| Recent Novels |
| Recent Stories |
| Recent NonFiction |
| Recent Poetry |
|
|
|
|
Nahiliolani
By Ramon Kwok
Oct 27, 2000
5,660 words
Click to Read Foreword by Ramon Kwok
Wayland sat
slumped on the soft sofa. Across the darkened
room lay Nahiliolani naked on the bed.
The room flashed into brightness each time the hotel sign blinked
on, then plunged it into darkness when it blinked off. Rooms for rent.
Rooms for rent. The
pulsating light kept in synchronization with the rhythmic breathing of
the girl on the bed. The
rise and fall of her breast were a sign of peace and deep, deep sleep.
The rain storm outside caused the only sound as the wind blew the
raindrops onto the window like a staccato of rapid fired bullets.
There would be a pause in the wind and the sound of muffled
street noise drifted up into the room.
Wayland stared at the form lying on the bed. He had known her all
her life. What a beautiful
child she was then. Alive, robust full of what life had to offer. Her
future was a certainty. Good schools and the promise of a college
education. Now her body
racked with pain, helpless to right a terrible wrong.
The results of only
a few years of drug abuse. Wayland,
sat with tears in his eyes, knowing what he must do.
His mind wandering back to a happier time.
Nahiliolani, her dark skin showing the Hawaiian
heritage she inherited from her Mother Eolani.
She did not show any of Wayland’s Scandinavian side at all.
If anything she did inherit his height. She was tall, even when
she was a child. Now at
thirteen, she stood over five feet and still growing.
She was starting to develop at ten and now at the age of thirteen
she had the figure of a young woman.
Her dark complexion, radiant smile and effervescence, was a
photographers dream. She
started posing for children’s magazines at six. She became a teen
model before she was a teenager. At
age of thirteen, Nahiliolani was at a crucial crossroad. Continue on the
glamorous course of Modeling and possibly a movie actress. Or she could stay in school and pursue an academic career.
She was that rare personality that had beauty and intelligence.
Most teenagers’ would be blessed to have those choices in later life,
not at thirteen. Fortunately
or possibly unfortunately, Wayland and Eolani made the decision for her.
Her schooling came first and after College she could pursue
anything she wanted.
How does a teenager get into a wrong crowd.
It’s easy if you are ignorant of the signs.
Most tragic are the parents who ignore the signs and believe
their child can do no wrong. It
starts From a very attentive student to one who shuns her homework.
Those fun conversations at the dinner table turn into a forum of
complaint. The interest of
what they are doing and the information of what they are interested in
is non existent. It is a
slow process. No more
conversations about school. Suddenly all the teachers are stupid and
don’t know what they are talking about. When
once the kitchen table was full of papers and homework, became bare,
with not even the remotest sign of a pencil.
Some times you can see the pattern. Coming home late and waking
up late. Time, is not a
period of doing something constructive, but to pass the day.
Eating habits do change over a persons life. That is
understandable. Drastic change is not healthy.
Proper foods and the ability to be conscious of what we eat are
now replaced with junk food and anything that is fast.
Attitudes change. They
become thrill seekers. Tempers are on edge and minor occurrences can
trigger a tantrum. Not just
a small child’s temper tantrum but a violent outburst of
venom.
Eolani and Wayland were like most parents. They were
blind to the signs that
something is wrong. Those
terrible scenes were a cry for help. Not understood and were ignored
until too late. “Where is your homework,” Eolani asked. “I did it at school,” Nahiliolani would reply.
The tension increases as the days go by with less and less
home work. Accusation of not being more attentive to school work.
Too much emphases in parties, loud music and being cool. The total
rejection of authority. Life
and the future only centers on a good time and how outrageous one can
be. The slow process of the
odd experiment in pot. What’s
so wrong in a couple of puffs or two, or three, or four.
Adults do it all the time in social drinking.
Look how much fun they had getting drunk and making fools of
themselves. This is how all
alcoholic’s and drug abuser’s rationalize their addiction.
Nahiliolani is no different, She graduated into the more serious
drugs early. The more she did the more she could hurt her parents for
denying her a future in modeling.
“Nahiliolani, why
don’t you stay home tonight and we can talk,” asked Eolani.
“Your Dad and I are very worried about you and how your health
is deteriorating.”
