Bitsy and Helen managed to arrive at the Hosoi Garden Mortuary on 30 N Kukui St in fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes earlier than Joel had perhaps anticipated. It was probably for the best, too, since it looked as though the entire place was packed with people. It seemed everyone had shown up to pay their respects to Queenie: 'ohana, hanai, business associates, business rivals, and even people who'd never directly interacted with her.
The two women were surprised to see such a large turnout for the funeral, but it gave them some sense of comfort to know that she'd had such a far-reaching influence in life. As they made their way towards the building, they saw Joel standing right there at the entrance, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Oh, um, Joel," Helen started to speak. "We finally made it, and with fifteen minutes to spare."
"Glad you could make it." Joel quickly ushered his niece and her assistant into the building. "Come on. Just fifteen minutes left before the funeral is supposed to start. Why don't you try partaking in small talk while we wait?"
"Uh… okay."
With that, Bitsy and Helen proceeded to follow him inside and then add their names to the register book before then trying to mingle with the guests in the family room.
Out of the corner of her eye, Helen spotted a man with short dark hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, bronze skin, and thick dark eyebrows. He had a round face and somewhat pronounced muscles (perhaps even chiseled abs) hidden underneath his dark three-piece suit. He had what looked to be the warmest smile she'd ever seen on someone.
When she came up close to him, all she could say to him was a meek hello.
"Oh, aloha au la 'oe," the man greeted back. "My name's Keone. What's yours?"
"Helen."
"Pretty name. How did you know my aunty?"
"My boss Bitsy is her granddaughter."
The realization soon dawned on Keone. "Oh yeah, I've heard of her! She's the one who owns the Brandenham Hotel on the mainland, right?"
"The very same."
Keone extended his hand out to her. "Very nice to meet you, I gotta say."
Helen firmly grasped his outstretched hand. "Same here. Pleasure to meet you, Keone."
Keone couldn't believe his luck. Here he was, interacting with someone who was famous by proxy. He couldn't help but feel a cascade of excitement wash over him. He knew right then and there that he definitely wanted to get to know Helen better.
"Aunty really touched all our lives, you know," Keone resumed after a brief moment of silence.
"I can definitely tell," Helen replied. "She must've loved you very much."
Keone nodded. "Oh yeah, she and my kupuna kāne actually worked together back in the day. She even helped him raise my makuahine and her siblings when they were younger."
"Really? That's amazing."
"Yeah, they had a quite special connection. She was also a great mentor. She taught me so much about our history and our traditions when I was growing up." He smiled and shook his head. "God, I miss her so much." He felt a lump in his throat and wiped away a tear from one of his eyes. "I wish I could've asked her for help one more time, but I suppose I'll just have to remember everything she taught me. It's what she would've wanted."
"I… I'm sorry for your loss."
He took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you."
Eventually, the service began, and everyone took their seats. Bitsy and Helen sat all the way at the front, wanting to get a full view of Queenie in her casket. In accordance with a mixture of traditional and modern Hawaiian funeral customs, Queenie's body had been washed with salt water (as well as embalmed) and then encased with a special dress made from strips of tree bark. In addition, the wooden casket was adorned with open-ended green maile leis. The funeral director, Clifford Hosoi, came up to the stand to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to say goodbye to Ku'ulei Kahananui Ryan and celebrate all eighty-five years of her life," Clifford began. "It's always tragic when there's a death in the family, regardless of where he or she was in life. Ku'ulei's death was certainly no exception. It is especially tragic for her to leave us during her twilight years... and yet, I know that she would not want us to dwell on her passing today. She would want us to send her off with as much gusto and spirit as she deserved. Without further ado, I present to you Tabitha Kinsella's performance of 'Love is a Battlefield' by Pat Benatar… in Hawaiian!"
Almost everyone let out murmurs of intrigue. Without hesitation, Tabitha got up from her seat and pulled out her ukulele and started performing.
ʻŌpio mākou
ʻEha puʻuwai i ka ʻeha puʻuwai
Kū mākou
ʻAʻohe hoʻohiki, ʻaʻohe koi
Love is a battlefield
Ua ikaika mākou
ʻAʻole hiki i kekahi ke haʻi iā mākou ua hewa mākou
Ke ʻimi nei i ko mākou naʻau no ka lōʻihi
ʻIke mākou ʻelua
Love is a battlefield
Ke noi mai nei ʻoe iaʻu e hele a noho wau
Why do you hurt me so bad?
E kōkua iaʻu e ʻike, ke ku nei au ma kou ala
Or am I the best thing you've had?
E manaʻoʻiʻo mai iaʻu, manaʻoʻiʻo mai iaʻu, ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ke haʻi iā ʻoe i ke kumu
Akā, ua paʻa au i kou aloha a ua paʻa au i kou ʻaoʻao
ʻŌpio mākou
ʻEha puʻuwai i ka ʻeha puʻuwai
Kū mākou
ʻAʻohe hoʻohiki, ʻaʻohe koi
Love is a battlefield
Ua ikaika mākou
ʻAʻole hiki i kekahi ke haʻi iā mākou ua hewa mākou
Ke ʻimi nei i ko mākou naʻau no ka lōʻihi
ʻIke mākou ʻelua
Love is a battlefield
Ke nalowale nei mākou i ka mana, e hoʻohuli ʻoe iaʻu
Or touch me deep inside?
A inā e kahiko kēia mau mea a pau, e mau ana anei ka manaʻo?
There's no way this will die
Akā inā hoʻokokoke loa mākou, hiki iaʻu ke nalowale i ka mana
A inā hāʻawi kou puʻuwai, pono ʻoe iaʻu e paʻa
ʻŌpio mākou
ʻEha puʻuwai i ka ʻeha puʻuwai
Kū mākou
ʻAʻohe hoʻohiki, ʻaʻohe koi
Love is a battlefield
Ua ikaika mākou
ʻAʻole hiki i kekahi ke haʻi iā mākou ua hewa mākou
Ke ʻimi nei i ko mākou naʻau no ka lōʻihi
ʻIke mākou ʻelua
Love is a battlefield
As soon as Tabitha had uttered the last lines, people started clapping and praising her on her performance.
"Wow, that was impressive," Keone could only say.
"Yeah, I guess so," Helen replied. "I've never heard her sing before."
"Me neither, but you have to admit that was awesome nonetheless."
Helen nodded in agreement, her eyes still fixated on Tabitha as she basked in the applause. "Yeah, it was."
Bitsy, meanwhile, had just been staring at Keone and Helen and listening in on their banter the whole time. She wasn't sure what it was about Keone that was pissing her off exactly, but she didn't like it. Lucky for him, she didn't perceive him as a threat... yet. She would have to see how he stacked up as the day progressed.