Hawaiian Phoenix

1 Pukalani “The Window of Heaven”

She was dying. She was only twenty-nine, but she had been given the news that at the most she had about three months to live.

She was single. She had a six-year-old son. Her treasure in life but she was dying and had no one that would take care of him.

Her parents had disowned her when she graduated from high school, and they had booted her out of the house and wished her luck.

It was not long after that both of them were killed in a car accident. Being brought up by them had not been easy. They both drank too much and spent most of each weekend watching some sports game while they argued about the players as they drank and called in bets to a bookie. They were always short on money and skimped on food but made sure they had their case of beer ready for when they watched the games.

She had made the school’s cheerleading squad and had enjoyed being sought after by a slew of high school boys. It was the same week that she graduated when she was kicked out of the house where she had grown up.

Her parents gave her two hundred dollars and wished her good luck. They both told her to get a job and fend for herself. It turned out that her good looks were the single thing that provided a quick and easy income. She moved in with a friend but realized that the cold winters of the northwest were not for her.

She decided to move to Hawaii and ended up in Maui. Maui was a paradise for her. The balmy weather, the miles of beaches, and the pace of life seemed to calm her soul. It was easy to meet eager young men that were willing to contribute to her financial well-being.

She did not know who had delivered her death sentence to her, but she knew that it was her fault for making money on her back.

That was how Brian, who had just turned six that week, was conceived. The drugs she had been on had almost killed him. He was born addicted and had to be slowly weaned from the drugs that her body had transferred to him. When she realized that she was responsible for the pain and agony that her crying baby seemed to be going through, she went cold turkey.

When he turned three, he had asked about his father, and she had told him that he had been given to her by a stork.

In fact, his tall, dashing, and big spending father had swept her off her feet but for him she was just a toy that he enjoyed during his Hawaiian vacation.

She was sure that his father was very well to do because she had written to him and let him know that he had a son with her. His response had been to set up a childcare support trust, dutifully put in money each month since Brian’s birth and made her its trustee. He wished her good luck and that she should not interfere with his personal life in the future.

She had been surprised at his generosity but was surprised at his lack of interest in his son. She had consciously guarded the trust. She knew her weakness was the use of a variety of drugs, and therefore she did not trust herself to keep her hands out of the money pot, so she had transferred the management of the trust to a professional money management group. It had been a smart move because there had been times when she wanted to raid the fund so that she could get her next fix.

When she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she had no idea what she was going to do with Brian. She had never been a church goer. She walked into a small church that had always caught her eye. It had a steeple and, on the hour, regularly rang a bell. She had walked by it almost every day and had always wondered what it would be like to be a churchgoer.

She entered and was greeted by a nun who welcomed her.

The nun did not seem much older than herself, but it was clear to Alec that the nun had a very different take on life than she did. Her smile seemed to open a door to a warm, sunny world.

After sharing the fact that she was dying and had a young son and was trying to figure out how he could be raised once she passed on, the nun went to a small office and returned with the number of a local foster care agency.

She suggested that Alec call them to see how they might help.

The conversation then turned to how the church might help her. She thanked the nun for her concern but said that she really did not believe in an afterlife, smiled and added that if there was one, she would most likely be facing an angel that had horns.

The nun shook her head and went over to the podium, returned with a rosery and a small booklet that accompanied it. She commented that the rosary provided a way for a person to talk to those above and might provide comfort in the coming days. She suggested one prayer might be the most useful to a non-believer.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.”

She invited Alec to return on Sunday. She added that it was never too late to become a believer.

Shortly after walking out of the church, Alec made the call to the foster care agency.

She was invited to see the home that they called Pukalani where the children resided and how they were treated. The person on the other end suggested that Alec take her son to get an evaluation by a counselor that worked with the foster care agency.

Alec arranged for the evaluation.

She decided to go, see the foster home on her own. If she decided to put Brian into the facility, she would then take him there and see what he thought of the place.

As she drove to the facility she could see the islands of Lanai, Kaho’olawe and the Molokini crater. The view was majestic as the darker blue green waters of the ocean contrasted against the lighter blue of the clear sky.

She stopped in the uphill driveway that led to the home that she was coming to see and stood by her car for a moment looking out to the horizon.

The view seemed to embrace her and warm her soul.

She hoped Pukalani and the people running it would match the impressive view.

She felt that it would be a great place for Brian to grow up.

She drove the rest of the way up the driveway into a level courtyard that was bordered with low purple flowers providing a contrast to the light green of the two-foot high neatly trimmed hedge.

Beyond the hedge she could see a playground and then what appeared to be a well-tended garden.

The courtyard had parking for four cars and had a basketball hoop at one end. It was clear to her that the owners of this facility seemed oriented towards children.

The house had a surround glassed in veranda that looked out on the courtyard and also provided a view across to the islands.