It was
a long night after dinner. Wayland
and Eolani looked at their daughter and almost did not recognize her.
It started with drinking water by the glass full. Her quick eyes darting from one side of the room to the next.
Her dinner wasn’t touched and the conversation was almost
nonexistent. Questions were
answered in short two word sentences. And the constant denial.
Wayland and Eolani soon found out Nahiliolani was
not going to school. She
had missed most of the semester so far and would not have enough credits
to pass. She was involved
with a photographer who was going to put her in fashion magazines.
He owned a night club and was very prosperous.
Then the shaking started Nahiliolani needed a sweater because she was cold and shivering. Eolani asked her to lie down on the sofa until she could get warm. She turned the heat up and placed an extra blanket over her. Wayland and Eolani went back to the kitchen to do the dishes.
Eolani sat at the kitchen table and buried her face
in her hands and sobbed.
Wayland came
over and tried to comfort his wife asking her what has happened to their
little girl. Eolani looked
up and took some photos from her apron pocket and laid them on the
table. “I found these in her room. This is what our girl has been
doing instead of going to school.”
Lying on the table were pictures of Nahiliolani naked and in the
most provocative and seductive poses imaginable.
Sex acts, multiple partner sex acts, oral sex.
They are being sold to the
major Porno sites on the
Internet. She is one of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of adult
pictures available on the web sites.
“How
do you know all this ,” asked Wayland.
“I
checked with people and found this night club she works at is really a
strip joint,” explained
Eolani.
Wayland was shocked. He just couldn’t bring
himself to think of his little girl involved in this sort of
activity. Wayland
just sat there not knowing what to do.
He felt anger and disappointment in Nahiliolani.
He asked the same question all parents ask “what did we do
wrong.”
Eolani went into the living room to check on
Nahiliolani. She came back and informed Wayland Nahiliolani was gone. Wayland ran outside to see if he could see her on the street,
but she was no where in sight. Coming
back into the house he saw Eolani on the phone.
“Who are you calling,’ he asked.
Eolani did not answer.
She was intent on listening to the voice on the other end of the
line. Her face became more
solemn as tears weld up into her eyes.
She gently replaced the phone, sat down, covered her face and
sobbed. Wayland came over
to comfort her asking her what it was that got her so upset.
“That was Nick Strange, the owner of the night
club,” she explained. “Nahiliolani
has been working there for the past year.
She has a serious drug problem and owes him $5,000 for her
addiction. She picks up men
and turns tricks to pay for her addiction but her addiction is more than
she can earn. If she does
not settle her account with him, he will have to take more permanent
measures. My God Wayland our daughter is a prostitute.
I’m afraid for her life.”
Wayland took his wife in his arms and said, “I’ll look after
it.”
Wayland has never been in a night club, let alone a
strip joint. He was totally naive when he entered the club. His watched
read 9:00 P.M. they had only been open for an hour. Nahiliolani was
nowhere in sight. He picked
a table in the corner and sat down.
A waitress soon came around and asked what he would like to
drink. “Nothing,” he
told her .The club was starting to fill up with customers.
The hours past and Nahiliolani had not showed up yet.
Soon a very large man came over and asked Wayland what he was doing here and if he did not want to drink he would have to
leave. Wayland asked to see
the Nick Strange the owner. “I
am the owner,” said Nick Strange.
Nick Strange is a pimp.
He looks like a pimp and smells like a pimp. With his long black hair tied in a pony tail, all the rings
on his fingers, gives the locals a sense he is loaded. Underneath all the glitter there is a formidable body.
His face showed the signs of too much alcohol and narcotics. His
nose was out of alignment from too many right crosses. It was his eyes
that you notice. You can tell they were eyes that consumed a vast amount
of street knowledge. He is
not a man to be trusted, nor turn your back on.
He is a predator and you are in his jungle.
Wayland asked if he knew Nahiliolani and described
her to him. “Yeah I know
her she’s into me for Five G’s, he said. “The way she is working,
she will never pay it back.”
“Look I’m here to pay back what she owes and you are not to
let her work here any more is that agreed?” said Wayland.
“Fine with me ,” said Nick.
Nick didn’t care who paid him.
Wayland counted out five thousand dollars cash. It
was last night receipts from his furniture store.
The owner left and Wayland waited for Nahiliolani to show up.
