The next morning they were flying northwest from Oahu on their way to the east coast of Kauai. Kari was dressed in another smallish skirt, this one purple with black silhouettes of leaves and flowers. She was thankful for the time out of the public eye, and kept pushing the thought of being stark naked at the surf tournament out of her mind.
Meanwhile, David and Mona were catching up about their small hometown. Mona asked, “How many people are left in Napalei?”
David sighed, “Not many, mostly older folks. All the young ones were eager to move to Honolulu or stateside.”
“That’s a shame.”
“You know who’s still there? Tutu Hannah.”
Mona said, “No way. She’s still alive? She was ancient when we were kids.”
David smiled and said, “Actually, she was in her 50s when we were kids. Now that I’m in my 40s, that doesn’t seem so old.”
“Still, she must be almost 80.”
Jessie asked, “Her name is Tutu?”
Mona said, “No, that means ‘grandmother‘ in Hawaiian. I was never sure whose grandmother she was. All the kids in Napalei called her that.” She turned to ask David,”Is she still doing her herb thing?”
“Yes. I fly out several grad students every so often who are trying to preserve her knowledge.”
Mona said, “She used to make me this herbal drink. It gave me a lot of energy. My coach swore by it. Maybe I’ll see if she can make some for Kari.”
They touched down in the water and taxied to a small dock. Once David secured the plane, the crew clambered out. There was a small dirt road leading off to their left, that was one of two streets in Napalei. Kari’s attention was drawn to the right. She could see an awesome point break with spectacular long-lasting waves. She wanted to head out immediately, but patiently followed the group into the hamlet.
They stopped at the first house on the right. It was a small three-room shack, surrounded by a rough picket fence, and overgrowing with all sorts of herbs and flowers. David approached and yelled, “Tutu Hannah. Are you here?”
A gray-haired head popped up out of the garden. “David, is that you?” She stepped out of the plants onto a small cobbled walk that led from the gate to her house. She was short, maybe not even 5 feet tall, Kari thought. She had her glasses pushed up over her gray hair that she kept in a bun, and was wearing a long sleeved button-down blouse and a long, floor-length skirt.
David said, “Yes, and look who I’ve brought with me…” motioning to Mona.
She squinted, “Oh, dear. I can’t see. I’ve misplaced my glasses.”
Mona said, “Tutu, they’re on your head.” The old woman sheepishly pulled them down and then said, “Mona!”
They hugged and Hannah asked her, “Are you still surfing?”
Mona chuckled, “No, not professionally. Now I’m coaching.” She motioned to Kari and said, “And this is my best student.”
Tutu Hannah looked at Kari, and looked surprised. Kari was sure she was offended by her bare breasts. Then, Tutu Hannah smiled as her eyes watered and she clasped her hands together, saying something in Hawaiian to David. He said, “Tutu Hannah says you look like Namaka, the goddess of the sea.”
Kari stepped forward and shook her hand, saying, “Hello, I’m Kari Kaimana.”
Hannah chuckled and said, “Do you know your last name means ‘from the sea’?”
Mona said to them both, “Well, Kari is here so she can surf. She should get going while the waves are there.”
Kari handed her the Governor’s ID and ran to the dock to grab her board. Once she got to the beach, she was grateful to see it was deserted. She found a large piece of driftwood and took off her kupe’e and lei po’o. Finally, with one more furtive glance around, she untied her skirt.
Once she got into her first wave, she discovered she was right about this spot. It was spectacular. She could feel her old energy returning. As she surfed wave after perfect wave, she realized that her nudity was affecting her surfing. She could feel every shift of the wind and waves on her naked body, like they were signals from the ocean letting her know how to move. She really did feel like a goddess, and surprised herself when she thought, ‘Mona’s right. Surfing should be done naked.‘ She knew that point breaks like this could have rock or coral outcroppings that contributed to the great waves, but could also rip a surfer to shreds if she were unlucky enough to wipe out. She didn’t worry, though. She knew she’d be able to ride out every powerful wave.
Back in Tutu Hannah’s house, the others were sitting down at her table, talking over herbal tea and pastries. Mona asked, “Do you remember that herbal energy drink you used to make for me?”
“Oh, yes. I still make it. There is a local boy, Geoff. He’s a professional soccer player. I make up batches for him & he loves it.”
“Could you make some for my student Kari?”
“Sure. I’ve changed the recipe a bit since the last time I made it for you.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. You complained that it made you feel hot or flushed. I’ve added some cooling herbs to counteract that effect.”
