Arrival with a Carryon

“Hey watch where you are doing!”

 Collared stripe… purple button down… red and blue shitstains on white…

 “HEY!” 

One step more on the step-stool, damn this thing is shakey- 

“I swear to all that is precious in the world I’ll whoop your ass from upstairs- say hello to Jesu- 

Oh my god?? Is that- 

A small box, old Nike sneakers, but I knew that there was something else there.
 “Ohhhh you fucker Inoke-“

 “LANGUAGE KALEO! My Daughter can hear your-“

 That bastard grabbed my leg and my balance went to the curb, the box I had been searching for came tumbling down. Raised hell and brought it straight to Inoke’s head, should’ve not been breathing down my neck like he did. 

Two grown ass men on the floor, mid thirties. We look ridiculous. 

“OUW FUCK KALEO-“ 

“INOKE KU’U HOALOHA ‘OI AUKAI WHAT DID I HEAR?”

 Heavy footsteps run down near us- I’m already laughing. Malia comes in, arms crossed, face red.

 What are you doing?? Oh I’m so sorry Kaleo- 

She sees me first and offers me signs of pity, I smile and nod my head. She’s embarrassed for sure, her face gets more red. Sooner or later she directs her direction to her husband. 

“What are you doing???”

 “Me? ME?? Don’t blame me! blame-“ 

“Blame Kaleo?”

 “Yeah sweetheart gonna blame me?” 

“Oh my god Kaleo SHUT THE FU- AY! Don’t hit me Malia!” 

We both got up from off the ground, Inoke running his shoulder like I punched it- which for the record I didn’t. Malia has already walked off to wash the dishes that we “rudely took her away from”.

 “Why do those things hurt like hell?”

 My insert must of hit him. 

“Do they have a turn off button?” 

Really? This shit. 

“No, no they don’t. I’m not a fucking lamp Inoke.” 

“Yah yah you’re worse than that- can you duck tape that thing or is it perm-“ 

“Daddy can you turn off the fuck-ing lamp…?” 

I cant help myself and immediately lose to laughing- and who was warning me for my language? In the corner of my eye I see a little girl about the age of 8 walk in- Inoke’s kid Leimomi.

 “Leimomi Inoa ho‘omana‘o Aukai! Do not ever say that again!”

 “You said to follow good people’s example so I AM!”
“I love your daughter Inoke-“

 “KALEO! Not now. Lei hon…”

 Watching how soft my once all rowdy, best friend of sorts, claimed he’d never marry and never have kids kinda guy (like me, but nothing alike) was strange to see. Here he was with his eight year old- teaching her good ways of “don’t say fuck and shit” 

Aka, don’t be like [this dumbass] our guest.

It left a pit in my stomach I couldn’t find the filling too. And, before I could figure out my self denial in parenting I get poked by the hand of a small version of Khelani, hair in curls (It’s not cool to have pigtails though she’d be so fucking adorable) 

“Daddy said it’s your turn.”
“Huh?” Inoke raises an eye, he mouths ‘help me’ 

Like most kids in the neighborhood, they’ve heard of the latest news in Caer Sidi, it’s cute how many of them recognize me from TV. Adults do all the time, but kids are still innocent in that “they are the world” and don’t care for the tabloids that rub my name in the dirt- that’s the best kind of fan.

Leimomi was a fan, hell she knew more about me now than her dad did when I first came over to stay. Clearly what I say is ‘cool’. I get up and get closer to her.

 “You know kids who don’t listen to their parents…” 

She looks at me with big eyes and does not expect when I scoop in and throw her in the air, she yells and giggles as I catch her by her legs. Inoke was more freaked out than she was, pretty sure he cussed underneath his breath. And I need to watch my mouth? 

“Get cursed you know?!”

 “No they don’t!” She giggles, I smile.

 “Smart girl, but they don’t do as well in the real world, parents actually teach you sh- stuff important.”
I swing her back upright and she’s giggling and kicking her feet. I lean in closer and smile. 

“Even though- let’s be honest, it’s all lame.”

She nodded.
“Listen to them for me would ya?” I winked, she nodded. Then her eyes grew wide at something behind me. My moths. She lifted an arm as one landed on it.

 “Oh my gosh daaaAAD! Look look!”

 She smiled and grinned even wider when her mom came in.
“Mom!!! Lookie I’m holding one of Atlas’s moths!!”

 “Yeah you are hun, hey, why don’t you leave him and Dad alone right? To catch up on things”

 “Awww mom!”

 “She’s fine to stay here Malia I don’t mind.”

