A/N: The timeline for this story is in between "Relatively Speaking" and "It's All Relative."
Making Amends
Chapter 1
Eddie Would Go
Day One
White Sands Hotel
O'ahu's North Shore
1642 Hours
John thanked Sam again for the ride to O'ahu and for putting him down in an out of the way area so no one would witness the transport. That is until a palm leaf slapped him in the face causing him to drop his boogie board. "Crap!" He bent down to pick it up then headed out of the dense foliage not far from the hotel.
With his arms full, he made his way into the hotel lobby and up to the front desk. More than a few people stared because he was dressed for much cooler weather. He rested the surfboard and boogie board against the front desk and the bags on the floor. Within seconds a bellman came and started loading the items onto a cart.
The young man at the desk smiled. "Aloha. May I help you?" His name tag said Sean.
"Yeah. I need a room. Nothing fancy. One bed, any size, and a small 'fridge if you've got it."
Sean was already shaking his head. "Sorry, sir. We're all booked up. Won't have anything available for at least three weeks."
John was more than a little perturbed. He whipped off his sunglasses and gave the guy a glare. Now that he finally wanted to spend time with his family, he couldn't even stay at the same hotel. "Could you check again, please? My brother and his family are here."
"What's the name, sir?"
"Sheppard. David and Blaire Sheppard."
Now Sean's face lit up. "Yes, of course, Mr. Sheppard. Your sister-in-law reserved a room for you." He waved away the credit card John produced. "Not necessary. Mrs. Sheppard's taken care of everything." He passed the plastic rectangle to the bellman still standing with the cart. "Room 1003. And there's a message for you, sir."
John pulled the slip of paper out of the envelope and read it with a sardonic smile. Aloha, John! We're at the pool. Get your trunks on, grab a beer and join us. He smiled as he tucked the note in his pocket and followed the bellman to the elevator.
As they passed the gift shop, John asked the young man to wait while he went inside. He came out a few minutes later with a full bag which he added to the cart.
As much as John had enjoyed his stay in Vancouver, he was glad to be where it was warm. He quickly changed into his trunks, grabbed the hat, gaudy Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops he'd purchased in the lobby and headed for the pool.
He searched the area for his family and spied Blaire on the far side rubbing sun block on her legs. Her hair was still that golden brown he remembered from their youth though over the years the little girl chubbiness had been replaced with a well-toned slimness that suited her. As he watched, a teenage girl flopped down next to her, picked up a cell phone and began texting furiously.
John made his way around the pool and when he got close, Melissa jumped up and was gone again. His eyes followed but lost her in the crowd. He came to a stop at the foot of Blaire's chair. "This isn't the Pipeline."
Blaire had been turning the pages of a magazine but stopped and brought her eyes up to meet John's just as he took off his aviators and slipped them into the pocket of his unbuttoned shirt. She vaulted off the lounge chair and threw her arms around him. After a slight hesitation, his arms settled loosely around her, patting her awkwardly on the back. He'd forgotten how demonstrative she could be.
"I knew you'd come, John. Gosh, it's good to see you!" She stepped back, gesturing to the empty chair beside her and John sat down. "You look great."
He reached out and tugged on the hem of her beach cover-up. "You, too. How's my brother treating you?"
"Like royalty, as is my due as his long-suffering spouse." She glanced over to where David was sitting at the bar drinking from a glass that could have held anything from water to Everclear and talking on a Bluetooth. He was faced mostly away from them with a state-of-the-art Blackberry on the counter in front of him and had his serious face on.
Business call, John thought. "Good. I…" Something moved between him and the sun casting a shadow. He looked up to see a young man standing over him with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed.
"This guy bothering you, mom?"
"Jason!" Blaire reprimanded her son. "It's your Uncle John."
John stood up and found that his nephew now equaled him in height. Jason had the same lean well-muscled torso that his uncle had but without the scattering of hair. The young man didn't relax but offered up a tentative smile. "Oh, sorry. Didn't recognize you." He stuck his hand out and pumped John's exactly three times.