After an
hour and several cups of coffee the owner allowed him, Nahiliolani
showed up with a man on her arm. They
sat down and ordered a drinks. The
owner came over to Wayland and said he did not want trouble in the club.
If he was to do anything it had to be outside when they leave.
From where Wayland sat he could see Nahiliolani was not herself.
Very gregarious and flirtatious.
After a couple of drinks they got up to leave.
Wayland followed them out. He
caught up to them just before Nahiliolani was getting into the car.
He grabbed her arm spun her around and said, “come on home
Pumpkin I paid your debt to Nick, now you don’t have to do this any
more.”
Nahiliolani shoved Wayland back shouting,
“who the hell are you creep.”
Her customer
came around and held Wetlands’ arms back.
Nahiliolani kicked at Wayland, started to beat him with her
purse. There was no
recognition of who she was beating. Her customer threw Wayland down onto
the sidewalk and for good measure kicked him in the groin. Wayland
doubled up with pain, rolled from side to side to avoid any more kicks.
He could see them getting into the car. In desperation he shouted
out “Mopsy won’t like you.” For
an instant Nahiliolani’s eyes show some recognition, then she was
gone.
Wayland avoided violence all his life. Being beaten
up was an experience he would sooner avoid.
His body ached al over and the pain he suffered from his groin
was excruciating. He could
only lay there on the sidewalk, unable to get up.
His face was bleeding from the scratches Nahiliolani inflicted on
him. The pain on his face,
legs and groin could not surpass the pain he felt in his heart.
He curled up in a fetal position and then lost his control of his
bladder. He fought the
possibility of passing out when two large hands picked him up and half
carried him back into the Club. It was Nick Strange.
You can always tell the caliber of a night spot by
its restrooms. The more
sleazier ones have that smell of urine that permeates throughout the
room. It hangs like an
invisible cloud settling onto any object or person passing through. It
penetrates into the very fibers of your clothes.
This was one of the worst. Between
the smell in the room and the pain, Wayland felt sick to his stomach. He just managed to get his head in the toilet bowl when his
stomach erupted with its contents, adding the smell of vomit to the
room.
Nick guided him to the single sink in the room.
Above the sink was a cracked mirror and the image reflected back
to Wayland almost made him throw up again.
The scratches in his face were superficial and stopped bleeding.
His eyes were beginning to puff up.
“You better clean up before you leave,” said Nick.
“Who are you anyway? And what are you to Nahli?
“I’m her father ,” said Wayland.
This surprised Nick as he thought Wayland, was just another John. “Look Mr.,” said Nick. “I don’t want any trouble. As far as I’m concerned, she and I are square and she’s banned from the Club. From now on she can prowl some other club.
Wayland is far from being a violent man but at that
very moment he wanted to kill the man in front of him. All he could see was a despicable predator preying on
innocent young girls with stars in their eyes.
Offering free drugs to get them hooked and then use the addiction
to use them any way they feel is profitable. Not surrendering to the
anger welling up, Wayland pushed past Nick and stumbled out
onto the street. Once
on the street he took several deep breaths of air, trying desperately to
erase the stench of the restroom. He
managed to find his car and drove home.
Eolani was in a state of shock when Wayland walked
into the house. She almost screamed when she saw his face and the
condition of his clothes. Wayland
saw the questions that were in Eolani’s eyes.
He told her to make some tea and after he had showered and
cleaned up he would tell her what happened.
Nahiliolani never came home that night.
Nor did she come home the next five nights.
It wasn’t until more than a week had past when they heard from
Nahiliolani. More to the point of Nahiliolani. . .
A gust of wind caused the window in the Hotel to
rattle, startling Wayland awake. It was a troubled sleep. One of
desperation and depression. One
of lost causes and the end is near.
He stood by the window and watched the storm increase, blowing
rain with a force against the window it drowned out
the sound of the street. Below him he saw the masses of umbrellas moving like a battalion of
ants. A gust of wind would
blow an umbrella inside out revealing a frantic ant trying desperately
to fix the now useless umbrella. Each following a life, a future, a
destiny. in the room where Wayland stood there was only pain, suffering.
desperation, depression and closure.
Nahiliolani moaned and Wayland rushed to her side.
“How are you feeling Pumpkin?” said Wayland, pulling the
blankets up over her naked body.
