Over the Rainbow - Book One - 'The Gathering Place' Read Online Free PDF Page B

Honolulu
International. At this time, I would like to thank you for flying
with Aloha airlines, and request that all electronic equipment be
turned off for landing.” Walter halted in his tirade, his lips
pursing whitely in consternation until the pilot finished his
announcement, and then he returned to his conversation with a
snarl, “Dammit! Okay, Carl. I gotta go, we're about to- I'll call
you back after we land! Yes, Carl, I know! It can wait for thirty
minutes! Okay? Carl…?” Walter stared malevolently at the phone, the
conversation now dead in his hands and he slammed it into the
receiver with a terse and pointless, “Goodbye!”
     

     
    The lush green Hawaiian landscape carpeted the hills
receding into the distance, the view overlaid with the reflection
of multi-hued tourists in the floor-to-ceiling windows of the
tropical airport, a colorful mélange of shapes in motion. A trio of
lovely Hawaiian wahine greeted the Matthews clan as they emerged
from the gate, smiling serenely and delicately placing colorful
leis on their shoulders in the ancient tradition.
    Abigail sniffed hers with rapturous delight, Chris’
adorned him perfectly, and Walter- well, Walter just looked grumpy.
And curiously, as if it had never left off, the lilting strains of
‘Over the Rainbow’ now danced through the air in the terminal,
picking up on almost the exact same note they had left from
Abigail’s headphones on the plane.
     
     
    The burly native limo driver, his brightly colored
Aloha shirt a vibrant accent to his all-black suit, silently loaded
the baggage cart, his powerful arms straining with unexpected
effort as he hoisted Abigail’s voluminous wardrobe, filling the
tiny cart nearly to overflowing. After hoisting the final
ridiculously heavy bag, his exertions complete, he then led the
Matthews leisurely down an open-air ramp, the ever-present island
breeze warm and fragrant in the late Hawaiian afternoon, carrying
with it the soft sounds of nature juxtaposed with the riotous
sounds of excited children and overlaid with the distant crackle of
the Public Address.
    As they meandered down the ramp, a single
incongruous note marred this idyllic vision of heaven. It was a
construction zone, cordoned off by a limp and sagging orange safety
fence. The sole ornament to the fence was a dirty, tilted sign- the
only fly in the ointment of what otherwise was a typical day in
Paradise. The sign was simple- it contained the images of two
short, large-eared construction workers, white hard-hats on their
over-sized heads, who smiled and waved at the oblivious passers-by.
Just below them was a single line of cracked and faded text, a
peculiarly local touch to an otherwise mundane placard.
    It read, quite simply- ‘Menehune at Work’.
     
    As the Matthews family reached the absurdly long
vehicle waiting for them at the curb, the limo driver gallantly
opened the paired doors of the luxurious conveyance. Walter
immediately dove onto the wide seat and huddled in the corner,
completely ignoring Abigail and Chris, fumbling to turn on his
computer while simultaneously trying to hold his phone tucked
beneath one ear, obviously anxious to resume his previous
conversation. Frowning slightly and shaking his head at his
father’s callous behavior, Chris gently ushered Abigail in next,
and then entered himself after taking a final satisfied glance at
this new and exotic world.
    The driver softly closed the doors, his charges
secure, and shook his head with a slight roll of the eyes to the
heavens as he finished loading the cavernous trunk with the piles
of luggage, and then finally boarded the car himself. As the
charcoal-gray limousine glided silently away from the curb, the
Matthews logo, a three-masted ship riding the wave of an ‘M’,
sailed off into the afternoon sun.
     
     
    As the long, dark car wove its way about the hustle
and bustle of downtown Honolulu, Abigail took in the sights with a
child-like wonder, her face leaning out of the