"No reason you should." John resumed his seat.
"You stayin' a while?" He asked warily but still with the same smile, not yet certain he trusted the older man.
"A few days. I hear you like to surf."
"Yeah. A little."
John heard the implied "What's it to ya, stranger?" and responded in a non-threatening tone. "I've done a little surfing myself. Maybe we can do the Pipeline while I'm here."
A stifled snort caused both men to shoot an annoyed glance at Blaire who was unsuccessfully hiding a grin behind her hand. "Sorry. It's just…well, your uncle used to win surfing competitions when he was your age. In fact, that's how we met."
"Actually," John turned back to Jason with a conspiratorial lowering of his voice, "I was practicing for a contest and she dropped in, bumped the tail and I wiped out."
"Yeah, but you would've wiped out anyway. You were goofy foot and needed to be regular foot for that particular wave."
John watched Jason's eyes track back and forth between his mother and uncle as they slipped back into their former easy camaraderie. Jason didn't seem to like the idea so John made a mental note not to spend too much time alone with his sister-in-law. "What I needed was a Gidget who understood wave priority."
"What are you complaining about? You won that contest and even had a trick named after you." Blaire slipped her sunglasses back on and reached for her drink.
Jason's interest was captured at his mother's rejoinder. "Wait. You created the Shepp Swivel?"
His uncle rolled his eyes and reluctantly nodded. "Uh, yeah."
"Saw a YouTube vid but didn't realize it was you." Jason looked at John with greater respect. "It would be so sick if you'd show me."
"Haven't done it in a while but I'll, uh, see what I can do."
"Cool!" The boy turned to his mother. "Goin' to the beach to play volleyball."
"Stay out of trouble and be back by seven." The last few words were shouted at his retreating back. He waved over his shoulder to let her know he heard. Blaire turned back to John with a smirk. "So…"
"So…I'll just have to look up the video." John reached for his beer and took a drink. Again the sun was blocked and John looked up into the face of his younger brother.
"John." David's tone and expression were neutral so there was no way for John to know if he was welcome or not. "Didn't think you'd make it."
"Thought it was about time I got to know my family." The Air Force officer stood and extended his hand. After a moment's hesitation, it was accepted.
Lulu's Luau
Dinner that night was tense but not as bad as John thought it would be. He was sitting next to David, Melissa on his left with Jason to her left and Blaire on David's right. Lulu's Luau made it difficult to be in a bad mood. David and he even managed to have a near normal conversation, almost like when they were kids but without the usual sibling bickering.
During the appetizers, a group came out and played ukuleles. By the time the entrées arrived, a hula group was performing. There were women, men and even a few young kids. By the time dessert was served, John had relaxed enough to clap along with the music but not enough to get up and dance with the dark beauty who'd tried to tempt him, in more ways than one.
As John handed the server his credit card, the woman sashayed past and handed him her number on a slip of paper. The grass skirt and lei had been exchanged for a very short denim skirt and a white tank top so tight it looked painted on. He smiled politely as his thoughts traveled 2700 miles back to Vancouver and a pair of laughing blue eyes. He wadded the paper in a ball and tossed it in the trash on the way out.
They walked back to the hotel, Jason and John talking mostly about surfing and a little about the military. Melissa alternated walking with them and her parents, interjecting various comments about any topic that occurred to her very active teenage mind.
They all went to their separate rooms and just before midnight John's sweet tooth screamed for attention. The gift shop was closed so he got change from the front desk and went to the vending machine. He found a chair facing a window that looked out on the beach. It was backed up against an identical chair that was occupied. The person in the chair was turned away from him with their legs hugged to their chest. He sat down, unwrapped the candy and took a bite, savoring the sweetness. After swallowing, he said, "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
A head of hair the same color as his own held back in a ponytail peeked around and found John looking back at her. Melissa gave him a sheepish smile and shrug. "Yeah, but I needed chocolate." She held up an empty wrapper as she moved over to the sofa opposite him. At the age of 14, the girl was at least 5'5", still with the slight chubbiness of a little girl. After kicking off her plain black flip-flops she pulled her legs up to rest her feet on the edge of the cushion and wrapped both arms around them.
