Author's notes, before:
I'm a bit late. . .sorry. I felt lazy.
Anyway, on with the disclaimers, since the reviews ran out about the same time as my cookie list!
I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh!, anything else related to Yu-Gi-Oh! that doesn't go for $4 a pack, any parks, any shave ice stores, any movie theaters, any horrible arcades, any arenas, any basketball teams, or the song "Lying on the Bench" (which is owned by positive MA, who made it for the Beatmania series, not the Beatmania IIDX series), or anything else that isn't me.
Excuse me, my dinner calls.
---
It was two days of semi-normalcy. Most other tourists would have been spending their money on the nearest tourist traps they could find. Varon was an exception to this rule.
He looked up at the ceiling of his hotel room, and did his best to ignore the muffled screams coming through the wall. Amelda had probably found another roach in his room.
The past two days had been spent as if he wasn't a tourist. On the first day, he had overheard a conversation about a treat known as shave ice. More curious than anything, he kept listening to the conversation. One of the speakers gave very detailed directions to "one of the best shave ice stores on the island".
Because of the location of the store, he had elected to keep his motorcycle in the hotel's parking lot. Parking in that area was supposed to be tight.
The stand was nearly empty. This wasn't surprising, because the sky looked as gray as the apartment buildings surrounding the stand. The stand had an amazing amount of flavors available. It had taken him a good fifteen minutes to decide on the "rainbow" shave ice.
As soon as he got his order, he heard giggling. Another group of high school girls had spotted him. He didn't want another following! A family of five stood between him and the Wall of Giggles. They had just gotten their order, which included some sort of red bean paste. No traffic moved on the streets. He slipped between two parked cars and ran across the street. A squeal indicated that one of the girls had seen his escape. He stood on the corner, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
A child screamed. One of the girls had stepped on a small foot. Through a car window, Varon saw the child lurch forward. The red and green shave ice the child had been holding found its way onto another girl's white shirt. She in turn launched her purple and orange shave ice at the mother of the family. The mother dodged, but the person standing behind her wasn't so lucky. As the people at the stand attempted to sort out the icky mess, Varon quietly walked away.
Varon walked away from the shave ice stand, and into a park. Few people populated the massive park. According to a sign, the park had once been a football stadium. It explained why the park was so darned big. Varon finally found a bench, and. . .
. . .noticed the multicolored drips down his hand. He'd grabbed quite a few napkins from the stand, and desperately mopped the mess. A couple of children ran in front of him, and slid, then became stuck in the sticky syrup. They tore themselves free of the sidewalk and continued to run.
The "rainbow" shave ice wasn't bad at all. The banana (yellow) was far sweeter than a normal banana. The vanilla (blue) went very well with the strawberry (red). The colors in between transitioned the flavors nicely.
The shave ice would have been perfect if he could have just gotten the empty cone off of his hand. Five minutes of water finally unstuck the stubborn thing. His hand felt numbed to the bone.
The local college baskteball team was supposed to play tonight. The game was set to start in a couple of hours. Feeling adventurous, Varon walked in the direction of the university. His little mishap on the bus earlier in the week had shown him a good portion of the neighborhood, including the location of the university. It had taken him a few hours to walk from the terminus to the restaurant where he eventually met Raphael, but the walk had been worth it. He could find his way around this part of the island blindfolded.
As he walked up the main street, he saw that this neighborhood wasn't meant for tourists. Small restaurants catering in "local food" littered the area. A baseball field was located right behind a supermarket. To be more precise, the baseball field was located right behind the garden shop, which looked like it kept its fertilizer in the back.
The road became a large four-and-a-half-way intersection. Varon crossed two and a half roads to get to the side where the university was supposed to be located. More restaurants advertised their wares. The fare was mulitcultural, but the Greek restaurant wouldn't be open for another hour.
The sky finally fulfilled its threat of rain. The heavens opened up. People hunched down and ran for the nearest shelter. Varon didn't mind the rain too much. It was much warmer than the rains in California.
Several girls sighed at him from the open-ended restaurant near one of the bus stops. They looked like they were in college. While they were a bit closer to his age, they still didn't interest him. The one he wanted wasn't coming to Hawaii anytime soon.
After battling the rain, Varon finally made it to the university. Unfortunately, he didn't have a clue as to where the basketball arean was located. He walked further up the road he was on, in hopes of finding something to help him.
His help came in the form of a large map, posted near a bus stop. The arena was a good distance away. He rolled his eyes and walked back in the direction he came from. While he didn't exactly pride himself on his sense of direction, he knew that he could find his way around anything faster than Amelda with a map. . .or Raphael, period.
