My first job was working in da pineapple fields of Kunia. I was a proud member of da "Hollywood Gang". Our job description was either hoe hana, cut sucka or pick fresh fruit; mostly hoe hana. We wuz da keeds who would not use da regulation screen goggles dat make you look like one fly; wen we rode da trucks. We all wore our besses sunglasses. And pau hana time befoe getting on da truck, we had to put on masscara first anden da sunglasses.
Dis one week we wuz working Whitmoe/Halemano side; makai of da Alii Birthplace, Kukaniloko. One day we worked juss one long pineapple block down from deya. From where we put our kaukau tin and wata jugs, wuz like 2 blocks away just slightly up hill from where we ate lunch.
So being kolohe keeds; me, Regina Dayacamos and Valerie Pabria decided to go visit da Birthplace. Some ada girls told us not fo' go cuz you no 'pose to play around la dat. What? We wuz juss going look! Honest. So us tree went.
Till today I rememba it wuz a really hot sweaty day, but at da Birthplace it was really cool. Even with no shade, there's a really soft calm breeze dat hugs dat place. Wen we got there, each of us wen off in our own direction checking out da large boulders. I wondered who must have been born here and felt it was indeed a sacred place for women.
So den we had to head back cuz was pau lunch pretty most. As we all stood together on the road; Val said, "us go scare da gang". And us wuz like how we going do dat. And she said to me, "act like you fainted & us going carry you back!" We wuz cracking up now. "Stupid, you guys not going carry me back." I was da smallest & shortest of us tree TITAS so as why dey wen look at me. Val was on my right and Gina was on my left. Val stay coming up wit anykind lolo plans. Next ting I know, Val went push me down hud; my okole wen hit da ground. Her wuz yelling and laffing instructions to Gina. I wuz about to get up, wen Val grabbed one leg and Gina grabbed da ada leg and dey both started running.
I wuz laffing so hud seeing dese two Titas run and da position I wuz in wuz funny. Dey just kept running and I wuz trying fo pull my legs from dem but da moe I try da moe I wuz feeling da rocks scrape my okole. Da gang started running towards us wen dey saw Gina & Val dragging me. Gina running? By dis time I pau laff all ready, my okole juss stay grinded & I wuz sowa! Gina & Val finally stopped, and dey went into their Academy Award actress mode ~ dey ackted all sad la dat wen da gang reached us. I stay rubbing my ass hell I wuz sad man, I wuz hurtin!
Anden one of da girls started crying, telling us she told us not fo' go ~ wuz 'bachi' yeah, us stay play la dat. Bumbye someting bad going happen. So anyway da Luna came give us stink eye and we ackted like not-ting wen happen. Us had to go back hoe hana.
Pau hana time on da truck back to Kunia we told everybody we wuz juss playing around. But some of da girls neva like believe and told us we betta say rosary and pray.
Moral of da story The moral of da story is no let your friends drag you on your okole. Its okay to be da dragger, BUT NOT da draggee!
About Author
Linda "Lika" Relacion Oosahwe was born and raised in Ewa/Waipahu, Oahu. (Waipahu High 1971.) She currently lives in Gardnerville, NV with her husband of 26 years and three great kids. "A palm reader told me once that I would have three husbands. Well, I guess I am behind, I am still working on the first one, but I heard there's a line starting at Leeward Drive In !!" When she "grows up" she wants to be financially independant. "Currently, I am financially embarrassed !!" Lika's got lots more hanabuddah stories of working in the pineapple fields, so watch out..there's gonna be more !!