It seemed like a wonderful place.

Now she was hoping to get the same impression of the folks running the place as she had so far had of the environment.

The lady that met her seemed to be only a few years older than she was. She introduced herself as Kaia and invited her in and was led to a kitchen table that had a pot of hot water and two cups.

She accepted a cup of tea as she sat down.

She was then asked about her request to place her son in the home.

Alec began by sharing the fact that she was terminally ill and had been told she had only about one month left. She said she was trying to place her son in a home where he would be well taken care of.

She shared that she had reviewed her options and as a resident of Hawaii she was eligible to place her son into a registered home and social security would cover the expense.

She had taken Brian to the phycologist that Kaia had suggested, and he was interviewed by her. She had cleared him as a normal youngster that was doing well in second grade.

She added that her son had a trust fund that was managed by professional money managers that was intended to cover emergencies and then be available for his continuing education.

Alec then asked if Kaia was going to accept Brian.

Kaia asked about potential relatives that might take Brian in.

Alec shared that her parents were both killed in a car accident, and she did not know any other members in the family.

Kaia asked the phycologist’s name that had evaluated Brian.

Alec responded that it was Dr. Marian Nelson.

Kaia nodded and said that Marian and she were friends and if she had cleared Brian then she would accept him into Pukalani.

She added that Brian would be the only child with green eyes and blond hair and that all the other children were native Hawaiians that were there temporarily and slated to be returned to their parents.

She asked if Alec had any concerns if a Hawaiian family were to adopt him.

Alec shook her head and said that she had none if the family was cleared for the adoption, she smiled and said that she would have no way to object unless there was some sort of miracle.

Kaia asked if there was a way for them to meet for lunch so that Brian could meet her and her husband before he came to live with them.

Alec said that she thought that would be a good idea and asked where they should have lunch.

Kaia suggested a pizza place in Paia and asked if they could do a dinner instead of lunch so both she and her husband could do it after working hours. Then afterwards they could take a walk along the beach.

Alec left with the feeling that she had found the perfect place for Brian.

Late the next afternoon she arrived at the restaurant. Brian loved the pizza, afterwards on the beach he and Kaia’s husband, Anakoni, who asked to be called Koni, spent time passing a football back and forth.

Alec felt that finding Brian a good home with what seemed like good people was one of the better things she had done with her life. She felt the pressure she had been letting build up dissipate.

She returned to the church and let the young nun know that her recommendation had worked out and let her know the home that Brian was going to live in.

In the following week she began to feel her body shutting down.

She drove Brian to his new home and told him that was where he would now be living.

She gave him a hug as he began to cry, told him to always remember that he was her treasure and that she would always love him.

She had told him that she was dying before taking him up to Pukalani, and they had cried together. It was an extremely emotional moment and she appreciated how both Kaia and Koni stood back to let her have her last moments with her son.

She had closed all her worldly concerns. One of the last things had been to transfer her car title to Kaia. Kaia drove her to the hospice that she had selected and dropped her off. In less than a week, Alec took her last breath. It had been a swift, painless departure.

When she died, she had no way of knowing how Brian would grow both in body and in spirit and that he would be like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

He would become very successful, find his soul mate, and make a financial fortune while putting cheating billionaires in prison.

Whether she was looking down or looking up she would see that she had been the ashes from which spread his wings and rose.

There were only four people at her funeral ceremony: Kaia, Koni, Brian, and Dr. Marian Nelson.

Marian had established a close relationship with Brian and sat holding his hand during the ceremony. Alec had been cremated and the ceremony consisted of a brief biography and then a series of pictures that Alec had selected of her and Brian that she had cherished.

Marian wiped the tears from her eyes and those from Brian. She was heartbroken by seeing him crying. She had developed an instant bond with him when she had evaluated him for the state to ensure that he would fit in a foster home.

He was a bright, happy child that seemed to be very intelligent. He was definitely as Irish as they came. He had green eyes, blond hair with a tinge of red and was slender and tall for his age.

After the ceremony they all went for a long walk along the beach. Then Kaia sat in the back seat with Brian and Koni drove up to their home. It was the home that would for the next decade be home for a young boy that would end up calling both of them Makuahine and Makuakane.

He would become a young man of Irish American descent that was to grow up fluent in the traditional Hawaiian culture and language.

He would be the person that understood the value of family.

2 Makuas, His Parents

Kaia sat on the veranda and watched Koni playing basketball with Brian. She and Koni had discussed adopting Brian but had decided not to take a chance of getting rejected. Instead, they had focused on raising him in a manner that they would have raised their own child.

They had found out that she was not able to conceive so Brian filled the void that would otherwise have existed.

Brian was a very intelligent boy and was always at the head of the classes he was in.

