It is very early in the morning. I look out and it is still night. There is always a not unpleasant rush of tightness or adrenaline just under my breastbone when I anticipate doing or going to an event. I have this feeling of excitement this morning as I get dressed and get my bicycle out. My brother, sister and mother are still asleep. It is cool out and it promises to be a great warm day.
I am on my way to deliver over Japanese language newspapers. Quietly I knock on the door and whisper his name. But he is up already and he is preparing haupia , a coconut juice pudding.
And I do. At 15 years of age I am voracious, and anything sweet tastes great. I gotta learn to make it. It is still before daybreak and we are on our way. This is a one day a week paper route I had on Sunday and generous Hide almost always helped me with the rolling of the paper and delivery.
The family-owned printing shop was located on the first street below the top of Punchbowl, a small volcanic hill overlooking all of downtown Honolulu. This now national cemetery was an occasional climbing event for Hide and me. It was not difficult to climb, but it was steep enough for a bicycle to negotiate, so we usually rode in from the gradually sloping mountain side road.
The owner of the paper had arrived from Japan with his wife and two teenage daughters less than a year ago and started this four page Japanese language paper which mostly contained news from the other two Japanese newspapers, the daily Hochi and Nippujiji.
