Randy

Kimo's Heart

Steve glanced out to the palms blowing in the tropical trade winds after reading his next patient's chart: Kimo Haiku">

Kimo's Heart

Steve glanced out to the palms blowing in the tropical trade winds after reading his next patient's chart: Kimo Haiku, 52 yr old Hawaiian male, one small heart attack, check for coronary artery disease and valve damage. Outside the door he heard a commotion stirring in the hall. He saw a man as large as a house, graying hair and moustache, arms as thick as a beef roast, legs dark and sturdy as a Koa tree. He was surrounded by his family and they were all arguing loudly.

"So what you here for, anyway," Kimo yelled to a well dressed man who appeared to be his son.

"I just want to see you more better, Papa."

"You just wanna see me gone. Den you get to sell family land and dey put up condo's on our graves. Damn kids, you fight me all your life, you never want learn Hawaiian ways, now you can't wait to sell out to the developers. Go on get outta here, I be gone soon enough."

"Oh, you Kimo, why you always start this? You know your kids all love you," his wife shouted at him. Two women in their thirties joined in the yelling with their mother while the younger man stood tight-lipped and staring back at his father through dark brown eyes.

Tugging on Kimo's shorts was a plump three year old, his other hand in his mouth and his eyes on the verge of tears. "Tutu Kimo," he called to his grandfather with every tug.

Kimo reached down and pulled the child up into his giant arms and cuddled him warmly while ignoring the verbal assault. Steve watched as a soft smile spread over Kimo and he seemed to turn into a warm cuddly Panda Bear holding it's cub. He kissed the child tenderly, whispered in his ear and put him back on the floor. As soon as his hands broke contact with his grandson, Kimo was like an angry grizzly bear.

"Go on then," he yelled to everyone, "Get the hell out of here. Mama, you and Kava wait for me in the car, he stay with us again tonight. No good son no can take care of own kid," he pointed an accusing finger to the young man, "but want all my land for to get rich. Go on, I don't want none of you hanging around here."

Kimo turned his wide back to them and tromped down the hall toward Steve. "Hey, you one doctor guy, supposed to give me test? I don't understand none of this stuff. Let's get it done, tell me when I'm gonna die."

"I'm the cardiac tech," Steve answered. "I'm going to do an ultra-sound of your heart, it won't take long but you'll have to wait for your doctor to tell you what it all means. Come on in, take off your shirt and lay on your left side."

Kimo removed his sun bleached tank top shirt, revealing a beautiful pattern of Polynesian tattoos across his shoulders and chest. Beside the bed, Steve seated himself in front of the echo machine. In his hand he held what appeared to be an electric shaver which he was covering with a blue gel. "This is the transducer," Steve explained. "I'm going to move this around on your chest and a picture of your heart is going to appear on this screen. We do this to see what damage your heart attack did, and how likely you are to have another. The exam is video taped and recorded. Then the doctor can decide if he needs to operate, or put you on medication, or if a lifestyle change is all you need."

"You gonna see my heart with dat thing on the outside?"

"Yes sir, it uses sound waves, like sonar, and we can look right inside. Just watch this screen, and you can see your own heart beating."

Kimo tried to keep up his stoic stare, but Steve could detect the apprehension as he placed the transducer probe over Kimo's heart adjusted the knobs on the machine. Kimo's eyes widened as the shadowy image of his heart pulsed on the monitor. Steve spoke some technical jargon into the microphone, as he continued to move the probe and adjust the machine.

"Are you nervous," he asked Kimo, "your heart rate is pretty fast."

"Dis is pretty scary stuff, looking at my own heart, I afraid I'm gonna see it stop, den I be dead. It only strained cause I'm pissed off all da time now. You heard dem kids, didn't you? Can't wait to see me gone. Dat's what's giving me problems with my heart. My keiki's breaking it by giving up Hawaiian ways, selling out to developers and we lose all our culture. Keiki's no can even speak Hawaiian. Only little Kava speak because I'm teaching him.

"So what you see in there, doc?"

"Well, it looks overworked, maybe a little tired. It's had to push one big load. What's your family history?"

