Page 2 - MidWeek - March 15, 2023

2 MIDWEEK MARCH 15, 2023
A Honeydew Lesson
“Slow down, you move too fast, you got to make the morning last.”
— Paul Simon
Two men on a porch, old friends 50 years and more, in a town left far behind, taking it slow and easy, making it last.
er on their ancient porch, and waits for me to taste.
OSticker Shock
ne of the signs of the waning COVID era is our
“What’s your hurry?” one of them asks as I walk by, my usual pace, on my way to someplace else.
There are no plates, no forks, no napkins, nothing but the melon and the three of us. They watch me bring it to my mouth, the light green sweetness on my tongue, and me humming as they smile.
sweeter than the first, and Charley hands me the knife and tells me all his surgeon tricks.
daily traffic — everywhere, every day. But as
we plod along, we can gain insights by looking closely at some often-seen bumper stickers and what they truly might mean.
“Come on up,” he says with a wave, his hand flow- ing smooth through the sum- mer air, drawing me in, right up the walk. “You’re one of those burnin’ daylight men, aren’t you?”
“Good melon,” Al says.
Like “Baby on Board.” Thanks for the warning, but bold rear red lights on cars are a good enough sign for me to be aware on the road. If you persist in cellphone abuse as you merge or ignore speed limit “suggestions,” perhaps you should change that sign to “Baby, I’m Bored.” At what age should that bumper sticker be removed? Does an im- mature whiny 12-year-old still qualify as a baby on board?
“The best,” Charley re- plies.
“Good melon,” Al says.
The great dichotomy persists for vehicles that feature “Live Aloha” (nice concept) and “Defend Hawai‘i” decals with their ever-present AR-15 or some other firearm with a bump stock. “Live Aloha” — we got it, but if you insist that we “Defend Hawai‘i”, can you give us a suggest- ed time period for this impending Armageddon in case we opt to binge-watch The Crown or Duck Dynasty that week?
And I laugh.
“You never had melon like that before,” Al says, and he licks his lips, and Charley cuts me another slice and one for Al and one for himself.
If you’re gonna brag that your child is an “Honor Stu- dent” (which undoubtedly takes into account grade infla- tion sometimes used to ensure that schools pass minimum requirements for standardized tests to avoid notoriety) can you please honor the rules of the road — like not merg- ing through two lanes in five seconds? If not, perhaps we can require DNA testing for veering scofflaws to ensure that the alleged whiz kid inside that vehicle really is your honor student.
I smile and nod, my jets
“OK, Al,” Charley says, and he takes the knife, small and beat up but sharp, the world’s best surgeon at work, the honeydew his pa- tient, its life in his skilled, weathered hands.
And so it goes, as the day- light fades, and there we are between day and night. And because I was asked to take a moment to pause, I traded one journey for another.
“Not much daylight left,” he says. “Not much to burn, I reckon.”
“Come have some mel- on then, here’s a chair, cool your jets, as my grandkids say.”
“What?” Charley says.
“I guess not,” I say.
“Cut the man some melon, that’s what.”
Michael Little’s publica- tions include “Queen of the Rodeo,” “Kissing Frogs and Other Quirky Fairy Tales,” and others. For informa- tion about Hawai‘i Fiction Writers workshops, visit ha- waiifictionwriters.blogspot. com.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
cooling down.
“Charley,” he says, and his
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
He cuts a generous slice, holds it before me like the magi’s gift, for me, a strang-
By the time the fireflies light the yard another mel- on has appeared, larger and
friend looks up, melon juice on his lips.
The author learned to enjoy the simple pleasures, like a sweet melon on a hot day.
And then they sit back, the melon endless like this day, and close their eyes and lis- ten to me hum some more.
KELLEY
I cannot speak, only hum, the melon possessing me, the chair my home, the porch my world.
“The best,” Charley re- plies.
“Ainokea” is a popular sticker. OK, your choice, but again, some of us actually do care, so please make sure you’ve got this driving thing down before you veer right while making a left turn.
The “London New York Paris Waimānalo” bumper sticker brings a smile to my face, but now that repaving is rampant throughout Waimānalo town, it really is be- coming more like London, New York and Paris — just without those Gucci and Pucci stores, kinda.
If you’re stuck in traffic, is a “Local Motion” bumper sticker moot? I mean, you’re not moving, aka no motion. Maybe “Local Melancholy” would fit the tone of the mo- ment better.
Anyway, lots of time to explore these local jalopy juxta- positions as we creep along pondering the pedicure of that foot hanging out the passenger side of the car next to us.
Think about it.
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com
with Michael Little