Chapter 15 Hawaii (15) Even people like that can come out and feel...
After that phone call, time seemed to stretch out.
Knowing that Richie wouldn't be able to answer the phone, Keona figured she would probably call Mrs. Mailer herself, and kept her ears perked up every day, trying to get any news that might come from afar.
Unfortunately, there was nothing to be gained.
The good news is that, under Richie's increasingly skilled and attentive care, Mrs. Mailer's fever completely subsided, and her health improved day by day.
He's recovered enough to get out of bed and do some things on his own, and he'll sit in the veranda during the day, but he has to put up with Richie's nagging and terrible cooking.
The old man would always be making some terrible dishes in the kitchen while looking out the window at the situation under the veranda, loudly reminding the other person to remember to drink water and take their medicine.
“Oh ho.” 1221 said to Chichi, “I didn’t realize Richie had the potential to be a stay-at-home dad.”
"That's great. Mrs. Mailer is even helping with the cooking now that she's fully recovered. I never realized they were such good friends." Chi Chi lay on the living room floor, watching the old man frantically pour water and turn off the stove.
“Carla gets paid, but Richie doesn’t, and he even buys his own groceries. He’s such a good person.”
1221 tapped the kitten on the head: "Of course he's not after the salary. Sometimes you're really slow on the uptake."
What's wrong with me?
She blinked her honey-colored eyes, not understanding the meaning of 1221.
"Never mind, you're just a little kitten, as long as you're happy."
"I'm happy every day."
He kept his promise late, taking advantage of the time when Richie was taking care of Mrs. Mailer next door, to take the parrot out for a walk late at night.
I used to clamor for the freedom to fly every day, and now I finally have the chance.
Chichi acted like a dutiful guardian, silently following behind the low wall and in the shadows below, making sure the "parolee" didn't cause any trouble.
Together they walked through the sleepy town streets, chasing insects, and occasionally, when they saw a mouse, they would seize the opportunity to practice hunting.
Every time they let their prey escape, the parrots would mercilessly mock them.
She wasn't angry. She wasn't hungry to begin with; she was just using it for practice. If she hadn't been busy pulling on the other's rope, she would have already caught more prey.
Hawaii's nights are different from the tranquility of the daytime; the air is filled with the rich, fresh scent of grass, making it an unparalleled experience of freedom.
The kitten took the parrot out for training all night long, leading it to all sorts of remote and secluded places in Hawaii, away from humans, until the parrot was exhausted and looked like a doll with its batteries removed.
They didn't even have the energy to bark, and they were more attached to the perch than to food.
The waves in Hawaii remain unchanged, sometimes calm and sometimes turbulent. The hula festival is drawing ever closer, and the drumbeats of rehearsals can be heard everywhere. The streets are also decorated with unique ornaments.
Some birds were so exhausted from the training that they were no longer willing to go out, even when they called for them late at night.
Chichi had no choice but to drag 1221 off to play by herself.
Without needing to lead a parrot or confine themselves to the town's streets, the kitten sneaks into the vast botanical garden in the early morning mist, wandering among ferns that are many times taller than itself.
There are also more secluded bays where, if you're lucky, you might see baby sea turtles swimming around near the shore.
Even secret places undiscovered by humans have been stepped on by the kitten's paws.
I kept hearing more news about the hula festival.
The Queen's Cup is a children's hula dance competition, no wonder she and 1221 saw so many children practicing dance in the dance studio when they followed Kara.
On the beach next to Moana Luna Garden, a group of children are rehearsing diligently under the guidance of their teacher. They are barefoot in the warm sand, and the rhythm of the ip drums is intertwined with the sound of the waves.
She sat quietly to the side, acting as a silent spectator, but in reality, her eyes were glued to the swaying hem of her skirt.
Those swaying ribbons are like the most attractive cat toy to kittens; Chichi's paws itch slightly, and he really wants to join in.
The sharp-eyed little girl quickly spotted this "little audience member".
“Look, the kitten is watching us dance,” she exclaimed in surprise.
When rehearsal was paused, the children's attention was completely drawn to Chichi. They gathered around, not scaring the kitten away, but curiously examining each other.
The teacher couldn't manage the chaos: "Okay, you can have a ten-minute break."
"Yay!"
The kittens on the beach didn't seem afraid at all; they just sat there.
Some bold children reached out and touched her fur, and then rubbed their heads against her. One after another, the children exclaimed in surprise and scrambled to touch her.
The eldest girl plucked a bright red hibiscus flower from her hair and tucked her headdress behind the kitten's right ear.
"You're so beautiful," the other person said with a sweet smile.
The kitten felt an itch at the base of its ears and wondered what it would look like with the flower on. It gently shook its ears, and the hibiscus flower fell off.
The other children were even more excited, collecting flowers and leaves to weave a miniature wreath for their "new friend."
A sweet-smelling wreath was placed on the kitten's head, like an exquisite crown.
"Come dance with us!"
—I can't jump.
After a hesitant call, the girls who were making flower wreaths for her stood up: "Let's dance for the kitten."
With the desire to perform well in front of the "audience," the children shed their playfulness, became focused, and begged the teacher to play the music again.
When the music mentions birds, they use their hands to imitate birds spreading their wings and flying; when it mentions undulating mountains, their arms slide from one side to the other to outline the shape of the mountains; and when it mentions the ocean, they swing their arms to resemble the waves they see every day.
The human cubs' fingers were not long enough, but they made each gesture very seriously, like blooming sunflowers.
Chichi was captivated by the enthusiasm and vibrancy of the hula dance, swished her tail a couple of times, and jumped around them to the rhythm of the drums.
