On The Beach at Kanaapali

ON THE BEACH

AT

KAANAPALI

BY

DON MARCH

Copyrighted 2011 Don March

Revised Feb. 2013-03-18

Published at Smashwords

Smashwords edition

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CHAPTER 1

NUMBERS

46, 18, 25, the numbered balls rolling out of the machine, one by one the numbered and painted ping pong balls popping up and rolling into the camera’s view, the painted nails of the lotto hostess turned the numbers for all to see. The dream, the dream of the win was always the same, always imagining every detail of the win, calmly checking the numbers the next day, looking up the numbers in the paper, the slight feeling of glee and then checking the numbers again. Cool, you think, calmly turning over the ticket, filling in the reverse side in black ink, taking the ticket upstairs to the home office, diligently copying both sides, carefully going through the yellow pages and choosing a lawyer, a general lawyer would do, but a lawyer with a background in tax law and estate planning would be better and you pick one whose name is to your liking and has the proper skill set of tax law and estate planning. Checking the chosen lawyer’s qualification through the ABA and Better Business and then calling and making an appointment. Going to work and acting like nothing happened, while the lawyer takes care of the details and you make your plans. Keeping it quiet until everything is in order. That is the dream of winning, that is or was the plan when and if the win was even in my grasp.

14, 26 and the Powerball 2, the final numbers roll out and the lotto hostess turns the last numbers for all to see, the announcer in his deep radio voice calls out the numbers, you watched the numbers live tonight you never watch the numbers live, you never look at the numbers before checking them, you never remember the numbers. Powerball 2, 14, 18, 26, you remembered the numbers my god they were on that ticket from the Mini-mart. Where was the ticket, upstairs on the night stand, no, no it is still in my wallet. Shit, shit, shit, my mind said looking at the ticket as I clicked the numbers off one by one, shit, shit and the Powerball shit yeah.

Oh my god, my god, I screamed as I ran about the house as a madman. I darted from the house, the night dark, the street dark, light beamed from the open door.

I won. I won. I won, I screamed in the street, holding the ticket in one hand waving both hands over my head.

Dan, what is it, My wife called from the doorway of the modest cape cod bi-level, an average house in an average community, she flicked on the light above the door. My two children, my daughter in her late teens and my son in his early twenties, walked up behind her to see what the commotion was. My wife wasn’t the girl I married, but it didn’t matter she was aging gracefully and more importantly she was the same person I married, my son was a good boy, a little obsessive on things that didn’t matter but a good kid and my daughter was a sweet girl, a snot at times but better behaved than most teenagers.

I WON. I WON. I WON THE LOTTERY, I screamed jumping from foot to foot shifting my weight waving my hand and arms in rhythm with the jumps.

We won we won, My wife screamed running from the house jumping up and down grabbing for the ticket from my waving hands, jumping for the ticket high above my head, failing that, she grabbed my arm pulling my hand and the ticket to her.

We won we won, My son screamed running from the house jumping up and down in front of me as my wife pulled the ticket from my hand.

We won we won, My daughter screamed into her cell phone, jumping up and down on the stoop of our average cape cod, on an average block in an average town and one by one the lights on the average block clicked on lighting up the dark street.

Huh, I thought. I stopped jumping; I stopped dancing and looked at the neighbors leaving their average homes to see the growing spectacle on my front lawn. I looked about, I looked to the spectacle, this is definitely not how I imagined my win, this isn’t the best way for a lottery win to start, and this isn’t the best way to keep it quiet.

The dream of winning goes hand in hand with spending. My dream was seemingly simple, take care of the kids’ education and give them some seed money to start off their lives, then off to live on a beach on Maui, eight million should be more than enough to retire on Maui with a beautiful estate. A simple dream I always thought.

Okay, okay calm down, Amy off the phone, I said as I started damage control and tried to shut down the spectacle and get control of the win.

Come on dad let’s get new cars, my twenty something son Teddy said.

Clothes jewelry and new cars, my teenage daughter Amy said.

Sorry everything is fine sorry I won our family night monopoly game, sorry we were just having some fun, I shouted to the neighbors waving them off and trying to herd my family back into the house. The neighbors paused and watch my family for a moment.

Cars, Dad, Cars, Teddy repeated as he caught his breath.

Sorry everything is fine, I repeated to the neighbors waving them off again, with my family calming down, at least not screaming the neighbors started back into their houses and one by one the house lights clicked off.

A no-limit charge card, Amy said with a flash of her eyes.

We have to be sensible about this and this will be more money than we will ever need, I said finally getting my family to move to the open door a quiet retreat back into the house on the near dark street.

Lexis loaded, My wife said staring at the lottery ticket firmly grasped in her two hands on the stoop of the average Cape Cod.

Uhhhgh, I thought trying to get her to move the last few steps back into the house.

No, think about what you might want but first we have to find a lawyer make plans, figure the best way to collect the money and the best tax advantages. We have to think this thing out, take it slow, slow and as quiet as possible, I said.

