Chapter 4
CHAPTER
FOUR
KOA
Koa did a few high jumps beside his firetruck excitedly anticipating his morning. This was one of his favorite days of the year.
“Look!” he heard a child exclaim as he pointed to where Koa and his coworkers stood.
“They’re going to teach you fire safety,” he heard a teacher explain as she ushered the boy back to his classroom.
“Who you get?” Paka, one of Koa’s coworkers asked in pidgin English as he rounded the truck.
Paka’s blue uniform t-shirt was at least a size too small, and Koa was pretty sure the guy had been doing pushups on the other side of the truck.
While Koa and most of his fellow firefighters loved doing this fire safety day for the kids, Paka loved the young single teachers.
Preston shared a look with Koa before turning to Paka. “Ms. Pua,” Preston said the name of the pretty teacher Paka had surely been hoping to get.
“No way! Trade wit me,” Paka said as he took a step toward Preston.
Preston shook his head, pulling his red suspenders up as he walked toward the school. “Sorry, no tradesies,” Preston called behind him.
Koa chuckled.
“Ah, whatevers. Who you get?” Paka turned his attention to Koa.
“Some new teacher in first grade,” Koa replied hoping his friend Kristin could guide him to the right classroom.
“New teacher?” Paka perked up. “I’ll trade wit chu,” he said it like he’d be doing a favor for Koa.
“Why? Who you get?” Koa had to know who Paka was so desperate to trade away from.
Paka’s head dipped. “Aunty Gertrude,” Paka muttered.
Koa bit back a laugh. Aunty Gertrude had been a teacher since he and Paka had attended Makalani. She had been strict but had a soft spot for Koa. The same couldn’t be said for Paka.
“Come on, man. Just trade wit me,” Paka pleaded.
Koa shook his head. This was too good. Besides he was pretty sure Aunty Gertrude had made these assignments. If she found out Paka and Koa had traded…Koa had to admit he was still a little scared of his fifth grade teacher all these years later.
Koa began to walk toward the school.
“Koa!” Paka called to his back.
“Sorry, but I’m not going to mess with Aunty Gertrude,” Koa said over his shoulder.
Paka sighed before turning back to the truck, probably hoping there was someone else he could pawn Aunty Gertrude off on.
Koa walked toward the cafeteria, floods of memories coming back.
His Tutu—grandma—lived just down the road from Makalani Elementary, and Koa had come to the school in first grade after his mom had forgotten to take him to kindergarten one too many times.
Tutu had railed on his mom, telling her she had a responsibility to her children.
She had told his mom that she and her three boys could move in with her but his mom was still to be in charge of their care.
After that, his mom had gotten better about hiding her negligence, making sure one of Koa’s older brothers always got him to school but never seeing he was cared for beyond that.
All she would have had to do was fill out a form and Koa would have had free school lunch for the whole year, but she’d said she didn’t have the time.
That had always been her excuse. So Koa had gone hungry.
Had Tutu known, she would have made sure Koa had food to eat—and in later years when Tutu figured out just how bad Koa’s mom was, she did make sure of that—but in those early days at Makalani, his friend Shanel had been his saving grace.
Koa remembered dance parties before school in the cafeteria, and in first and second grade they’d been the best. Though once he got to third grade, he’d had to act too cool for them.
There had been May Days on the giant lawn, and he recalled getting the privilege of raising the flag some mornings.
He’d also been a frequent flyer at the principal’s office.
Some days it was because he didn’t get enough sleep because he was up trying to care for his mom, others just because he was a kolohe—a rascal.
But in so many ways, Makalani Elementary had formed him. It was right on this campus that he’d decided he wanted to become a firefighter. That decision had given him direction for his life that had saved him more than once, and this was why he couldn’t wait to teach these kids about fire safety.
It was a presentation like this one today that had drawn Koa to the profession.
As he walked, Koa saw the broad shoulders and brown head of his friend up in front of him. Preston slowed up and joined Koa on the way to their classrooms. The first and third grade classrooms were in the same wing.
“Did you trade with Paka?” Preston asked.
“What do you think?” Koa replied.
Preston laughed.
“Guess why he wanted to trade so bad?” Koa said with a grin.
Preston cocked his head waiting for Koa’s answer.
“He has Aunty Gertrude,” Koa said, a chuckle rising as he spoke.
Preston burst into laughter. “No!”
Koa nodded. Even though Preston hadn’t attended Makalani, Aunty Gertrude’s fame didn’t stop at the borders of their school.
