two giant glass doors that allowed one to see into the living room and connecting kitchen that had an island that connected the two rooms. The sun was pouring into the room above by four skylights. The house was painted white on the outside with green trim. It was perfect. It looked like there was lauhala walls with bamboo wainscoting. Every window was open, allowing the ocean breeze to pass freely through the house. There was a metal roof, that I soon discovered made a magical sound when it rained, toping both the house and garage. The large, detached, garage didn't look to house cars as there were multiple tables set up with a ton of seating. To the right of the garage, I saw what looked like a dead boar roasting over an open fire. Uncle Ikaika must have been hunting. Two of my older cousins were talking and drinking beer in green bottles. In Hawaii, men only drank green, bottled beer. My uncles led me to the house while the rest of the family walked towards the garage. I could see my Dad and Aunties also walking towards the house.
"Kai. Let's take the luggage in. I want you to see your room." said my Dad.
"Shoots." my uncles responded in unison. "Kai, pick the room downwind of Pohaku." Uncle Manu said.
I had no idea what my Uncle Manu meant and from the look on my face I think he realized it.
"Pohaku is next to Mauna Loa. The volcano will send cool winds at night to you. If your room looks to the volcano, you will never sleep uncomfortable. No AC!" They both laughed and I finally understood. If you don't want to be too hot, sleep with your windows open and towards the mountains.
The house was what I thought a home in Hawaii would look like. Open and airy. My Dad had read stories to me about King Kekaulike and other royalty. We had a children's book about Queen Liliuokalani, and I dreamed of her gardens in Hilo Town. I knew we were from the same bloodline and my head was filled with the legends of Hawaii. Since I was always far removed from my father's home, they were always just stories. Suddenly I felt a part of that story.
The room my uncles suggested was plain and simple. A queen bed, desk, and one large dresser for my clothes. It had an attached bathroom that gave a full view of the Pacific Ocean. I was really going to love the sound of crashing waves on that cliff.
"Kai, come!" I could hear my cousin Pono screaming from out by the garage. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to take in the sounds, smell from the fire pit, and to see my Mom like I did on the plane. Floating, angel-like, with a soft smile.
"KAI!"
I opened my eyes, dropped my backpack on the bed and ran out to the yard.
Over the course of five hours Pono introduced me to many of my cousins of whom I had never met. We talked about the mainland and girls. My female cousins were a riot. I was so happy to see Tia. She was hilarious and I had only met her once before in California. They shared all the ins and outs of Kea'au High School and how they would ensure a smooth passage. I didn't doubt them and realized anyone who crossed them probably regretted it immediately. I soon realized that it was pretty cool having so many family members around. In Maine, it was always my Mom, Dad, Morfar and my Mormor. That was the extent of our family. Here in Pahoa, I had my three uncles and two aunties and then ALL the rest.
My Uncle Manu had eight children, Uncle Ikaika had ten, Aunt Anuhea had seven, Uncle Kalon (Pono's dad) had three and Aunt Pele had twelve. That is 40 FIRST cousins. Since my dad's twin brothers are ten years older, most of their kids have kids, like Tia. She is the granddaughter of Uncle Manu and everyone says she is his favorite. Pono says she takes after him in ways that the family envies. In total, I have 102 cousins JUST on my Dad's side. I don't think I can even name all of my cousins if you paid me to. 102 cousins on one side of the family. The only side. That is because my Mormor was an orphan who was a stow away on a ship from Sweden to the US back in 1956. She came to America with nothing. She was sent to a home in Maine for immigrant orphaned children. She met my Morfar, a fellow Swede, in 1958. My mother was their only child. As they were both orphans, that lineage ends with me.
On my mom's side, everything seemed so hush hush. I asked what happened to my Mormor's parents once and my mother just said that her parents had a special gift that "offended" the God Odin. To protect their daughter, my Mormor, they secretly sent her to America. They were both murdered shortly after. As a child, I believed in Gods like Odin, but as a young man I knew they were just stories. My Mormor was a watcher. Meaning, she would always watch from distance but just when you either got in trouble or needed her, poof, she was there. She was so wonderful and loving of my dad and me. Even after seventy years, she was more comfortable speaking in Swedish and luckily my Morfar obliged her.
"Whatya thinking about, son?" My dad sat down next to me by the now empty fire pit.
"Just mom." I said.
"Yea. Me too." He looked down at his hands. He flipped over his left hand and began to spin his wedding ring with his right thumb and finger. "This is going to take time Kai. We are gonna have to talk to each other..."
"I know dad. I wasn't thinking anything sad. I was just thinking about how big your family is and how small moms was." I started to look out at a group of eight cousins playing cornhole.
"Yea, it's crazy." He laughed and shook his head. "A family this big can sometimes be overwhelming."
"Why didn't you ever come back and visit Pahoa?" I looked at him and he averted my eyes.
"Ah, Kai, it's a long story. You never knew my dad... he had so many expectations and never wanted to let go. He never listened to what I wanted." My dad continued to touch his wedding ring.
"I just needed to break free of this place. Of what others wanted from me." He said and slowly looked at me.
"What did others want from you?" I asked.
"Oh, Kai, it's too much for tonight. It's nearing 4:00 in the morning Belfast time and I am ready for bed. Let's talk in the morning. Ok?" My dad stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Why don't you call it a night too, son?"
I shook my head yes and stood up next to him and stretched my arms the same way and started to laugh. "Ok, dad. I hear ya. I'll say goodnight to the guys and head in in a minute."
"Ok, tell em to keep it down out here." He walked off towards the house and looked back and smiled at me.
I looked to the cornhole game and saw my cousin Pono jumping up and down due to a close throw. "What! So close, bra" my cousin Kāne said. "Whatever, Kāne!" said Pono.
"Pono. Kāne. Ohana. I'm out!" I yelled in their direction.
"What? Cuz, you tired?" Pono yelled back in a teasing tone.
"Uh, yea." I started to walk towards the house and my legs felt heavy. All at once I noticed that I needed sleep. "Will I see you tomorrow?" I said to no one in particular.
"Bra! You see us every day now." Pono yelled.
I smiled to myself. Maybe this would be easier than I thought.