“I’m
real thirsty .”
“I’ll
get you some water,” said Wayland.
“The restrooms are down the hall. Are you hungry?
I can get some chicken or a hamburger.
I’ll only be a minute. Try
and get some more sleep.
Wayland took two large plastic pop containers to the
one wash room that supplied the whole floor.
There was no sink or toilet in the room. Wayland filled one with hot water and the other with cold.
Nahiliolani was lying on the bed when Wayland came in.
He poured some hot water into a face pan and Nahiliolani used a
small face cloth to wash up a little.
She then took a bottle of Boric Acid and poured some into
the face pan. Took
the same cloth and soaked it in the solution, squeezed some of the
liquid out and with the damp cloth dabbed the acid on the sores that
were breaking out on her body. She was starting to shake again and was
spilling the water. Wayland ran over and took the pan away before it
fell to the floor. She laid
back onto the bed and Wayland finished dabbing the sores.
“Do you think you could eat something?”
asked Wayland. Nahiliolani just curled up on the bed and shook her head.
Wayland could see it was starting again.
The pain, the ache, the soreness over her entire body.
She started to shiver slowly at first, then there were the
convulsions. With an empty stomach nothing came up but bile.
Wayland covered her with an extra blanket
and asked her if it was time.
Nahiliolani nodded her head, her eyes sunk in with a desperate
plea to help her end her
pain.
Wayland went to a small table and took the plastic
bag over to the bed. In the bag were a hypodermic needle, a large rubber
hose, spoon and some matches. Also
in the bag were several small plastic packages.
Nahiliolani showed Wayland how to dissolve the powder in the
spoon by lighting a match and holding it underneath the spoon. A tiny amount of water is used to liquefy the solution.
The solution was then drawn into the hypodermic needle.
The rubber hose was tied to Nahiliolani’s
upper arm . The
pressure built up to reveal a vein.
With the needle, Wayland, slowly pierced the vein deep enough to empty the
solution into the frail body of Nahiliolani.
Wayland removed the hypodermic needle and rubber hose from her
arm, cleaned the needle. Nahiliolani
placed her finger on the needle hole and applied pressure, then settled
back on to the bed. Wayland
gathered up all the paraphernalia put it back into the plastic bag and
set in on the table. He returned to the sofa and sat down. With his hand holding back the tears he watched as
Nahiliolani drifted into that painless void of an addict.
Not knowing, nor caring or thinking, just existing, like a
watered plant. . . .
Wayland was just on his way to work when the door
bell rang. Standing in the
doorway were two policemen. “Are
you Mr. Neilson, Mr. Wayland Neilson?”
asked one of the policemen.
“Yes I am,” said
Wayland. “What can I do for you?”
“We have a young girl in emergency suffering from a
drug overdose,” he said.
“The only identification she had was this card “Wayland Furniture”
Could you come down and identify this girl.
I understand you have a daughter and I’m not suggesting this is
she, but we would appreciate it if you would come to the hospital for a
few minutes.”
“Of
course,” said Wayland.
Eolani was way ahead of them. She had her coat on
and insisted on accompanying her husband.
The ride to the hospital was in silence. The policeman in front could see the apprehension and hope in
their eyes and remained silent. They
have seen this scene a hundred times and knew no amount of conversation
could ease the strain. It’s the fear of the unknown. They sat in the
waiting room for thirty minutes for the doctor to arrive.
A Dr. Tucker came in and showed them to a room.
Eolani rushed up and immediately identified Nahiliolani.
She was sleeping with an IV in her arm.
The Doctor took Wayland aside. He turned to the two
policemen and said he will send them all the details for their report
and they left. The
Doctor told Wayland his daughter is a very sick girl.
He has treated people with serious drug problems but he has never
seen one this serious especially for a girl this young.
He estimated her age as 16 or 17 and was surprised when Wayland
told him she was only 15 years old.
He told Wayland Nahiliolani has tried every drug on the street.
The analysis in her urine and blood show major dosage of Cocaine,
Crack, Amphetamines, traces
of alcohol and the marks on her arm indicate an addiction to Heroin.
There is an absence of protein calcium and most of the proper
food substances. This has
caused a break down of her body organs. They need food to function, not
poison. There are signs of a
new drug called Ecstasy, this drug affects the brain. She also tested
positive for HIV. His
prognosis is dim. Once she
regains consciousness her body will be screaming for more drugs.
