A Waikiki Night

The other night Hubby said, "Well, I haven't really thought about dinner because I thought I would take you guys out tonight." La la la... sang my heart!!! No cooking and no dishes! We decided on an early bird steak and seafood buffet special at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Now we can only dine at buffets for so long while our kids eat free! We arrived, and waited our turn at the hostess podium. She asked for our room number. I smiled and said, "Kama'aina." No one behind me knew what that meant. Kama'aina is the word for local. She flashed a smile back at us, and seated us at the table closest to the buffet line, the best seat in the house. This was a little dangerous. The buffet is served on a mock Hawaiian outrigger, or canoe. The line wraps around in a square. Inside of the square is a large fish pond. Hubby suggested I get my dinner first. I offered to take Son1 with me. He tagged alongside for about thirty seconds and then he was missing. Where was he? There he was...behind the buffet line, behind the safety rope, along the edge of the pond, following these fish, two feet in length, toes dangerously hanging over the lip of the pond. I was horrified. People noticed the little boy on the loose. Discreetly and urgently, I hissed for him to come back my way, lest we call more attention to ourselves. "LOOK MOMMY! YOU SEE ALL THE FISHIES?" So much for being discreet. Finally, we rounded the three other delectable sides of the buffet, and settled into our seats, and reveled in our meal. I looked at my family. Ten months ago this day seemed so far off. Today, both of my boys fed themselves (one with a fork, the other with his fingers), and I was able to manage some bites in between cutting food, corraling strewn cheerios, and distributing napkins. Son1 noticed the pool behind me, and asked us if we saw it, too. Before answering, I smiled. This where Son1 took his first swim when he was about 8 months old. We stayed at the hotel for 2 months when we first arrived in Hawaii, nearly three years ago. For a minute I pondered my expectancy back then about life in Hawaii. Son1 was antsy. He wanted to see the penguins on the other side of the hotel. Hubby and I weren't quite done yet, so we bribed him with desserts from the buffet line. It was either that or visiting those fish in the pond, again. His favorite was the "Pokey Dot" cake. It was really a pastry called Napoli, made with pistachios and heavy cream.


After dinner we made our way to the penguins. They are South African penguins, or black footed penguins. They can tolerate our climate! They are back there, in their cave, trying to go to sleep.
Afterward we took a little stroll along the boardwalk in front of the hotel down to the submarine pier. We looked out at the flashing lights, and at a dinner cruise boat. We explained to Son1 about the buoys, and how they guide the ship back to the harbor. "Come home, boat! Over here!" he yelled out.

We started back up the walk toward the main boardwalk. We told Son1 little stories about how he was a baby once, and we would push his stroller every night along this very boardwalk after dinner. I recalled silently many conversations Hubby and I had about what life in Hawaii might bring. Hmm.

Finally we hit the park, and we were alone, just the four of us. Hubby, Son1, and I took turns pretending to be firemen sliding down poles and swinging like monkeys. Son2 was content to be held and giggle happy sounds at the sight of his brother. It came time to call it a night. We headed for the car, and Hubby caught my eye. We smiled, and I knew what he was thinking: happy thoughts of what we hoped our life here would be like, and what it has become.