“Wonderful. My coach said your energy drinks were part of my secret to success. I know they’ll help Kari, too.”
Hours later, Kari was still surfing. She had lost all track of time, enchanted by her connection to the ocean. Eventually, the wind died down and the waves slowly lessened, and she looked up to see the sun in the late afternoon sky. She rode the next wave in.
She noticed a single figure standing by the driftwood where she left her clothes. As she got closer, she saw it was a man dressed in traditional Hawaiian dress. He looked familiar. She held her board horizontally in front of her and approached.
He smiled and said, “That was the best surfing I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks.”
He said, “I’m Geoff.”
“Kari. You look familiar.”
“I’m Geoff Tan–”
Kari looked impressed, and said, “Right, Geoff Tan. You’re a forward for the US Men’s Soccer Team.” She was so taken with him that she momentarily forgot she was naked. Once she glanced down, she thought, “Oh, shit!” She grabbed the skirt with one hand, trying to make sure to block her pussy from him with either the board or her skirt. She held the bunched up fabric while she laid the board down, then wrapped the skirt around her. She tried to remember how David tied it on her.
Geoff saw and said, “Would you like some help.”
She blushed and said, “Usually my friend David does this part.” As he was tying the knot, he said, “David Kamehaloha?” She could feel his warm breath flowing down her breasts and abdomen. Her areolas puckered and her nipples pointed directy at Geoff.
“Yes” she replied as he helped her with the kupe’e and lei po’o, “He and my coach Mona are here visiting Tutu Hannah.”
“Ah, I was just headed that way. Hannah makes this herbal concoction that is better than any energy drink. I’ll walk you there.”
As they walked, Kari couldn’t help an occasional admiring glance at Geoff. He was in great shape, with just the hint of washboard abs. He was definitely enjoying the view as well. She noticed his eyes lingering on her swaying breasts.
“So, do you always surf naked?”
“No. I agreed to surf nude in the tournament starting Sunday. As a way of honoring my Hawaiian ancestors.”
“Right, they used to surf naked. You’re pretty brave to do that.”
“No, just an idiot who let herself get talked into it.”
“Well, if being naked helps you surf like I just saw, you should definitely go for it.”
They reached Hannah’s shack. Kari could see both Mona and Jessie both perk up when Geoff entered. Hannah just scurried over to him and he leaned forward so she could give him a peck on the cheek. “Geoffrey, my boy. So good to see you. Now, do you mind if I share this batch of your herbal drink with Kari?”
“Please do.”
“I’ll start another batch tonight, so neither of you run out.”
After another hour of reminiscing, Mona said, “We should get back to Honolulu”. Kari grabbed her board, and Hannah gave Mona a basket with 6 mason jars filled with what looked like weak tea.
When they got to the dock, Geoff waved goodbye and said, “Kari, I’ll come see you at the tournament.” They were hardly in the air when Kari, exhausted by a day of riding big surf, fell instantly asleep.
Later, Hannah was reviewing her notes for the herbal energy tea. She pulled out an old tattered book, filled with notes from her mother and grandmother, not noticing she put the book down over her phone. She flipped to the section about the new herb she used in the recipe.
“Tutu Clara, your handwriting was atrocious,” she mumbled to herself. “Like a chicken stepped in an inkwell and then had a seizure.” A faded note in the margin next to the herb’s entry caught her eye. Squinting, she slowly read her grandmother’s note,
“Hmmm, it says, ‘Use sparingly. It is a potent aphrodisiac’.”
She closed the book. “Oh dear, I think I should call Mona.” Looking around, she added, “Now if I could just find my phone.”
The plot thickens. Will she find relief or have to take care of it herself? Will she start to associate being naked in public with feeling horny?
That’s a strong image: A Hawaiian goddess riding the waves.
I really liked this chapter. There was a nice mix of dialog and various sized paragraphs. It read very well and the characters and actions felt good.
Maybe the herbal energy drink will help her confidence when naked, kind of like a pop-eye’s spinach. I can’t remember the spiked drink in ‘Passion for the game’, and so I don’t know if this is similar.
I like how this adds to the foundation of the story. In the Passion for the game, the spiked drink wasn’t explained very well, and it left open whether her friends were intentionally drugging her. I remember that part making me uncomfortable. This added background makes it much less severe than that. I wonder if Tutu Hannah finds her phone, or whether she forgets to tell Mona.
–
I also like how she discovers how much better she can surf without fabrics diminishing her senses, and how nice of Geoff to help her with her skirt.