“Look!” Preston said as he nudged Koa in his side and then pointed back to Paka who was trudging toward the fifth grade wing.
Koa laughed again.
“Should I have traded with him? We know I’ll never ask Pua out and we all know Paka needs all the help he can get,” Preston said.
Koa shook his head. “Nah. Aunty Gertrude probably wants to teach him some lesson, and if you traded with him, you’d get the lesson plus a lecture about following the rules.”
Preston nodded.
Koa’s curiosity got the better of him, and he asked the question he knew Preston wouldn’t want him to. “Why would you never ask Pua out?”
Koa wouldn’t ask Pua out either, but that was because he’d already dated Pua. If you counted their seventh-grade relationship.
“Too many guys are into her,” Preston said.
Koa turned to his friend. That didn’t necessarily seem like a bad thing.
However, Koa knew that was just another excuse.
Because Preston hadn’t gone out with anyone in the five years since he’d moved to Maui.
At least that Koa had witnessed. And why Preston never dated was the answer Koa had hoped to get when he’d asked his question.
It was one of the firehouse’s biggest mysteries.
But Preston just shrugged, and Koa didn’t push it. He’d tell him when he was ready. Or he wouldn’t.
They stopped at the door to Pua’s classroom. “Make sure you tell Pua that Paka said ‘how’z it,’” Koa joked.
Preston shook his head as he entered the room, and Koa walked a few doors down to Kristin’s class.
“You with us today?” Kristin asked as Koa poked his head into her classroom.
He quickly scanned the room for his nephew K.J., who had just started first grade but didn’t see him in Kristin’s class.
“No, someone else will be here soon,” Koa said before asking, “I’m with the new teacher. Where’s her class?”
Kristin smiled. “Oh, you’re with Mia. Awesome. She’s next door that way,” Kristin pointed in the opposite direction from where Koa had come.
Just as Koa was about to leave, one of his fellow firefighters, Jimmy, entered. Koa shook his hand as one of the adorable students in the classroom asked, “Are you here for us?”
“I am,” Jimmy said causing the class to erupt in cheering.
Koa grinned. He couldn’t wait for the same greeting next door.
“Knock, knock,” Koa said at the door to the classroom, scanning the students as he appeared in the doorway.
“Uncle Koa!” K.J. called out from within the throng of students.
“What’s up, K.J.? And K.J.’s class?” Koa said as he stepped in front of the students. “You ready to learn about fire safety?”
The replying cheer was music to his ears.
“But first let me meet your teacher….” Koa turned to look at the young woman standing in front of the desk just behind him. His mouth fell open, his stomach feeling like he’d swallowed a rock, as he took in everything from her wide eyes to clenched fists.
There was no way.
“Ms. Goodman, Ms. Goodman!” kids called out, pulling Koa out of his stupor.
“Yes?” Ms. Goodman looked to her class, giving Koa a name for the face. The face that was evidently not a tourist’s, and he was going to have to live with the reminder of his mistake for the foreseeable future. Because the pretty tourist was K.J.’s teacher.
“Is Uncle Koa our firefighter?” came a little voice Koa didn’t recognize. He loved that this was the way of the islands. Everyone was your aunty and uncle. The sign of respect was universal on Maui.
Koa turned back to the class, refusing to let his blunder from two nights before ruin this presentation for the kids. Yes, he’d have to deal with his consequences at some point, but not right then. Not when it would take away from the kids.
Ms. Goodman came up beside Koa, seeming to have come to the same conclusion.
“He is. So you guys sit on the rug and give Uncle Koa all of your attention, please,” Ms. Goodman said as she waved a hand in front of the rug just before them.
Over a dozen little bodies hurried their way to the carpet, each trying to get as close to the front as they could. He quickly counted, and there were seventeen of them.
“Remember your spots,” Ms. Goodman directed.
The flurry ensued once more but this time in a more orderly manner leaving four rows of kids.
“So my name is Koa, or as K.J. calls me, Uncle Koa.” Koa tried to keep his focus on his practiced presentation.
The woman at his side was like every other teacher.
It didn’t matter that he’d horrendously offended her or that she looked like Talia and smelled like puakenikeni—the Hawaiian flower typically used in making leis.
“Hi, Uncle Koa,” the class said in unison.
“Are you having a good first day of school?” he asked, his voice upbeat.
“Yes!” came the resounding response.
“I really like Ms. Goodman,” K.J. added, a rosy hue to his cheeks.
I don’t blame you, buddy, was Koa’s first thought.