Hawaii! Read online

  Alfie drew a card from the deck and arranged his hand before discarding another card.

  “Another big difference between Rio and Maui is that there are a lot fewer people on Maui,” Zia continued. “It has much more of a laid-back island vibe.”

  “I like laid-back,” Emilia said. “Rio was pretty intense!”

  Zia laughed as she placed a set of hearts on the table. “You won’t find that intensity in Maui. It’s much more about taking things slow and enjoying little moments. And you’ll never meet nicer people in your life. Everyone is friendly and treats you like family. It’s that aloha spirit.”

  “I thought aloha meant hello,” Alfie said.

  “No, it means good-bye,” Emilia argued.

  “No, it doesn’t!” Alfie shot back.

  Zia held up her hands between them. “It means both hello and good-bye. But it’s so much more than that. It’s almost like a way of life—to live with respect for yourself and for others.”

  “That’s cool,” Alfie said. “It sounds nice.”

  “Totally,” Emilia agreed.

  Once they’d finished a couple of rounds of rummy, Zia hopped off her stool to check on the banana bread. “Almost done,” she said.

  Alfie breathed in the warm, sweet smell of the rich bread as it wafted through the air. “I can’t wait.”

  “I actually don’t know much about the history of Hawaii,” Emilia said.

  “Really?” Alfie said in surprise. His sister seemed to know something about every place!

  Emilia gave her brother a look.

  “It’s an interesting history,” Zia said. “It’s a blend of a lot of different cultures.”

  “Is the food that way, too?” Alfie asked.

  “Definitely!” Zia said. “Hawaiian food is influenced by places as different as Portugal, China, the Philippines, and Japan. But of course every dish has a distinct island flavor that you can’t find anywhere else.”

  Just then the kitchen timer went off. Zia jumped up again and opened the oven. She stuck a toothpick into the middle of the bread and pulled it out. “It’s done!”

  Alfie and Emilia both hopped up to look at the bread. It was a dark golden brown on top. “We’ll let it cool for a few,” Zia said.

  Alfie reluctantly took his seat at the kitchen island again. “I don’t know if I can wait that long!”

  They played another round of rummy until the bread was cool. Alfie put the cards away as Zia cut the bread into thick slabs and placed a slice each on three small plates. Alfie picked up his whole slice of bread and brought it to his nose. It was dense and heavy, and the inside of the bread was a lighter color than the crust. It was pale yellow with dark black flecks of banana and bits of nuts and chocolate throughout. And it smelled delicious.

  “I used to make this banana bread almost every week on Maui,” Zia said. “We’d pack up a few slices and some fresh tropical fruit and head down to the beach. We’d spend the whole day on the soft white sand. Sometimes we’d snorkel or surf or paddleboard. Other times we’d just watch the whales in the water.”

  “That sounds amazing, Zia,” Alfie said. He watched Emilia break off a small bite of banana bread from her slice and bring it to her mouth. Alfie quickly did the same, closing his eyes as he bit through the slightly crispy crust to the moist banana-and-nutty richness inside. Alfie was about to ask Zia if she’d really gone surfing when all of a sudden his stomach dropped, like when an elevator goes down just a little too quickly . . .

  A

  lfie opened his eyes and squinted against the bright sun. He checked quickly to make sure Emilia was by his side. She shaded her eyes as they took in their surroundings. Alfie could see tall palm trees lining a pathway that led toward a body of deep blue water in the distance. The palms swayed gently in the breeze, waving their fronds toward the inviting water.

  “Is that the ocean?” Emilia asked.

  “It looks like an ocean,” Alfie said. “Look at those waves.”

  “Do you think we’re in Maui?” she asked.

  “Aloha,” Alfie heard behind him. He and Emilia swung around to see two women wearing grass skirts and wreaths of flowers circling their heads like crowns. They stood in front of a tan building that rose up against the blue sky, which was dotted with puffy white clouds.

  “We must be,” Alfie whispered to Emilia.

