the sense of a place
“Look! Look!” she exclaimed excitedly.
“What?” he asked, looking over. “Over there!” she said, pointing to the left. He tried looking, but being a careful driver, he could only shoot fleeting glances while keeping his eyes on the road. “I can’t look. Too many bushes. Tell me.” “Looks like some sort of interesting statue. On a big rock. Right by the water’s edge.” “OK, let’s take a look.” With that, after a glance in the mirror, he hung a U-ee and drove back to the small beach they had just left behind. He parked on the shoulder and they both got out to explore. It was a slim, curving, pristine strip of sand, a few hundred yards long, bracketed by sugar cane fields on both ends. There were a half dozen good-size granite boulders randomly placed on the sand and protruding from the water. On one of the biggest ones, all the way over to the right, was the statue. “Hey, that’s not a statue – it’s a guy!” he said, starting to walk toward it. “Yeah, I guess. But he is so motionless, seemed like a |
sculpture as we were whizzing by.”
The figure did not budge as they were quietly approaching. He was standing on the rock, facing the water, with arms outstretched to the side and slightly raised, his face lifted skyward. His long hair, braided, hung almost to his waist. He was barefoot, wearing only what looked like a skimpy loin cloth tied around his waist, lightly flapping in the breeze. He was well built, tanned to a deep brown. She grabbed his arm as they were just a few yards away, making gestures with her other hand, signaling to stop and to be quiet. He gestured back at her to just wait here and he continued on. He swung left to cut a wide arc, then waded into the surf and circled around the figure, passing around him, and then back to her. He put her arm around her shoulder and steered her back toward the car, saying “He is some sort of spiritual. An aging hippie, perhaps. He is meditating standing there. He is quietly repeating “Ohmmm… Ohmmm”. Whatever works for him, I guess…” “Well, considering how beautiful it is here, I can understand if he is inspired.” “OK, ready to continue our quest? “Sure thing. Pali Hale beach sounds divine according to the guide book.” |
They got into the car, he swung around and continued along the two-lane road as she was paging through “Hawaii on Five Dollars a Day”, looking for the directions. “This fence on the left must be the Naval Air Station. Right after this the paved road comes to an end”, she said.
“So it does. This is a good book”, he said slowing down, as the macadam gave way to a sandy clay path curving right and bisecting sugar cane fields on both sides. “Good thing there is no traffic here. We’d have a hell of a time slipping by another car on this little lane.” After a few minutes they came to a fork in the lane. He slowed to a stop and asked “What now? How do we figure this out? We have been twisting and turning and have no clue which direction we are heading…” She suddenly said, looking up from the book, “To the left! See the little figure over there? It’s the Menehune!” “What’s a menehune? And what are you looking at?” She pointed ahead, at a small wooden panel stuck in the sand by the road, about a foot high, in the shape of a person with an outstretched arm pointing to the left. It almost completely blended into the background of sugarcane. “Menehune are a mythological tribe of small people with magical powers. The book says the directions to Pali Hale are indicated by these panels. “Well, they could at least paint them red, or something, so you can see them…”, he said taking the left fork. They |
continued for several miles through the cane, watching carefully for the little menehune signs and following their directions. All at once the cane fields ended and they found themselves at the edge of a huge expanse of white, fine sand, with the ocean beyond. There was a single picnic table with a bench a little distance away, otherwise nothing.