John nodded. "I know what you mean. That mango what-sis at the restaurant just didn't do it for me. Rather have chocolate than fruit. Which is SOP, at least for me."
"What's SOP?"
"Standard Operating Procedure."
"SOP. Hmm." She looked thoughtful as she bit her lip, glancing at him shyly. "So, um…"
"What?"
Her hands came up then flopped to the sofa cushion with a muffled thump. "I…I'm not sure what to call you. You're the only uncle I have but, well, you haven't been around so it's weird callin' anyone 'uncle'. But it also seems kinda disrespectful to call you John."
He shrugged and relaxed into his high-backed chair, one ankle resting on the knee of the other leg. "You'll figure it out and whatever you decide is okay with me."
"Okay. I've always wondered, how do you figure military time?"
He waved his hand while he chewed the last bite of his candy bar. "Simple. One o'clock in the morning is oh one hundred, two o'clock is oh two hundred and so on. To figure military time after twelve hundred, uh, noon, you just add twelve so 1pm is thirteen hundred, 2pm is fourteen hundred and, well, you get the idea."
The girl nodded and returned to the previous subject. "I have a chocolate stash at home. Kit-Kats, Snickers, M&M's, Almond Joy, Mounds. I love 'em all but try not to, you know, eat too many of 'em. And I work out most mornings."
"Good idea. You run?"
Melissa nodded eagerly. "Started doing it a couple years ago." She got a look in her eyes that John saw in his own reflection sometimes. "No radio. No iPod. Just me and the road. Helps me stay focused."
"Yeah. When I need to focus or de-stress, I go for a good long run around the, uh, base where I'm stationed."
The girl curled and uncurled her toes, the nails painted cotton candy pink. "Where is it? Your base."
John's eyes became unreadable. "Sorry. Confidential."
Her feet went to the floor, she propped her elbow on one knee and rested her head in the hand. "It's a Special Forces/Black Ops kind of thing, isn't it?" She was genuinely interested.
John waggled his hand. "Sort of. Can't talk about it."
"'S cool." Unlike her father, she really did understand. Playing idly with the edge of the shorts she slept in, she asked, "You like movies?"
"Yeah. My favorite's Alien, the first one, and the Batman and Spiderman movies."
"Cool! Me, too." Looking shyly at him, she asked, "Promise you won't laugh?"
John gave her a grin. "No."
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "I like to watch and play sports and any movie that has car chases and explosions."
"Don't find that funny at all." He motioned her forward as if what he had to say was a big secret. "What about…Ferris wheels?"
"Meh. I can take 'em or leave 'em. Not afraid of heights but all they do is go around and around." She waved her hand in circles. "Not the most fun you can have."
"Are you kidding?" He was comically shocked by her response and it made her laugh. "It's the best! Just for a few minutes, you're on top of the world. Nothing and no one else matters. The wind in your face, just you and your companion whether it's a girl, or in your case, a boy or your favorite niece."
Again Melissa rolled her eyes, obviously her preferred form of non-verbal communication. "I'm your only niece."
"That's why you're my favorite."
"You're weird but the good kind." She hid a yawn behind her hand, her eyes saying she hoped he hadn't noticed, but he did.
"SOP." He levered himself out of the chair. "Come on. It's bed time for both of us." They headed for the elevator and got off on the tenth floor. As Melissa was opening the door to her room, he said, "Don't forget to brush."
Melissa huffed in genial annoyance of the type teenagers reserved for the adults in their lives. "I thought you'd be one of the 'cool' uncles." A soft chuckle reached her ears.
"How about a run in the morning, just you, me and King Kamehameha? 0700?"
She nodded. "'Night, Uncle John."
John paused at his own door two down and across from his niece's just a little surprised to find he actually liked the idea of being called "uncle." I should have done this a long time ago.