He was also a very kindhearted person and often volunteered to help his classmates with schoolwork and she found out that for an entire school year he shared the lunch she sent with him with a young girl whose parents were on the down and out.

It had been six years since his mother had passed.

He had a picture of her hanging on the wall with the dried palm leaf that had been part of her ceremony.

A large, framed picture of her and Koni with their arms around him was on his bedside table.

Brian had written Makuahine, Makuakane and Keikikāne in beautiful calligraphic lettering.

She had watched him sitting at the kitchen table practicing on paper until he had mastered getting the names done with no errors and then he had finally put the Hawaiian names for mother, son, and father under each of their pictures.

That was the day that she and Koni had celebrated the fact that they had made the right decision in embracing Brian as their own.

He had become a talented basketball player as well as a football player. He had played soccer for several years and was a top goalkeeper for the teams he had played on. His height, balance and speed gave him an advantage in each of those sports.

His looks attracted many young ladies, but he did not seem interested in having anything but friends. He was not into the girlfriend thing, but he had several girls that were his friends. He also had several boys with whom he buddied around.

The group of mixed gender friends often went out surfing and sailboarding.

She and Koni would always go with him and his friends to ensure that everyone wore the appropriate safety gear. They were teased about being overprotective of their haole, or white boy.

That did not bother either of them. They loved their haole and embraced him as their own.

They did everything together from planting and tending the garden, to cooking and grilling as well as attending sporting events, going to plays and concerts to surfing together.

The three enjoyed each other and were constantly talking and laughing together.

They were looking forward to Brian’s high school years, but they had already talked about the fact that those years were going to pass too quickly. They had promised each other that they were going to be parents that stayed close to their only child.

The high school years went by in a blur. Brian earned a letter in three sports. He was on the student council. He was a freelance contributor to the school paper. But most importantly he was one of the top five students in his graduating class. He had applied to multiple schools and had received scholarship offers to several colleges.

He did not get an offer from the school that he had his mind set on, so he chose to go to the University of Hawai’i Maui College. He figured he would take the basics and continue to try to get into the University College Dublin (UCD), in Belfield Ireland. He shared the fact that he was going to continue to apply to both UCD and to the University of Oxford.

He admitted that he was curious about what his paternal side did and to find out whether he had any other half siblings.

He then surprised both of them and said that he planned to split his trust with the two of them so they would have the means to travel to see him whenever they desired. He pointed out that visiting him during his undergraduate years in Ireland would allow them to see Europe as well.

She and Koni had regularly taken Brian to meet with the financial analyst that was the executor of the trust and had wisely managed it to the point that when Brian graduated, and he became the executor it had three hundred thousand dollars in it.

They declined his offer to a split the fund and said that he should continue to grow the fund so that it would not only cover his education but would put him on the road to financial stability.

He ended up spending one year going to school on Maui before he was accepted by UCD who offered him a full scholarship and a stipend if he participated with the local police as part of his education while he went to the university.

They all celebrated his acceptance and agreed to visit the university together. He had gotten a place in the UCD resident hall. So, his expenses would easily fit the budget that he was planning to follow.

He would not have to pay the thirty thousand dollars a year that foreign students normally paid. He admitted that it gave him great relief not to have to spend the money in his trust fund.

He suggested they go early and take a tour of Ireland and that they all spy together on what his biological father did and how rich he might be.

He said that other than learning about his father he did not plan to contact him.

They had agreed to the tour and said that they planned to stay out of the spy game. They would spend that time walking the Irish countryside.

He smiled and said that he did not plan to spend too much time at his spy game either, but he wanted to learn why his biological father had been willing to be generous with his child support but had not wanted to learn more about the person that he had brought into the world.

Kaia and Koni both said that they would look forward to touring Ireland with him and said that they would also like to visit The Netherlands and Denmark on the trip.

Brian arrived in Ireland three days before both of his parents. He checked in with the UCD admissions office and got a room assignment.

Shortly after getting all his things into his room, he went on his spying mission. He had done an online search and had found information on his biological father.

It turned out that he was a very well-known lawyer known for taking on hard cases and winning. He was also known to be a generous contributor to food relief and other charitable organizations.

Brian concluded that his biological father was a good man.

He waited outside of the office where his father worked but soon realized that one of the cars that had driven into the basement garage had most likely held his father. He spent the day touring the city and then in the late afternoon had gone to his father’s home address.

This turned out to be an address that led him to a point that overlooked a tree lined glen that had a herd of sheep, a few cows, a huge castle like home and at least a half mile long driveway.

He stood outside of the cab that he had hired and commented at the serene and peaceful scene of the glen. He was again disappointed by the fact that his spying was not going the way he had envisioned.

He had determined that his biological father was indeed well to do, seemed to be a person of high character and lived with his family on an inspiring piece of land.

He decided that he would have to take a different approach.