  One of the women stepped forward and placed a lei around Emilia’s neck. Then she placed another one around Alfie’s neck. The light scent of the fresh flowers was sweet, like honey. Alfie gently touched one of the white petals. It felt like thick silk.

  “Thank you,” Emilia said, touching her own lei. “It’s so beautiful!”

  The woman smiled and nodded. She stepped back a pace as the other woman stepped forward. She extended the tray that balanced on her palm. There were two tall glasses with wedges of pineapple stuck to the rims. “Would you like some fresh pineapple juice?” she asked.

  “Yes, please,” Alfie said, reaching out eagerly.

  “Thank you,” Emilia said again as she took her glass.

  Beads of water ran down the outside of the cool glass as Alfie took a drink from the straw. The juice was a bit thick and pulpy, and it had a perfect pineapple sweetness to it. Alfie could tell it was fresh and not from a can.

  “This is delicious,” Emilia said. Alfie nodded in agreement, too busy finishing off his juice to speak.

  Alfie and Emilia put their empty glasses back on the tray.

  “Thank you,” Alfie finally said.

  “You’re welcome.” The woman smiled. Then she gestured toward the open doors of the building behind her. “Welcome to the Grand Lahaina Maui Resort.”

  Alfie beamed and strode confidently up the path to the resort entrance. He stopped when he realized that Emilia was trailing behind him. “Come on!” he said.

  Emilia still hesitated. She smiled at the women again and then hurried to Alfie’s side. “They think we’re staying here,” she whispered.

  “So?” Alfie said as they stepped through the doorway and into the hotel lobby. It was a wide-open space with big potted plants and hanging baskets of flowers everywhere. Sunlight shone through an enormous skylight high above them. It looked like a greenhouse. He couldn’t help but smile as he took it all in. This place was amazing.

  “So, I don’t want to get in trouble!” Emilia said through gritted teeth.

  Alfie sighed. “We’re not going to get in trouble,” he told her.

  “Look at this place, Alfie,” Emilia continued. “It’s super nice. There’s no way we could afford it.”

  “Come on, Emilia,” Alfie said. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  Emilia opened her mouth to argue again.

  “Let’s just look around, okay?” Alfie said.

  “Fine,” Emilia said, her eyes darting around the lobby nervously.

  Alfie nudged Emilia forward. He really hoped she wasn’t going to be a stick-in-the-mud the whole time. This was the start of a new adventure, after all. He wanted to make the most of it!

  Alfie led the way across the lobby and out a side door next to the registration desk. Down a few steps and off to the right was a huge pool sparkling in the sun. Deck chairs and umbrellas ringed the edge of the pool, and larger lounge chairs that almost looked like beds were set back from the pool near patches of thick grass. There were kids splashing in the water or floating on brightly colored foam noodles. “See,” Alfie said to Emilia. “There are tons of kids here.”

  Alfie led Emilia down the palm tree–lined path, which wrapped around the side of the pool and then away toward the beach. At the edge of the beach there was a wooden cabana with a big RENTALS sign. It wasn’t yet open for the day, but Alfie read the list of all the equipment you could rent: surfboards, boogie boards, stand-up paddleboards, and snorkel gear. Alfie th
ought he might burst from excitement. He wanted to try all of those things!

  Resort workers were busy setting up more lounge chairs and umbrellas in rows facing the ocean. “This resort is fancy,” Alfie said.

  “That’s what I was trying to tell you!” Emilia replied.

  “We’ll be fine.” Alfie smiled. “We always are!”

  Emilia nodded. Alfie knew she couldn’t argue with that. Even though they never knew what to expect on their adventures, everything always worked out!

  “Let’s go check out the rest of the hotel,” Alfie said. “We’ll come back to the beach later.”

  They made their way back up the path and into the hotel lobby. They passed a cool-looking resort store and a big restaurant with white tablecloths and vases of flowers on each table, and then saw an open courtyard with a buffet in the middle. Resort workers were in the process of removing trays and dishes of food.

  “Too bad,” Alfie said, gesturing toward the buffet area.

  They circled around the lobby once more and stopped in front of a bank of elevators.