Day Two
White Sands Hotel
Room 1003
1100 Hours
Dressed in his trunks, John, balanced his surfboard between two chairs and carefully stood on it after starting the video of himself "performing" the Shepp Swivel. It was the first contest he'd ever won and it was all due to the trick he "invented." The truth was, he'd goofed up and somehow it had all worked out because the judges and the crowd loved it.
He'd watched the video numerous times the previous night and again after his run with Melissa and breakfast with the family. Think I got it now. Right hand here, left hand there, feet here and here, tilt left, pull the nose up and…Wham! He fell off the board to land, thankfully, on the bed. After a few more tries, he gave up. "Crap! How in the hell did I manage air without wiping out?"
Pushing to his feet again, he shoved his arms into another of the brightly colored shirts he'd purchased the day before, stuck his feet in the flip-flops, grabbed his wallet and slammed the door on his way out. In the lobby, he got directions to a nearby surf shop and headed out. He returned less than an hour later with all the equipment necessary for surfing: wetsuit, rash guard, traction pads, surf wax and so forth.
When he stopped at the front desk, the young man who'd checked him in the day before was on duty. "Aloha Kakahiaka, Mr. Sheppard. What can I do for you?" Sean had the dark coloring of a native of Hawaii though his eyes were lighter brown than most.
John set his bag on the floor beside him, glancing around to make sure none of his family was present. "I need somewhere I can, uh…"
Sean had seen the bag and nodded understanding. "I have just the place." He wrote directions on a pad, ripped off the page and handed it to John. "It's not far. Only a native would be able to tell you how to get there."
Folding the paper carefully, John stuck it in his pocket. "Now I need a way to get there."
Sean reached beneath the counter and produced a set of keys. "Mrs. Sheppard ordered a car for you. It's out front and to the right."
John thanked him and went to his room. He was back at the main entrance in less than 30 minutes. Looking to the right, he saw a whole fleet of cars, all makes, models, years and colors. A bellman pointed him toward a car and he almost had a heart attack. The car Blaire rented for him turned out to be a long, black, 1948 Cadillac convertible in mint condition. It had power seats, wide white wall tires, skirts and a power top. Peeking at the odometer, he exclaimed out loud, "Only 54,000 miles? That is sooo cool." The last word was said almost reverently. Another thing he noticed was that it had a state-of-the-art security system. It wouldn't have mattered. If anyone so much as looked at it dirty while he was driving, he'd be all over them like a Wraith on an injured human. I have resources…and Rodney'll help.
Walking all around it, he just stared. It was sleek and shiny, with a cloth interior instead of leather which would have been unbearable in the hot tropical weather. The top was already down and all he had to do was get in and go…so he did.
He stowed his gear then climbed in behind the wheel of the bench seat and buckled the seatbelt, snugging it tight across his lap. That's when he noticed the cleverly disguised CD player. Checking the glove box, he also found a CD which he slipped into the player. The aviators were slipped back on as he started the engine. Backing out, he shifted into gear and pulled out of the parking lot at a dignified speed listening to Johnny Cash's Greatest Hits.
John zipped up the front of his wet suit, sealed the neck, picked up his board and walked toward the water, stopping within 10 meters. He considered that he hadn't caught a wave since before Atlantis. He and Ronon had gone to an uninhabited planet to surf and camp out but the water had been aggravatingly wave free the entire time they'd been there.
Here the waves weren't high enough to practice his trick but plenty high enough for him to get his surfing legs back. Once he did that, he could move to a different spot with more people and better waves. Taking a deep breath of the tangy salt air, he exhaled, inhaled one more time then, with a loud whoop of joy, ran out into the water.
An unknown amount of time later he flopped down on the sand next to the cooler that had been in the Caddy. It was filled with bottles of water, fresh veggies and fresh fruit. He didn't know who put it there but didn't really care.