Dan, don’t be so dramatic, just call the number on the back, My wife said staring at the ticket and finally walking back into the house.

The lottery dream is really spending the money. You see the prize amounts up on billboards along the freeway, the expressway or the interstate or posted at the 7-11 and you start to break it down, breaking down the win because that 12, 20 or 50 million on the billboard doesn’t mean that amount will go into your pocket. You take the one time payout over the annuity, one time payout has the biggest initial tax liability, but you control your whole win from day one. It is the best decision, though it might not be the most practical or safest decision. Many of the past winners rule the day they made that decision after they bought, bought and bought and they blew through the one time payout in a few short years and some a few short months and they were left with nothing. Back to dreaming the break down, you figure the taxes of course and then you dream how to spend what is left, out of 12 million, you might, you might net 5 million. In reality, your dream ends when they hand you the check and the reality of a lottery win takes over, you are bombarded with people with their hands out, if you are smart you cut all your phone lines and hibernate somewhere to avoid all that. You also decide in your head which family members get a share and which ones don’t, in reality take care of your kids and forget the rest. Get past all that and your break down from there, what you actually do with the winnings is pretty simple, if you are smart you set a big chunk of the principle aside and live off the interest, leaving just enough money to play with and get that one thing to fulfill all your dreams. For me that one thing is a patch of ocean front property on Maui; that is the one thing the only thing that I have ever dreamed in my lottery dream, a patch of ocean front property on Maui.

***

Okay Mr. Martin, this is the breakdown, after your one time pay out deduct, taxes, state taxes, my fee, Our lawyer and accountant, the first one listed in the phone book, Arnie Albertson Accountant and Lawyer started. What difference doesn’t it make just pick one, just pick one, pick him he sounds fine, my wife said when the Lottery authorities asked if we had a lawyer and we chose Arnie.

What about the house? My wife asked in the small mildew scented basement office of our new lawyer, Arnie. Arnie was short pudgy, a sickly pale white skin and a full head of luxurious dyed brown hair, not a good looking man, but he was a lawyer, at least that is what his soy sauce stained diploma from Hootsville community college said, well it might as well have been Hootsville community college, if I could read the college name under the soy sauce stain.

Yes, five million dollars for the purchase of the Illinois property, ten million for the annuity, then the trust funds for the children, the scholarship that your wife set up at her college, your wife’s other charities, the six million your wife and children already spent and the other miscellaneous expenses, that leaves you 1.3 million to play with, Arnie said, scratching his head with a pencil.

Only one million to play with, I asked.

1.3 million, he replied correcting me.

Dan 1.3 million that should be plenty of money to get your summer home, just you make sure that whatever you find is nice. I’m not staying there if it is a dump, my wife said glancing at her new nails and her new rings, drumming her new nails on the table.

Arnie, I asked moving forward on the worn wooden and leather chair, leaning on the desk.

What is left is 1.3 million. You want me to cut something else, Arnie asked.

No, no, no, everything else is needed, there is nothing else to cut, my wife demanded.

I won’t be able to get shit in Maui for 1.3 million, I said.

You should be able to get something nice, maybe not ocean front, maybe an ocean view, Arnie said, my wife got up, I got up and Arnie got up, my wife headed to the door and Arnie showed me to the door.

Thanks, I said as me and my wife left the office.

***

I’m sorry Hon, my wife started as we walked towards her new silver Mercedes.

I just hope it is enough, enough to fulfill my dream, a place on Maui I said.

Well, I will make a deal with you, you can go to and stay in Maui anytime you want even if you can’t find a decent ocean front place, Okay, she said.

Sure, I replied somewhat dejected.

***

I’m sorry, I said as I packed my old set of luggage on the large polished walnut table in the center of our new large walk-in closet in our new large five million dollar estate.

Can’t you go some other time? I have so much going on, my wife said, picking up and straightening one of the shoes on the wall of shoes in our new large walk-in closet.

This was the deal. It is only for four weeks, I want to make a thorough search, I replied as I pulled an assortment of t-shirts tightly packed on the bottom shelf along the one wall.

It is just the kids are so busy now too, Terry my wife said frowning at my choice of my old t-shirts I was packing.

You are so busy with your charities and luncheons, I barely see you most days, and you will not even miss me. It is only for four weeks, I said counting out six pairs of shorts to pack.

It is just that, Terry started fingering my old t-shirts in the old luggage.

Come with me then. My dream of Hawaii always included you, you do know that. When we are alone together we always have fun and time flies, I said stopping to pack and taking Terry’s hand.

I know but I have so much to do, Terry said with a look into my eyes then slowly pulling her hand away.

Come with, four weeks, I said as the limo pulled into the large circular drive and I shut and zippered my old luggage.

No you go, Terry said as I set the suitcase upright on the floor and I gave Terry one last look to change her mind.