The person behind the ticket window gave him an odd look, but admitted him into the game. He walked in, amazed at the severe lack of attendance. Didn't the local support their own basketball team?
After losing a LOT of money at the concession stands, Varon took his dinner and found his seat. In a few moments, he understood why the arena was mostly empty. It was a women's basketball game.
He was sorely tempted to walk out, but he didn't want to waste his money. He sighed and settled in. It couldn't be all that exciting.
The loudest thing in the arena, by far and away, was the air horn that blew after every time out. The second-loudest thing was the band. That is, the band when they weren't playing. Varon found himself chuckling at a few of the "interesting remarks" the band had for the other team. He kept a couple in memory. He'd find a way to irritate Amelda with them.
The game was surprisingly close. No team led the other by more than five points. The game was a tug-of-war, which finally ended with the home team winning. The band let their feelings be known through their cheering. They let their opinion of the other team be known through their playing. About half the band was audible; the other half HAD to be there for decoration.
Varon left the arena feeling much better than he thought he would. The food from the concession stands didn't make him sick. The game had been refreshingly exciting. Life was good.
The rain had increased in volume a thousandfold. Thunder boomed, and the winds howled angrily. Life had just took a downward turn.
Rather than walk back, Varon decided to wait at one of the stops he'd seen earlier in the week. He wasn't sure what buses stopped there, but he knew that they had to go somewhere. It didn't take long for a bus to appear. It was headed straight for Waikiki. With a grin, Varon hopped on.
The bus was kind enough to stop a few minutes away from the hotel. Varon slid off and frowned at the sky. The rain had slackened, but only a little. His hair hung limper than. . .he didn't bother to finish the thought.
He was thoroughly soaked by the time he entered the hotel's lobby. Several other wet people milled about. He made a beeline to the elevators, and took a hot shower once he got back to his room. He ignored the screams from the other side of the wall. Raphael's room must not have been bug-free, either.
The second day was far less memorable than the first. He'd gone to catch a movie, then went to the arcade that sat next to the theater. The movie theater didn't seem different from home, and the arcade chain existed back in California. What a waste of time.
Something moved on the ceiling. It was a baby gecko. The gecko lost its grip on the ceiling and fell.
One more set of screams echoed through the hotel.
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Author's note, after:
That came out quite a bit longer than I intended. Now, for a whole load of explanations. . .
"Lying on the Bench" is a very lazy song. It's also a very simple song, and one that's often overlooked. Varon's vacation was actually more like what a local family might do over the weekend. It's definitely NOT something that is widely advertised!
The shave ice stand is part of a small store located smack in the middle of a residential area. It's a local favorite, and probably the best one in Honolulu. Across the street from that store is Stadium Park, a stadium converted into a park. The stadium, which was nicknamed "Termite Palace", was torn down. . .because of termites.
Varon's wacky shave ice is an actual menu item, and one that is found in just about any shave ice store. I personally haven't tried it (as I prefer the non-carbonated cherry and cola flavors).
Shave ice syrup, once it has had a chance to dry, is about as adhesive as super glue. It also does BAD things to white shirts. Then again, Varon isn't the type to wear a white shirt. . .
The shave ice sold just about anywhere also comes with optional ice cream and azuki beans (the former is delicious; I don't intend on putting red beans on MY shave ice). The particular stand that Varon visited also offers custard, li hing powder (which is an ACQUIRED taste), condensed milk, and chocolate syrup, all at a nominal price. Other stores will also offer a selection of some of those items (as well as gummy bears, though I don't think that store is in business any more).
The baseball field is used for local baseball games, and becomes a scary morass when it rains. The grocery store in front of the field is cold enough to deep-freeze lava.
The women's basketball games can be exciting. Sometimes, they're more exciting than the men's games. I figured I'd mention that, because most people prefer to watch men's basketball.
To my band: I'm sorry. The bands at the basketball games are REALLY good. Unfortunately, Varon isn't a good music critic. . .but he did get the band's wisecracks down.
The last part about the baby gecko stems from a little story by my mom. According to her, a woman who is (un)lucky enough to have a baby gecko land on her will get pregnant soon. Fortunately, Varon is not a woman. I do not know what happens to guys in that situation.
I think it's time I let Amelda out of the storage room I've kept him in for the past two days. He'll be narrating, and I promise that he didn't stay in his room for two days straight.
Reviews are welcome.