Long time ago in a past, distant, and magical land lived a little boy growing up in one place called Kaneohe, one small town in dah shadows of dah Koolau mountain range.
Deyah he played and had good fun wit all his uku pilah cousins. Some people may have called dem "babyboomah keeds" but to dem manini buggahs, dey was all like one beeg
family. Dey was all kine mix up nationalities. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, Haole, You name it, an' dey were all comming to Gramma's house. Everybody knew each uddah and everybody talked to one anoddah, not like today. 'Ass why hard. Nobody had secrets dey could keep fo' very long.
By Gramma's house, dah keeds had mango trees fo' climb wit mountain apples, bolooks, lichees, dragon eyes, papayas, lilikois, coconuts, guavas, and bananas fo' eat. Dat young boy would hang out wit his small keed cousins and climb dah tall Hayden mango trees. Deah dey found dah ripest, juiciest fruits to peel with deyah teet and suck dah seeds dry. Life was simple back den. No mo' problems no mo' pilikia or worries.
He was needah rich nor pooah but in a way, quite resourceful. He would walk around the small rivahs and watah falls and catch medakas, sword tails and all kine nice fish. Eh. was all fo' free!
He would wait fo' his uncle's Yick Lung truck to come by so dat he could get mango seeds an' oddah kine sweet stuffs. His uncle would scoop out one generous portion out of dah big glass jars inside dah truck and put it in one small brown papah bag and handed it to him. He would den put it in his pocket and savor it all day long. Aftah a while, dah small bag would get soaked wit dah juices and it would bust in his pocket getting lint all ovah dah mango seeds. 'Ass why hard, but he nevah care, it made um taste mo' bettah den. Wen add mo' taste fo' dah seeds. Aye yah! Was so ono!
Sometimes, he would go wit his Gramma down town in Sam's Taxi fo' go to China town. All dah ladies in Sam's taxi would be chewing den teen gum an' clicking the gum in deyah mouths. all dah way ovah dah Pali.
Down town, him as his Gramma would buy some manapuas an' pepeyows an' Diamond head strawberry sodas. Somehow, it tasted so ono back in dem days. Even today, it no taste dah same like was back den. Musta been dah Ahpoh's secret recipe or someting.
Many times he would get on his juckalucka bike to ride down to Dody's store jus' fo' look at the people.Dah boy's grand faddah use to work at Pearl Harbor and bring home boiled peanuts fo' eat. An' tell him unbelievable stories about dah good ol' days.
Some times all dah families would go camping at Bellow's beach an' all dah keeds would swim an' play all day long at dah beach, but we would nevah go swimming aftah we pau eat 'cause we would drown if we did.
Almost every Sunday his uncles an' aunties would come ovah to Gramma's house. All da keeds would go out an' play army, make one fort an' walk around the neighbahhood. Tings was real safe back den.
Dah uncles an' aunties use to play paiyute an' talk story an' some times dey would give a couple of cents to us small keeds to be good, but us guys was always good.
Some times his uncles would pick up dis small boy from his Gramma's house an' take him fishing and crabing, an' if dey was real lucky, dey would catch one samoan crab, an' all dah keeds would stick deah rubbah slippahs in the bucket fo' see how strong dah crab can bite. Dah aunties would be at Gramma's house talking story an' making all kine good food fo' eat. Everybody's favorite was dah Kow bee an' we ate dat every Sunday an' was always taste good. Aftah pau eat all dah keeds would sit quietly in dah living room an' watch Captain Honolulu. Life was good fun back den.
Some times he would go wit his Gramma downtown to dah old Kress Stoah or Liberty House or Ben Franklin and look at all dah stuffs dey had in dah beeg glass stoah display windows. Sometimes dey would have beeg mechanical displays of toys or one choo choo train going round and round.
At Christmas time, dey would all go down to his uncle's house whea Santa Claus would always come. Den to top it all off fo' da keeds, was to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what dey wanted fo' Christmas. Somehow, he managed to get Tinker toys every year even dough he always asked fo' one pony but nevah got. He maybe tinks Santa had stink ear or was deaf even! Dat fat buggah must have bin too old or someting because he nevah listened!
One oddah ting dat dey did was to ride up Waialae Avenue and King Streets to gaze at all dah glittering street decorations and lights put up by dah local merchants every yeah. But nevahdaless, 'ass what wen happen long time ago, for not only fo' dat little boy, but fo' a lot of oddah good small keeds now all grown up wit keeds of deyah own fo' tell stories to.
So wit dat, as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans use to say every time when dem guys show was all pau, "Happy trails to you, until we meet again". Aloha, moi moi time... no let da mosquitoes bite. Auwe!
About Author
Mark was born at Queen's hospital and grew up in Kaneohe, Oahu. He finished high school in Southern California in 1969. He and his brothers own a chain of full service restaurants on the Island of Okinawa.