“Well this must be Pali Hale”, he said, getting out of the car. “Shall we take a look?” They slipped off their clothes, stripping to bathing suits, and stepped into the scorching hot sand. “Ouch!!” she exclaimed, jumping back into the car. He dug out thongs from the trunk and threw a pair at her. “Let’s go down to the water and walk in the wet sand. That should be OK.” They set out, holding hands. The water was at least a quarter mile ahead. As they progressed the sugarcane was receding behind them and the vista opened ahead. Light blue sky overhead, without a cloud, endless. Darker blue water, with little white caps, ahead, endless. White sand left and right, forever and ever, endless. Stopping at the edge of the water, looking up, turning left, turning right, they were overwhelmed with a sense of awe. After several speechless minutes, trying to absorb the vastness, the awesome power of space with nothing but light to fill it, he said “I think we are at the edge of the earth. If we make it to the end of this beach I think we can fall off.” |
“It does feel like that, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s check it out.” They kicked off their thongs. “Let’s just leave these here. We’ll pick’m up when we get back..” “Sure. Not like there is anyone here to take them. Isn’t that amazing? Why is nobody coming to this magnificent place?” “I guess it’s more convenient to stay at the hotel beach and order mai-tai’s while you are roasting.” They walked along the edge of the water. The wet sand and the gentle wavelet washing over their feet felt wonderful. He said “Honey, thank you for suggesting this trip.” “Yes, and thank you for agreeing. We do deserve it, don’t we? This is the first vacation ever since we got to the West Coast. And David and Susan are great for the kids. They will have a ball with them for the week.” “Yes, thanks heaven for David and Susan. And you know, this walk alone is worth coming all this way from California. Don’t you think? Just look at this expanse! No sound, but the water, no movement, but the breeze. The most awesome, overwhelming, peaceful, beautiful emptiness!” He stopped. “You know something?” “What?” He slipped down his bathing suit and stepped out of it. “I just feel it’s in the way. It is just inappropriate to be wearing anything here. I need to be naked. Natural.” |
“I always knew you were a little crazy, but didn’t know you were an exhibitionist,” she said bursting out laughing.
“Exhibitionist? Do you see anyone here who might disapprove? How about you? C’mon! Take it off. Take it all off!” “I’m OK…” They walked on. Looking at him she said “Actually, you still look like you are wearing a white bathing suit. Your tan line…” “Can’t do anything about that.” As they walked on he picked up a shell. They stopped to admire it, then he folded his swimsuit into a satchel and put the shell into it. They collected a few shells and pretty pebbles as they walked. After a while she said “Better put your suit back on.” “Why? You’re not that much of a prude, are you?” “No, I don’t care, but look ahead.” There was someone coming. Just a tiny speck of a figure walking at the edge of the water. “No, why should I? It’s a free country, isn’t it? In any case, let’s see who it is.” The figure grew slowly. She said “It’s a woman. Behave yourself.” |
He didn’t reply for a while, peering ahead. Yes it was a woman, and it seemed like she was wearing nothing either. Every so often she stopped to pick up something, beach combing just like them. She seemed either completely unaware of them, or if aware, completely disinterested. She was looking down, searching for shells, not even throwing a glance at them. He was trying to act just as non-chalant, but not succeeding too well. He kept stealing quick glances at the woman. No, the girl. She was slim, young, dark haired, and gorgeous. When they were just a few yards apart he realized that he was holding his breath and staring at her perfect breasts and flat belly without blinking.
The girl looked up, stopped and said “Hi there.” He stopped, then took another step, stopped again and stammered “Oh… H-hello.” She dropped his hand and without acknowledging the girl walked a little further into the water and continued on. The girl asked “Find anything interesting?” showing him a spectacular conch shell. “Nothing quite as nice. You come here often?” he asked, feeling completely foolish and embarrassed struggling for something to say. “Every day. Best beach in the world. Well, happy hunting!” and she continued on, leaving him to stare after her. She looked just as perfect from behind. He turned and trotted after his wife, reaching for her hand when he caught up. “You can go run after her if you prefer…” she said, using her best pouty voice, used only to diss him. |
“C’mon, no harm in looking, is there? You must admit that she is cute.”
“Yes. But I was worried that your eyes would pop out of their socket. You’re lucky you still have them…”, she said punching his shoulder half playfully. He put his arm around her as they walked on. That evening, tired from their long walk, they had a light supper and went to bed early. They made love, gently, tenderly. He kissed her good night and turned over to sleep. But the image of the perfect form of the slim, tanned girl floated up in his mind’s eye, coming toward him slowly, gracefully, and looking at him seductively. He couldn’t get it to fade. He was tempted to turn back for another session of love, more passionate and perhaps a little less gentle this time. But exhaustion finally won and he drifted off. In the morning he woke out of a dream, a wonderful dream. He stretched and took a deep, deep breath of utter contentment, feeling happy and fulfilled. It felt like he was still in his dream. He could usually not recall whether he had dreams or not, but this time he had it all very clearly. It was the finest, ever. Standing on a smooth rock at the edge of the world, totally alone, completely bare, he had long hair tumbling down his back, his arms spread out. He could hear gentle waves washing ashore, he could feel the sea breeze and the sun on his skin. Nothing moved, nothing happened, nothing had to. He had become the personification of serenity. His wife stirred. He turned to her saying “Want to go back to Pali Hale?” |