  “Want to go up to the top floor?” Alfie asked. “Maybe there’s a roof deck and we can get a view of the area.”

  “Okay,” Emilia said, hurrying into an open, empty elevator. She pushed the CLOSE button a few times. Alfie knew she didn’t want anyone else to join them in the elevator and ask any questions.

  They reached the top floor and stepped into the hallway. Alfie heard two women talking. He peeked around the corner and saw two housekeepers standing next to a cleaning cart, chatting.

  “Ugh, that suite takes forever to clean!” one of them said.

  “I know!” said the other. “Please tell me no one is scheduled to stay there this weekend.”

  “Let me check.” The woman opened a binder and slid her finger down the page. “We’re in luck,” she said. “It’s empty on the schedule until next Thursday.”

  “You just made my day!”

  The two women laughed.

  Alfie and Emilia peered around the corner again and watched as the women wheeled the cart farther down the hallway. Emilia spotted something on the floor. She bent down to pick it up. It was a plastic key card. Alfie saw her look toward the housekeepers and open her mouth to speak.

  “Shhhh!” Alfie whispered. He grabbed the key card and slid it into the slot of the suite door. A little green light flashed on the door panel and then it opened! Alfie smiled and stepped inside. Emilia’s eyes got wide. She glanced down the hallway and then followed Alfie into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

  Alfie sucked in a breath as he took in the suite. It looked more like an apartment than a hotel room! There was a huge bed facing a giant flat-screen TV that was mounted on the opposite wall. Beyond the TV was a doorway to a separate room with another enormous bed, as well as a desk and a sofa. The far wall of the suite was all windows. Alfie stepped into the bathroom to see a tub the size of a small swimming pool along with a separate shower that was bigger than his bedroom.

  “Alfie, look!” Emilia called from the other room. Alfie stopped staring at the shower and went out to see what Emilia was looking at. She smiled as she slid open one of the giant windows. It was actually a sliding-glass door leading out to a private terrace. Alfie ran over and joined Emilia on the balcony. The warm ocean breeze hit his face as he looked out at the row of big resort buildings and to the gleaming ocean beyond.

  “This is so cool!” he said.

  “I know,” Emilia said, sounding a little breathless.

  “Well, I think we know where we’re staying in Maui.” Alfie beamed.

  Emilia’s smile faltered a little. “Do you really think we should?”

  “You heard the housekeepers,” Alfie said. “No one is going to be here all week. It’s perfect!”

  Alfie walked inside, kicked off his shoes, and fell backward onto the king-size bed.

  “Okay . . . ,” Emilia finally said. “As long as we keep it clean for the housekeepers.”

  “Agreed,” Alfie said, closing his eyes.

  “Now get off my bed,” Emilia said, sliding off her shoes and giving Alfie’s leg a shove. “I want to sleep in this room.”

  “No way!” Alfie jumped up and stood on top of the bed. “I claimed it first.”

  Emilia jumped onto the bed, too. “But I’m the oldest!”

  “So?” Alfie shouted, jumping up and down.

  “Shhhh!” Emilia hissed. “Do you want to get us kicked out before we’ve even gotten to stay?”

  “I got here first,” Alfie said in a much quieter voice.

  Emilia hopped off the bed. “Fine. We’ll take turns. You can have this room tonight, but then I get it tomorrow night.”

  “Fine,” Alfie said as he continued to bounce.

  “Fine,” Emilia said again. She walked into the other room and flopped down on that bed, annoyed.

  Alfie couldn’t help but grin. He’d won the best room for the first night!

  After Alfie got tired of jumping, he collapsed onto his bed and looked into Emilia’s room. He wasn’t sure if they were still arguing or not.

  “Wanna go back down to the beach?” Alfie asked tentatively.

  “Sure,” Emilia answered, a little quiet.

  Alfie stood up and stretched. “I can’t wait to get in the water!” he said, trying to lighten the mood. “If it’s anything like the Copacabana beach in Rio, it’s going to be awesome!”

  Emilia smiled. “Yeah.”

  Alfie headed toward the suite door.

