(the family back in Alabama)
We were in paradise. I had no idea how it had happened but surely the gods were looking down upon us, giving us this wonderful opportunity. In truth, this wasn't even the half of it. We just didn't know lay ahead of us yet.
The girls and I had arrived
at the Honolulu
airport, weary after an exhausting ten-hour flight from LAX. We all were so
excited that our family of four would be together again. And that family was
about to get larger. I was eight months pregnant and counting. I'd struggled through
airports, a diaper bag flung over one shoulder, my shoulder strap bag on the
other, thirteen month old Shirley on a hip and five year old Marie hanging onto
my somewhat free hand. There had been delays and worries to deal with. Due to some mix-up my flight reservations stopped in Los
Angeles , California and
I had no passage to continue on across the Pacific.
(A Pan-American Stratocruiser like the one we flew to Oahu on)
The girls and I had spent
the night in a motel, me washing out diapers in the bathroom sink and draping
them over anything available so that they would dry. Next morning, diapers all
dry, neatly folded and in the diaper bag, the three of us headed back to the
ticket counter asking, no begging, the agent for a seat on a plane. Any seat,
any plane. At this point, I did not care. I had to get us to Honolulu , to Elbert, to just feel safe and
secure. If I couldn't get us out of there no telling how long it would take. I
didn't have time to waste!
(This is how the airport looked
when we arrived. Picture from internet)
Imagine, if you can, the
total excitement we all felt as we deplaned and there was Elbert, tall and handsome
in his Navy uniform, running to gather us up with hugs and kisses, draping fragrant
yellow and pink plumeria leis about our necks. After all the hugs and kisses
were done, we hurried to our car and he drove
off toward Waikiki and a small motel where he
had reserved a room for us.
I was mostly drinking in
the sight of my wonderful husband sitting behind the wheel of our Ford
Fairlane, maneuvering the streets like he'd always done so. Yet, he had only
been in Oahu about six weeks ahead of us. Our car had
been shipped over from the states, along with our household goods, just waiting for us to arrive. Now we could set up housekeeping and be a family again. But,
before I could even think about the regular routine of daily living, I needed
to acclimate myself to this completely new and different world we had just
dropped down into. We were sort of like Dorothy when she finally arrived in Oz.
We sure 'aren't in Alabama anymore, Toto'. I was completely
awe-struck by my surroundings. I'd never seen anything like it.
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