“Mmnm thanks for being so kind, but she also has summer reading-“

 “-MOOOM! … Can the moth stay with me?”

It’s still clinging onto her arm, I think the moths like bight colors. Helps her shirt is as neon as it gets.
“I dont know, ask Ka- Atlas.”

 “Can I Can I!?”

 A thumbs up from me gets her real giddy. So long as she’s not entirely far from me that moth will stay put.
“I don’t mind control them, but Kamea should stay on your shirt if you don’t bug her” 

“You named the bug?”
“Yes I fucki- Yes I named the moth. And it’s a she, Inoke” 

“Yeah dad she’s named Kamea.”

 Defeated he plays along.

Kaleo: 1 Inoke: 0 Finally after squandered troubles and Inoke’s groans and pains over shoving ME I walk over with the crowned glory: that damn box. 

We sat on that couch we sat on almost 20 years ago as kids (that reminds me how old I am) and Inoke wraps and arm around my shoulder. “Alright hoaloha, can you explain what the hell was our scavenger hunt for?” 

“Remember Lanikai 2019?”
“Don’t remind me brother, that was the worst field trip they could’ve-“ We laughed. Inoke had the bad end of the stick, his group had to dig for hours to find the “A” in the sand so we could spell out Class of 2020. Here’s for “team spirit”.

 “Back on track-“ I started by opening the treasure box of broken cardboard. Inside, 3 things.

 The first: Old pictures, I’m dead center. Two are professionally done, I don’t smile (okay maybe I do have a resting bitch face), on center podium. I’m holding a medal and trophy.
I flipped the back:

 ‘NHSC 2020- Kaleo I. Ōpūnui, HNL Hawai’i Weight-class 160 National Champion’ 

Back then everyone knew I was the only one to win. They said there’d never be another one like me: guess that’s where my ego comes from.
The final picture is not from me, or those guys for the media. It was Kai, I knew because Khelani jumped up after they left and Inoke is next to me.
Ah there’s the smile. 

“Hold on how did I-“ 

The second item was a medal. My medals, plural. Taped together, one really dinky and the other one was real nice- my first and last medal. “I swear I didn’t mean to ke-“ “I asked you to keep them for me” I did. The trophy is in the house in Caer Sidi, brought there as soon as it was built. But i told Inoke to keep my medal right where I wanted it- home.
The third was an old arm band, my team captain band from back when I was on the team. Only kid in my school who wore it all 4 years. Inoke lost his lid, shaking his head as if he’s 

1. Confused about how it has been left alone all these years 

And

 2. The fact he forgot something as important as this to me was left untouched and forgotten by him. “Wow, seems forever ago that we were kids.”

 “Mhm and look at you with your own kid old man, things have changed.”

 “Yeah, and you’re back from your celebrity moments, forever a twenty something. Only seems like yesterday we were on the mats: full glory yknow?”

It was my peak. Football season was fun, and while I did just as exceptional there wrestling was my thing. I dunno why- Inoke introduced me to it.
Plenty of jokes could be made that it’s simply “I love beating the shit out of people” But it wasn’t that- never was. 

It was my calming outlet, a way to reset the day and begin new.

 Well, most of the time.

 “Yeah, well same shit now- gotta keep everything now that people constantly are looking my way Inoke- My mid life ‘glory days’” Something about what I said made Inoke shift forward and looked at me concerned, for a moment I got worried. Sick, even.

 “Are you still pu-“ 

Knew it.

 “No. … I’ve quit Inoke. For good, can you fucking lay off that?”
He knows I’m mad, he averts his gaze and then jumps the gun by hugging me tight. It’s his way of telling me sorry. Also makes me feel like I was in the wrong.
“I’m sorry. Kaleo you know I- I care for you, always will.”

 “Gonna cry asshole?”
That’s my way to deflect. Hate it when he gets sappy. 

No matter what, I could count on Inoke. He saved my life. Not once, not twice. To be honest I couldn’t count them- from stupid things to the hard. My biggest supporter, even in his seventeen year old mockery.

That’s what I missed most. I missed the memories I had here because of him- he’s why I can even step foot back without coming out of line. I don’t need to tell him why I want to stay a week at his place when my father has a nicer house- he knows. When I need to punch and scream to someone’s face- he’s the punching bag. There’s no one in this world that could ever replicate what he is and has been for me.

I feel his chest move from laughing. “Ha… maybe. Love you man” 

… 

I hate when people put me on the spot. Always have.

 “Love you too.”
Always will.