She must be placed in a Sanitarium under constant care.
Wayland asked if she could be cured and the Doctor
said no. He asked how long
will she be in the Sanitarium. The
Doctor said until she dies. Wayland
fell back into a chair and hung his head.
Eolani came over and held him tight. The doctor told them to stay
as long as you like but Nahiliolani has so much sedation in her she will
be asleep for most of the night and probably late in the morning. He
left them to be alone. Wayland and Eolani sat beside the bed and looked
at their daughter. They
never said a word, just wept and prayed.
After an hour a nurse came in and told them they are
closing the floor down for the night.
Nahiliolani will be fine. She is sleeping now and will be more
receptive tomorrow. Wayland
and Eolani decided to go home and come back early the next morning. They
can bring some clothes for her and decide on what to do.
On the way home in a taxi Wayland and Eolani held
each other. Wayland paid the cab driver and went into the house. Eolani had already put the kettle on for tea.
By the time Wayland hung up his coat checked the thermostat,
Eolani had a steaming cup of Pekoe ready for him.
“What
do you think about the Sanitarium?”
Asked Wayland.
“What
other choice do we have,” said Eolani.
“She
will die in there,” said Wayland.
“It may be a week, a year, or even longer.
There is no guarantee how long she will last. No matter how long it takes she will never get better. The
Aids virus has seriously affected her immune system any slight ailment
could be fatal. She will have to be on medication for the whole time she
is in the sanitarium. Honey
lets go to bed I have this immense feeling of guilt welling up and I
don’t know what to do. We
will see her in the morning. Maybe
the Doctor will have some good news tomorrow.”
The hospital was a buzz of activity compared to the
night before. They saw
Doctor Tucker walk towards them. He
asked them to accompany him to his office.
“What’s
happened?” They demanded.
“Is Nahiliolani alright?”
The Doctor was very concerned and told them that Nahiliolani is gone. Eolani gave a high scream and clutched onto Wayland’s arm. He hastens to explain not deceased but left the hospital when no one was watching. The nurse on duty only realized she was gone early this morning. She went to wake her to take her temperature and found pillows under the blankets. At first they thought she had just wandered about the hospital and got lost. The whole hospital is on alert and a search is being conducted. His beeper went off and he apologized, as he was due in O.R. right away. He told Wayland and Eolani to go home and wait for a call from the police. It’s illegal for any patient to leave the hospital without a Doctors signed discharge.
The police came and took a description of
Nahiliolani and a photograph. “Do
you think you can find her,” asked Eolani.
One of the officers explained
that it was difficult to find some of these girls for the simple reason
they don’t want to be
found. “There is a code of silence in the drug world.
They rationalize that it’s their body they are destroying and
why should anyone care. They
fall into a pool of misery and drugs give them a short sensation of
elation. When the drug
wears off they find themselves back in that pool of misery again and the
cycle repeats. I apologized for being frank but statistic will bear me
out. Ninety-five percent
who kick the habit return with-in a year.
We literally get dozens of cases each month of missing young
girls and over doses. We
can’t keep up with the backlog.”
It was five o’clock and there was no word from
Eolani or the police. Wayland
had his employees leave for the day and he was ready to close up the
store. He locked the doors
and left some lights on in the store.
It was always better to have some lights on than a darken store.
He went back to his office and called Eolani. She had no news of Nahiliolani’s whereabouts.
She also phoned the police station and they have had no success
in finding her. He told her
to trust him and he will be late coming home and not to worry.
There was something he had to do and he didn’t know how long it
will take. He told her to phone the police and tell them Nahiliolani has
come home and is placed in a sanitarium. He would explain later.
Wayland left a note to his manager to look after the
store for two weeks as he and his wife will be away.
He took the cash receipts for that day . He opened the safe and took out a revolver, made sure it was
loaded and put it in his coat. He
drove across town, parked his car and waited. It started to rain and the
forecast on the car radio called
for high winds and heavy rain for the next four days.
He was early but so was Nick.
Nick had to open the club before his girls arrived.
Wayland got out of his car and tried to time it so he was beside
Nick when he opened the door. Nick
never even noticed Wayland come up behind him.