Downing most of one bottle, he thought about how much he'd missed shootin' the curls. He was tired in a way he hadn't been in a long time but at least now he wouldn't look like a gremmie or a kook when he and Jason went out together. Standing, he began his usual post-workout stretching routine hoping it would keep muscles he hadn't used in this manner in years from getting sore.
John tucked the empty bottle back in the cooler and grabbed his board for one more run. As he ran into the waves, it brought back the excitement, the exhilaration of his first time on a board. It washed through him as he paddled out.
When he returned to the hotel he found that his family had gone out and weren't expected back until after dark. They returned on schedule and the five of them had dinner together in the hotel restaurant then listened to a band play on the back deck of the bar. Blaire sent Melissa to bed around 2230. As she passed his chair, she softly whispered, "SOP."
One corner of his mouth lifted as he wished her a good night with a wink that only she could see knowing that they'd be meeting in the lobby around midnight for a snack.
Day Three
Sandy Beach Park
0630 Hours
John got up early to go to Sandy Beach Park. He knew it wouldn't be heavily occupied at this time of day so there wouldn't be many witnesses to what was certain to be one wipeout after the other. It was almost an hour's drive from the hotel but all the better because there would be no chance that he'd be seen making a fool of himself by his nephew.
After downing a protein shake, he took the Caddy and drove down to the south end of the island. Sure enough, when he arrived there were a few diehards already there. The waves were cooking, about four to five meters, so he'd be able to attempt a duplication of his prize-winning stunt.
He stayed long enough to be certain he could perform the Shepp Swivel and not make too much of a fool of himself in front of his nephew then headed back to the hotel. Once there, he changed into his trunks, Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops and went down to the lobby. After asking at the front desk, he went out to the pool area that faced onto the beach.
David was at a table under an umbrella with his Blackberry and Bluetooth again. Blaire had mentioned the night before that she would be at the spa most of the day. He kicked off the flip-flops, shed his shirt and sunglasses and went to the side of the pool. Jason and Melissa were playing water volleyball with others from the hotel.
"Hey, kids! Mind if I join you?" His brother's children swam to the side of the pool and looked up at him.
Melissa's smile was inviting but Jason still had a small glint of mistrust in his eyes. "Why are you here?"
"Excuse me?"
"We've only seen you like three times in all our lives. I just wanna know why you're here now."
"Jason!" Melissa's tone was reproachful. "He's our uncle and he cares about us."
"Yeah? Then where's he been all this time?"
"He's in the military. Where he goes is confidential." Melissa leapt to John's defense surprising him.
The young man scoffed. "We're his family! Why can't he tell us?"
"It's SOP. He can't tell anyone."
"Look…" John interrupted the siblings' argument, pushing a hand through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck, "…I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I'd like to change that. All I'm asking is for you to just…give me a chance and I'll do my best not to let you down."
Jason thought it over and didn't see any traps so he relented though he still reserved judgment. "Okay. You can be on my team."
"Hey! Why do you get him?" Melissa complained.
Her brother slapped the water, splashing her in the face. "Because I'm the oldest, that's why." They splashed each other until John was soaked up to the knees.
"Hey, no fighting. How about I play a while on each team?" John started to crouch down, preparing to enter the water.
His niece and nephew exchanged a look that didn't go unnoticed by their uncle, but before he could react, they'd each grabbed one of his arms and pulled him in.
John came quickly to the surface, looking around and spotting Jason swimming toward the deepest end of the pool where the diving boards were located. As soon as he saw her, Melissa took a deep breath and ducked under, swimming away from him faster than he thought possible. Because she was closer, he chased her first. He caught up with her easily, wrapping a strong hand around her left ankle and dragging her to the surface. She pushed water and hair out of her face and put her hands on John's shoulders as if to hug him. He stiffened in anticipation of the embrace but instead, she dunked him.
This time when he surfaced, he couldn't see either of them. Treading water, he turned in a circle, finally spotting Jason climbing the ladder to the high dive. The young man walked out to the end of the springboard, bounced once then executed a perfect tuck, flipping over at least twice, coming out of it just in time to hit the water with arms extended and toes pointed, barely making a ripple on the surface.