CHAPTER 2

MAUI BOUND

As the plane moved along the blue endless sky with the deeper blue ocean below, my eyes scanning the horizon for the slightest irregularity, scanning below seeing the swirls and lines of white, the more swirls you see, the more boats there were moving below and the closer you are to the islands. Then my eyes scanning the horizon, the blue above once more for the slightest irregularity where the blue sky met the deeper blue ocean, the irregularity being the edge of an island, an island rising up from the horizon, the ninth hour of the nonstop flight and I was ready for the plane to land. The swirls increased, the island, the big Island rose before the plane and soon I knew I would be there. I don’t know whether it was a visitor, a Hawaiian, an ad agency or a descriptive line in a book that coined the phrase Aloha Spirit, but whoever it was, really put the nail on the head. It might be how you are treated by the locals or the service you get in the Hotels and in the shops or it might be the feeling I got when my feet touched the island, but that Aloha Spirit touched my soul as I stepped out of the terminal and into that incredible sunlight of Oahu on my first trip. The Aloha Spirit touched my soul on every trip I had made to these magnificent Islands since then.

The feeling incredibly became even more intense every trip to the islands after that. On Maui, I felt it on the balcony of the condo that we stayed at on my last visit, the gently sloping mountains to my left, the ocean to the right and Kaanapali beach straight ahead, the sun shined and the warm gentle breeze pushed against my body enveloping me in the Aloha spirit. Finally I was on Maui and for the first time I felt my dream was within my grasp.

On Oahu the best way to get around is limos, buses and cabs, Maui it is rental cars. The trip to the condo I was staying at wouldn’t take long. But I remember the first time I made the drive to Kaanapali, in the dark, mountains on one side, the sound of the ocean below on the other side, one tight turn after another plus the other hesitant tourists who drove incredibly slow and the locals flying along at high speed, the first drive to Kaanapali in the dark was not the highlight of that trip. In the beautiful Maui sunlight in the blue mustang convertible I rented, a car capable of hugging every one of those tight turns, this time the trip to Kaanapali was a gas.

I stayed at the same condo that we had stayed at on our last trip, it wasn’t on Kaanapali Beach proper which was a slight inconvenience, but it was a nice condo and it was on the cheaper side. Even with my new found wealth, I wanted to conserve my funds as much as possible so as not to detract from the funds that I needed for my Maui dream house. First day on Maui the plan was simple to just lay around the beach and pool and the second day I would meet with the realtor and the search for my Maui dream would start.

There were several pools at the condo to choose from, the large pool adjacent to the outdoor patio restaurant was my choice, the proximity to the bar and the ocean and the minimal amount of children running about wildly made this pool best choice. There were two other pools to choose from, one pool was on the far side of the two main towers, it was very private but very small and the shade of the towers block most of the sun most of the day, the pool was cold and it was not the spot to catch some sun. The other pool got good sun and it was an acceptable back up only if the main pool was too crowded, but it was a shallow kiddy pool and shallow kiddy pools tends to draw kids. The pool by the ocean and the bar was the best of the three pools. Being the best pool was its only down side, the competition for the two rows of loungers around the pool was intense and a sign that everyone thought this was the best pool.

I got down to the pool early enough to get a lounger, early enough I thought ten am should have been early enough but I forgot, I forgot of the long standing tradition at nearly every resort pool, the early morning pilgrimage to save the choice spots by placing your towels on the loungers, a tradition neither right or wrong but a tradition that needs to be anticipated and duplicated if you want a choice lounge chair. Lucky enough one lounger was still open, close to the pool with a perfect view of the ocean and the hazy green mound of the islands of Molokai and Lanai.

The sweat just started to break and I needed a break, I sat up took a sip of the still cool bottle of water, the once icy water I brought down a mere hour ago. The sip turned into a chug, a deep breath followed and a scan of the pool followed that. The crowd began to change, after an hour in the Hawaiian sun, an hour was enough for most, and most people either headed to the pool, headed to the ocean or back to the room and loungers began to open up. An attractive thirty-something, brunette with a nice tan settled in the lounge next to me accompanied by her two sun screened children, the children quickly running off with white gobs of SPF45 still showing on their shoulders. I thought my skin was pale, but she must have figured I had been on the island a while because she started to question me about the island.

Hi, my name is Liv, have you been here long, she started putting down her copy of the latest issue of Cosmo and turning to talk to me.

Pleasure, I’m Dan, I just settled out here, I replied with a smile.

No, I meant on the island, she smiled, an easy casual smile.

Just flew in this morning, I said, one of the benefits of a condo over a hotel is the check-in times aren’t chiseled in stone.

Oh, she replied, a bit of dejection in her eyes.

But this isn’t my first trip to Maui, I have stayed at these condos before, I said, her eyes eager to quiz someone about Maui.

Good, it is our first trip to the island and I have so many questions, if you don’t mind? Liv asked, sitting up and leaning towards me.

No not at all I love talking about the Island, I smiled eager to talk about Maui.

"I went to the breakfast orientation that the condo gives and they had so, so many things to do on Maui, so many tours and excursions, I