He did feel the gun in his back.
With one hand on Nick’s collar and the gun pressed in his back
Wayland pushed him into the Club. He
told Nick to turn some lights on. When the Clubs lights came on Wayland
told Nick to sit down at one of the tables.
“Relax,” said Wayland.
“I’m not here to rob you. I only want some information.
I should shoot you where you sit right now for what you are and
what you do to people. It
will depend on how accurate you are.
If you tell the truth you will never see me again.
If your information is wrong I will come back and kill you.
Now, I’m looking for Nahiliolani and I know you know where I
can find her.”
“What
makes you think I know where she is,” said Nick. “I told you I kicked her out the last time you--.”
Nick paused in mid sentence when he heard the click of the gun
being cocked.
“I’d
just as soon as shoot you now, I have nothing to lose. You know where
she takes her Johns,” said Wayland.
“Okay,
okay,” said Nick. “Take
it easy. She has a room at
the star Hotel a block from here. It’s
a three story building that just rents rooms.
Mostly by the hour. Nahli
has a deal with the owner to keep a room for her on the third floor,
number 12. She doesn’t live there. She only uses it for johns and a
place to shoot up. It’s a
place where you don’t register. The
desk clerk is conveniently blind to who comes and goes.”
Wayland took out one thousand dollars and asked Nick
how many heroin bags that would buy . Before Nick could deny being a
pusher he saw Wayland’s hand tighten on the gun.
Nick got up and went to the bar, came back with 10 plastic bags
containing a white substance. Wayland
got up and pointed the gun at Nick.
Nick shut his eyes and braced himself for the impact. None came
and he opened his eyes.
“Remember,” said Wayland.
“If you are telling the truth you will never see me again. Are
you?” Nick could only
nod.
It wasn’t hard for Wayland to find the Star Hotel.
Nor was it difficult to walk up to the third floor without being
seen. The desk clerk had a
small TV and was too interested in his program to notice anyone.
The third floor had one light in the hall.
The low wattage of the bulb was only sufficient to light the area
directly below it. The rest of the hall was in semi darkness.
Wayland looked at the number on the doors.
If they were correct, number twelve would be at the end of the
hall. He cautiously moved
in that direction. Just as he got within ten feet ,the door opened and a
man came out. Wayland
turned and made like he was fumbling with his key to another room.
The man walked past, taking no notice and went down stairs.
Wayland knock on the door and heard a muffled voice.
“Who is it?” Wayland
said, “Mopsy won’t like
it if you don’t let me in. The
door opened. Wayland
stepped in. “Daddy,”
said Nahiliolani. “How
did you find me?” She was
naked and stepped back, fell onto the bed and passed out.
Wayland closed the door and sat on the sofa.
It was now past midnight and Wayland had been there
since 8:00 P.M. A lot happened in those 4 hours.
Nahiliolani woke up and seemed to recognize her father then she
would forget who he was. One
time she woke and said how sorry she was for making her parents so
unhappy. She recalled a man calling out the name, “Mopsy”
her favorite doll and realized later it was her father she was
beating up. The thought of what she had done depressed her even more.
She sought refuge in a double fix which resulted in an over dose and her
visit to the hospital. The next time she would blame her parents for all
her problems. Her body has
built up a tolerance to Heroin and it wore off faster each time.
She shot up in front of Wayland, even showed him how to
administer a fix. Each time Wayland would increase the dosage from the
stuff he bought from Nick. She would drift in and out of her daze.
Sometimes showing a little recognition but they were fleeting. He was just another John shooting up with her.
All the while Wayland told Nahiliolani how much he loved her. This is the only way he knew how to end her pain. The way most addicts end, with an over dose. That’s how Nahiliolani will end another over dose statistic. No one to mourn their passing. Her breathing became more erratic. Her lungs drew breath less often. Her organs will begin to shut down. It was 6:00 A.M. and still dark outside. The storm had subsided and the rain became a calm drizzle. The “For Rent “ sign still flashed rhythmically, Except , Nahiliolani’s chest did not keep pace. There is a sereneness in death. There is an aura of peace, and free of pain. Nahiliolani slipped away and she was still. Wayland took anything that could identify her and opened the door. He paused looked back at the figure lying on the bed. “Good Bye Pumpkin I love you,” He said. Then slowly closed the door.