A hand on his shoulder let him know that Melissa had returned to the scene of her "crime." They tread water side by side as her brother returned to the high dive. This time he turned his back to the water and performed a perfect back dive with a half twist in the straight position, creating a light froth as he sliced into the water. Of course, John didn't know that's what it was called. All he knew was his nephew was very, very good. Almost Greg Louganis good. "Not bad."
She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. He's won some awards and might get to be in the next summer Olympics. If he passes Calculus and Probability and Statistics next year."
"What is he, a junior? I didn't take them till my senior year."
Melissa scoffed. "I took them last year. They were easy compared to Spanish."
"Tus ojos son como estrellas, tus manos…como ladrillos." John said to test her grasp of the language.
The girl responded with, "Oh? Pues estos ojos solo miran una bolsa de mierda!" He splashed her and they laughed together. "Do you know any more languages?"
His left shoulder twitched. "Mmm. I know a little Farsi."
"Cool. Say something."
"Havercrafte man pore mārmāhi ast."
Her brows came together over her nose. "What's it mean?"
John snorted. "'My hovercraft is full of eels.'"
She giggled and they stayed like that for a while, treading water and watching the people around them. He was just about to suggest they get into the volleyball game but Melissa asked him a question out of the blue.
"Why did you stay away?"
John realized that it wasn't out of the blue, but he'd thought they had a kind of camaraderie. He'd been wrong - at least about how and when she'd demand answers. He looked over at her and saw she was watching him in turn waiting for an answer.
"Mom said you had a fight with grandpa and never made up. Is that true?"
"I…" John pushed a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture he could never stop no matter how hard he tried. "Yes, but it was a long time ago."
"What was it about?"
He looked away from her curious, open expression. "It's a, uh, long story and I'd really rather not tell it here."
"Hmph." Melissa turned away from him, a frown of disappointment on her pretty face. "Okay, you're off the hook…for now." She turned around and swam to the side, climbed out and picked up her towel, sandals and cell phone. After having a word with her father, she went inside without a backward glance.
David looked from John to his daughter and back. His eyes darkened in irritation as he huffed and returned to his phone call. "Pardon? Yes, sorry. Where were we? Page 189 of the contract states…"
Later, John and Jason took the Caddy down to the Pipeline. They'd spoken on the twenty-minute ride though it was about nothing in particular. It seemed as if his nephew was giving him time to sort out his feelings before making stronger demands for answers.
The waves at Ehukai Beach Park were, of course, higher than at Sandy Beach. He watched the other surfers remembering the last time he'd been here a little more than a month before he'd decided to join the Air Force.
The men suited up and grabbed their boards. "How about you watch a couple times then try it yourself?"
"Sure." Jason let a smirk slide over his face thinking his absentee uncle couldn't be as good as his mom said.
Again John was struck by his resemblance to Patrick. He ignored the pang in his chest at the thought of his father and made his run at the water. After his third successful Shepp Swivel, he saw Jason paddling out just as he was laying his board deck side down beside him.
The young man performed a cutback, getting the feel of the water. It was a difficult maneuver showing John just how good a surfer Jason was. "Cowabunga!" he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, the wave turned ragged, dissolving under Jason's board and knocking him head first into the water to John's left. The Air Force officer watched anxiously waiting for him to surface. After a few seconds it was apparent that something was wrong. Jason's board washed up onto the shore by the remnants of the wave but he was nowhere to be seen.
TBC
A/N: Edward (Eddie) Ryan Makua Hanai Aikau (Kahului, Hawaii, May 4, 1946 – March 17, 1978) was a well-known Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. The words Makua Hanai in Eddie Aikau's full name mean feeding parent, an adoptive, nurturing, fostering parent, in the Hawaiian language. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, he saved many lives and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.
http : / en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Eddie _ Aikau (Take out the spaces.)
If the Spanish isn't correct, blame LoneRanger1. However, if the Farsi is not correct, blame Google.
Mersi,
Sandy