"Wow, the cat is learning our dance moves too!"
"It really does jump."
Their waists swayed naturally from side to side, and they even improvised the expressions of kittens into their movements, full of youthful vigor and vitality, which made everyone immerse themselves in the charm of the hula dance.
In the following days, Kara would come to watch the hula dance rehearsal whenever she had free time. After a few days, Kara's ankle had improved a lot, and she was able to slowly move around with crutches.
When I returned to Elima Street, I ran into the other person by chance and followed them into the courtyard.
As soon as I entered, I saw Richie adjusting the cushions for Mrs. Mailer in the porch. Upon seeing the "injured" woman struggling to walk, Richie's face was full of disapproval.
"If you're injured, just rest properly. Are you trying to show off your new crutches?"
Kara was a little embarrassed and stood at the bottom of the veranda steps without jumping up.
Mrs. Mailer quickly asked the old man to help her: "Rich is just worried about you. He's afraid that if you go out and walk around before your foot is fully healed, your recovery will be slower."
"I'm fine now. I can actually walk without crutches, but I can't walk very fast."
Carla immediately took Mrs. Mailer's blood pressure and temperature, did some simple checks, and found that she was in good condition, so she gave the old man a wink.
"I need to speak with Richie. Please come over here."
Chichi quickly rubbed against Mrs. Mailer's leg as a greeting, and then hurriedly followed her inside to eavesdrop.
The old man was inexplicably led into the house by Kara: "What are you doing?"
"Geona told me the other day that you called her and it startled her—"
The old man pointed to himself in confusion: "Me? When did I call her?"
“Kiona said that you sounded very anxious and told her that she had to come back before the end of her vacation. She was worried that Mrs. Mailer was seriously ill and that we hadn’t informed her. She was very anxious.”
It covered its face with its paws and hid under the dining table, trying not to attract any attention from humans.
Fortunately, Richie was also confused by what Kara said, thinking that he had been so busy lately that he had made a phone call in his sleep without even realizing it, and then cleared the call history.
Kara found it strange, but had no way of knowing the truth.
"Actually, I also think it's time for them to come back and visit. Mrs. Mailer isn't as energetic as she used to be."
Richie paused for a moment: "What did Geona say?"
"She really wants to come back right away and is checking the latest flights, but the weather there is bad, and flights may be delayed or even canceled. In short, everything is uncertain."
Carla sighed, "I dare not tell Mrs. Mailer the news now, for fear that she will be disappointed."
The two looked at the old lady in the rocking chair, both hoping that the weather would cooperate so that the other could have her wish fulfilled.
Fortunately, the hula festival is just around the corner, and the town is in a frenzy.
A joyful atmosphere permeated all the streets, with flowers and ribbons hanging everywhere, and stages were being set up in full swing. Every year at this time, tourists flocked to the area, and a dazzling array of stalls were set up from morning till night.
Seeing that Mrs. Mailer was feeling a little better, Carla and Richie pushed each other out in wheelchairs to enjoy the festive atmosphere.
Chichi already knew the streets of the entire island like the back of her hand, and led the humans to the most bustling places.
Passing by the corner park, Mrs. Mailer's eyes lit up with a faint smile. Pointing to a large banyan tree in the middle of the park, she said, "When I was little, Richie and the other boys loved to hide there and scare me. Once they even threw a caterpillar into my hair, which made me cry..."
Richie's hand, which was pushing the wheelchair, froze. He muttered, "That happened hundreds of years ago. Why bring it up?"
Mrs. Mailer laughed even more heartily, her wrinkles deepening: "Later, he got a severe beating from his father and came running to me shouting and apologizing. I was so happy to see him so badly beaten."
Richie was embarrassed and fell silent.
"I didn't expect you two to be playing together at such a young age," Kara said with a smile.
"My parents were neighbors when I was a child, and I never thought we'd still be neighbors in our old age," Mrs. Mailer remarked. "Even when I hated him the most, I never imagined we'd be able to go for walks together now."
The old man's face fell, and he urged loudly, "It's getting windy, let's go back!"
He looked very unhappy, but his subordinates still pushed the wheelchair with steady force.
Kara couldn't help but smile at the sight; the sunlight cast long, slanted shadows, like an old photograph.
The humans had had their fun, but still wanted to mingle with the crowd and join in the excitement. She walked along the edge of the market street wall, and when she saw an open space where the seagull bandits gathered, she went over to pick a fight with them.
This time, it finally survived the beating and even managed to pluck a few seagull feathers. Though defeated, it was still a glorious defeat.
The kitten couldn't walk past the seafood grilling stall.
Smell the delicious food alongside the transparent light sphere until the stall owner, unable to resist the adorable gaze, pretends to accidentally knock the dried grilled fish to the ground.
They kept assuming it was really an accident and happily took advantage of the situation.
Soon the parade rehearsal began, and groups of people in eye-catching costumes came out, immediately blocking the streets.
The kitten nimbly climbed onto the wall, ready to head back after watching the rehearsal.
Amidst the flamboyantly dressed crowd, a glimpse of the silvery gleam of metal caught my eye from the corner of my eye, as if guided by a built-in locator.
The figure in the wheelchair flashed by in the back of the crowded throng, not belonging to Mrs. Mailer or anyone else. It was just a fleeting second that appeared in the gap between the crowd, and it was captured by a keen eye that took a long time to catch it.
Is it someone from that courtyard?
Would people like that come out to experience the festival?
There were too many tourists, and the other person disappeared quickly, as if the brief encounter was just the kitten's illusion.
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