No! Please don't! Please no flat tire! She reduced the speed and drove onto the verge of Tantalus Drive.
She had no desire to get out to make sure and instead put her forehead on the top of the steering wheel. But that was exactly how it felt - like a flat tire - and so she sighed and got out.
After throwing the driver's door shut, she saw what was going on. The front tire was flat. Frustrated, she folded her arms and leaned against the fender of the car.
What a great start! She had been on O'ahu for 2 days and had just set up in the apartment in Kailua, not far from Lanikai Beach. Did that have to happen now on her first jaunt on Tantalus Drive? Hopefully the rental car had a spare tire and no such a stupid repair kit as to find in most cars nowadays.
For a moment she thought about whether the car rental company had said anything and turned to the trunk. Hadn't they! She was sure about that but she also hadn't asked. She opened the trunk, leaned in and pulled up the cover on the floor. And the depression in the form of a tire was empty. Nothing! No spare wheel. She let go of the cover and with a popping noise the flap fell back into place.
And what's next? she thought and sat down on the sill of the trunk while starring on the sandy floor beneath her feet.
__________
"Aloha. Do you need help?" he asked with a smile.
Melissa looked into the friendly face of a tall and well-built man who had unmistakably Polynesian roots.
She replied "Hi!" and looked at him frankly. "Looks that way. It's a rental car and it doesn't have a spare wheel. It's a really stupid thing!"
Keoni looked into her blue-gray eyes that adorned a pretty round face and raised his eyebrows.
"No spare wheel? Also no repair kit?" he asked.
Melissa shrugged and replied "I haven't found anything and I have no idea how you handle it here on the island."
Because of her fair skin he already had suspected that she was not from here and said
"Breakdown Service. That's how you do it on the island."
He couldn't resist winking at her and continued
"A good friend of mine has a garage not far from here. I could call him if that's okay with you."
Melissa considered for a second. He was nice and didn't look like she couldn't trust him. That being said, at that moment she had no idea how to solve the tire problem. So she decided to accept his offer, slid off the loading sill and replied with a smile
"This is really very kind of you and I am happy to accept your friend's help." Then she held out her hand to him and said, "I'm Melissa, by the way, and I'm on vacation here which you probably already thought."
Keoni laughed and took her hand "I actually suspected that. Hello Melissa, nice to meet you. I'm Keoni and I live here."
She giggled and replied: "I wouldn't have thought that. I thought you were a tourist like me. Hello Keoni!"
__________
With the phone to his ear, he walked a few steps away from the car and Melissa heard him say, “Hey Jason. Ae Bra, I know. No, it wasn't possible. Listen! Can you tow a flat tire on the Tantalus?"
Keoni turned to Melissa and smiled at her. "On the verge at the Manoa Cliff parking lot. A tourist's blue rental car, an SUV." he continued. "Okay, great! Yes, I'm here too. Mahalo and see you soon."
With a slight shake of the head, he ended the call and put the phone back in the pockets of his shorts.
Both hands buried deep in his pockets, he came back to Melissa and said, "I think I should warn you. Jason is a great guy, but also a bit unconventional."
Keoni seemed a bit embarrassed and so she grinned at him and said "I like people like that. Those who are not afraid to be different."
She went to the low wall that delimited the hard shoulder from the steep slope, sat down and held her face in the sun with her eyes shut.
Keoni followed her. "May I ask where you're from?"
She opened her eyes and looked at the man who was standing in front of her and who still had his hands buried deep in his pockets. He had the typical dark hair, dark eyes, distinctive facial features, broad shoulders and seemed muscular and trained. A very appealing appearance, Melissa thought.
"I'm from Germany and for the first time in Hawaii."
His eyebrows went up as he repeated, "Germany? That's pretty far."
She nodded and added, "Yes, that's it. That's why I have 4 weeks of vacation. There is so much to see and do here!"
Keoni had gotten to know a lot of tourists, but no one had been from Germany before. And he had never found anyone as interesting as Melissa.
"Are you alone here?" As soon as he had said this he regretted it. What was she supposed to think of him asking her something like that?
But Melissa just giggled and seemed to be amused by his question. "Yes, I travel alone. It seems to surprise many people that I travel alone." She looked at him openly and waited for his reaction.
Keoni's eyes moved over her shape. She was about a head shorter than him while he was taller than many Hawaiians with Polynesian roots. Her figure was feminine and she seemed to be friendly in nature. In any case, she hadn't fallen for her mouth as he had already noticed. Speaking of mouth. She has really nice full lips, Keoni thought, trying not to stare at her.
"It's unusual. Above all, it's also quite brave. Are you like that with everything?" he asked.
"You're curious!" she gave back and laughed.
He promptly lowered his eyes slightly embarrassed and was about to apologize when she said
"But I like directness. Such a stupid back and forth is just a waste of time."
He looked at her in surprise.
"You know, Keoni." she started "My parents raised me to be independent and that has brought me far, I think. The world belongs to the brave, they say. So here I am!"
He liked her smile and also her way. "Tell me, what are you doing up here on the Tantalus Drive? Where did you want to go?" he asked her.
Melissa had already been waiting for this question and replied " To the lookout at Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park. The view is supposed to be awesome."
Keoni's thoughts whirled through his head. He wanted to know more about her and get to know her better, but he didn't want to scare her. Apart from that, there was still the question whether the liking was mutual.
__________
Keoni also raised his hand and said to Melissa "That's Jason."
They watched him turn over the truck in the middle of the street and park it in front of Melissa's car. The driver's door opened and a bearded man in an oil-smeared jumpsuit jumped out of the cab.
"Keoni, buddy!"
In a typical male manner they hugged, patted on the back, and Jason said, "It's good to see you! Haven't seen you in a while. Kimi is already asking for you!".
They let go again and Keoni replied, "Please say hello to her from me. As soon as I have more time, I will come over. I was just too busy!"
To Melissa, he said, "Kimi is Jason's wife. We went to school together."
Jason now looked at Melissa curiously and raised an eyebrow. "Jason, this is Melissa from Germany. Melissa, this is my friend Jason." Keonie introduced the two to each other.
Before Jason shook her hand, he wiped it again on his overall.
"Aloha Melissa! From Germany on our rock in the middle of the Pacific. Not bad!" he said and smiled at her. "What happened? Was it one of those deep potholes here on the Tantalus?"
She nodded and replied, "Yes, exactly. A pretty deep one that I haven't seen and that's it. Fortunately, Keoni came over. The rental car doesn't have a spare wheel."
Jason winked at her and said, "That's not nice but good for me! Otherwise I wouldn't get to know you now."
With a laugh she replied "Well, there are as many tourists on your rock as sand by the sea!"
He laughed hearty and contagious and held his stomach with laughter "As many tourists as sand by the sea! You're funny!"
Still laughing, he turned away and went to the front of the SUV.
__________
Melissa gave Keoni an amused look and said softly, "He's a funny guy."
He grinned and said, "Yes, Jason is cheerful and rarely in a bad mood."
Then he gathered up all his courage, looked at Melissa firmly and said "Listen. You can go with him without worries and wait for the repair if you want. Or - and I would be very happy about that - you let me take you to the Lookout and later to Jason's workshop."
He withstanded her gaze and waited for her answer. Just like with Keoni, her feeling said that she could trust Jason. She noticed that she wanted to get to know Keoni better.
His dark eyes fascinated her and so she replied "Well, if I'm already here on the Tantalus, I would really like to go to the lookout. I guess you're a great guide because you are at home here."
It sounded to Keoni as if she was interested in him as well. So he would get the chance to find out.