  “Wait, we need to bring the key card!” Emilia said, picking it up from the table.

  “Oh, right,” Alfie replied. “Here, I’ll put it in my pocket.”

  “Don’t lose it.” Emilia handed him the plastic card. “And what’s the suite number? We can’t forget that, either.”

  Alfie opened the door and looked at the outside. “It’s 1201.”

  “Okay, that’s easy,” Emilia said.

  Alfie slid the key card into his pocket and closed the door behind them while Emilia hit the elevator button. Alfie could see her getting nervous as they waited, but the doors opened and it was empty.

  They rode down a few floors before Emilia said, “Wait!”

  “What?” Alfie looked alarmed.

  “We don’t have bathing suits!”

  Just then the elevator doors opened into the lobby, and Alfie spotted the resort store. He grinned and pulled Emilia toward it. “Problem solved!” he said.

  “With what money?” Emilia asked.

  “Have you forgotten already?” Alfie asked his sister. He dug in his jeans pocket and held the twenties their dad had given them up to Emilia’s face. “Like I said, problem solved.”

  Emilia grinned back and darted into the store. Alfie followed and went straight for a rack of board shorts.

  Before long, Alfie had picked out a pair of blue Hawaiian-print board shorts and a T-shirt. Emilia found a bright yellow bathing suit and a light cotton dress. They also bought a tube of sunscreen and two pairs of flip-flops from the sale bin.

  When the clerk rang up the total, Alfie gulped. He looked at Emilia, whose mouth had dropped open. Alfie handed the clerk all the money he had. He got two dollars and twenty-three cents in return. They shuffled out of the store.

  “I thought we’d have plenty of money left over for other stuff,” Alfie said, still in shock.

  “Me too,” Emilia replied.

  They headed back up to their room to change into their suits and put on sunscreen. Emilia found two fluffy beach towels in the closet, and soon they were on their way down to the lobby again.

  They walked outside, and Alfie took in the smell of the ocean breeze and saw the glistening waves folding onto the sand in the distance. “Let’s go!” he cried as he ran down the path to the water, his flip-flops
clapping on the cement.

  When Alfie reached the end of the path, and his feet hit the sand, he kicked off his flip-flops and buried his toes. The sand was white, superfine, and really soft. It felt so good—warm, but not hot. He closed his eyes and wiggled his toes.

  “Aloha,” said a voice.

  Alfie opened his eyes to see an older teenager standing next to him. He was tall and wore board shorts and a long-sleeved shirt with a necklace of small white shells on a leather cord.

  “Hi!” Alfie replied.

  “Are you guys here for the surf lesson?” the boy asked.

  Without even thinking, Alfie said, “Yes!” He could see Emilia shift uncomfortably next to him. Alfie wasn’t sure how Emilia felt about surfing, but he wasn’t about to pass up the chance to learn!

  “Sweet!” The boy smiled wide. “My name’s Kai. Welcome to the Grand Lahaina.”

  “Thanks. I’m Alfie, and this is my sister, Emilia.”

  “You look like you could be about the same ages as my younger brother and sister,” Kai replied.

  “I’m thirteen,” Emilia piped up. “And Alfie’s eleven.”

  Alfie glared at his sister. She loved to tell everyone that she was older. “But I’ll be twelve in a couple of months,” Alfie added.

  Kai whistled and motioned to two kids who were leaning on the counter inside the rental cabana. They dashed across the sand.

  “What’s up, bro?” the boy asked Kai.

  “Jacob and Lana, meet Alfie and Emilia. They’re here for the surf lesson, and you guys are the same age.”

  “Cool,” Jacob said. “You’re thirteen, too?”

  “Yeah,” Emilia said, smiling wide. “Hi.”

  “Let’s get you guys your boards and your rash guards,” Jacob said, motioning them over to the rental cabana.

  “What’s a rash guard?” Alfie asked.

  “It’s a long-sleeved surf shirt, like the one Kai is wearing,” Lana explained. “Basically it’s like another layer of sunblock, but it also keeps your arms from chafing against your board when you paddle out.”