Current mood: contemplative

Hi everyone,

Our trip is over and it took quite a bizarre turn before it was time to head home. Yesterday morning, my BFF Clare, made her daily phone call to check on her grandma who was in a nursing home. Caring for her grandma has been a very difficult, but treasured occupation for my friend.

As hard as the decision was to put her grandma in a place where she could receive round-the-clock care, it was equally hard for to take our short trip. She was so worried something would happen whilst we were away.

Then yesterday morning, as I sat on the balcony typing away, working on my book (nothing like the tropics to get those creative thoughts flowing) I heard these ominous words:

"What do you mean she's expired? She's not a parking meter."

So this was how Clare found out her grandma had died in the early hours of the morning. At first we thought it might have been a huge mistake, but it wasn't. She was devastated, obviously, and what a harrowing end to a great little escape. As she sat on the phone organizing a morturary, a funeral and began the laborious process of alerting family members across the world, it seemed hard to fathom that the nursing home would be so callous as to use the word expired.

I have only known Clare's grandma in her dimnished state, but the glimpses I got of this once proud, beautiful and feisty woman made me yearn to have known her way back when...

We made hasty return travel plans to LA, Clare's face looking swollen and teary. We went to Zippy's for a final meal and she picked at her food, in a zombie-like state.

In the car, as we sat at the corner of Beretania Street, I blew a kiss to Iolani Palace, the only palace on American soil and one of my favorite haunts in Hawaii. As we moved forward on the green light, a slight rain pattered the window sill. In the distance, over Diamond Head, the most incredible rainbow arced in the sky and we pulled over to observe it.

Clare has been properly educated on the significance of a rainbow - by me. For it is said when a great Ali'i, a member of the royal family dies, a rainbow appears in the sky. So it was for the last, tragic queen of Hawaii, Lili'uokalani, and so it was for Clare's grandma.

As I let her talk and cry, I felt somehow her grandma had chosen this day to pass, when Clare could not be there to deal with the enormity of her passing. To see her in that state. I think that wonderful woman wanted her little girl, whom she adored, to be somewhere beautiful, with someone who loves her and would help her when the time came.

We drove in silence to the airport and stopped by the little shacks that house all the lei stands. Clare wanted to bury her grandma with leis - all the leis we could carry home.

The little lei sellers plied us with more and more leis when they learned the flowers were for a funeral. The agricultural inspection guys also gave us a free pass and the security checkpoints were a lot more lenient than usual.

"Ah, paying respect," one of the men said and we went to our gate and waited.

An Ali'i died yesterday and the world is a sadder place for it. My friend was given so much Aloha from so many wonderful people that it truly helped her in having to say goodbye to the one last person left who truly loved her unconditionally, as only grandmas can.

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Currently listening : Alone in IZ World By Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Release date: 2001-09-25