"Like my own Papa, he die young too. But he one mean old man, die from always grumpy. Always tell me I'm wrong, always try fight with me, never listen, never try help me. Dat's how my kids gonna kill me. Tutu Kane though, my Papa's Papa, he live long, raise me real Hawaiian way, strong but gentle. He teach me protect our land, no let business kind guys or government take it away. He one wise-kind Tutu, always find way to make things work, try to make my Papa go easy, laugh a little, but Papa no would listen. So Papa die young and unhappy, fight with me until the end.

"Dat's why I try teach Kava. He my last hope dis family stay strong in Hawaii, no let this island turn into Disneyland. Damn kids all ready to give it away, say we can't afford to keep it, better to sell it while we can. I say dey should work it, protect it, but dey don't want to get hands dirty, afraid of a little honest work, afraid government take it for taxes.

"Den what happen to land and money? More houses, more people - and no Hawaiian people either, only rich haoles can afford new house here. So developer make money, government get money, and keikis want rest to spend on new cars, clothes and fancy dinner. Dey no have anything left to pass on to Kava and other keiki's when dey grow up. Dey no do anything for Hawaiian people. I swear, Tutu Kane rolling in his grave to see dis happen.

"No wonder my heart is failing. So what you see in dare, doc?"

"Whoa, here's an interesting part," Steve pointed to a an area below one of the heart valves fluttering on the monitor.

"What, you see something wrong?"

"You see this little spot here? This is a real special place, and it looks like it's growing."

"No, you mean I got some kind cancer?"

"Not at all, this is a good thing. This is the spot where your Tutu Kane, lives. It's healthy and growing. And here's another spot where your grandson Kava, lives, it's healthy and strong too. Hey and there's one for your wife."

"Hey, you kidding me, yeah."

"No sir, Kimo. You got one good heart, just over-stressed maybe. These are places that's holding it together and keeping you strong.

"What kind stuff you talking about?"

"You said your Tutu Kane was wise and tried to get your Papa to lighten up. He loved you and raised you Hawaiian way. Now you're doing the same with your grandson. But you're like your own Papa with your kids. Maybe you need to laugh a little with them, not fight so it kills you. Teach them like your Tutu taught you, use Kava as the bridge to them."

"How I do that? I want keep land Hawaiian, they want sell."

"Maybe you can do both. If you can't afford to keep it because of the taxes, maybe there's a way around selling it, that you can still keep it for all Hawaiian kiekis. Maybe now that you know where it is, you can go to that spot in your heart where your Tutu lives and ask him for wisdom and guidance. Like you said, 'He always found a way to make things work.' Now that you've seen it here on the monitor, take this memory and visualize it glowing bright and strong when you need help talking to your kids. You're a good man, Kimo, and your heart's still plenty strong, I'd hate to see you die like your father, young and angry."

"Hmmph, maybe you right, Tutu would know what to do. I no talk to him in long time, thought he was dead and buried in ground. Hey, thanks for showing me where he still lives. Maybe you come out my place sometime for luau. Wife and daughters make good kow-kow. You come see our land, I proud to have you as guest."

"Thanks, Kimo, I will. I'm planning a couple days off on your side of the island next month, I'll stop in. Meanwhile, that's it for now, your exam is done, you can put your shirt on and get on home. Your doctor will tell you his 'official' medical opinion, but I think you're in pretty good shape."

The tradewinds were blowing gentle and rainbows sparkled in the mountain showers as Steve drove along the coast a month later. A rusty gate, hanging cockeyed on its hinges marked the driveway down to Kimo's hana. The sweet musky scent of mangoes, guava and passion fruit mixed with the fresh salt the air around the little white plantation house. Kimo burst through the door with an ear to ear grin, he grabbed Steve in a big bear hug and squeezed tight.

"Glad to see you come, my friend. Hey, other doc tell me heart is getting better. Come, come, I gonna show you why." He led Steve down a path through a banana grove along the beach. Kimo pointed ahead to a large hut being built. "See, dis just beginning."

"Are you building a new house," Steve asked.

"Yes, but not for me. New house for boats and for keiki's."

"I don't understand."

"Tutu Kane, he show me. Dis is place where he and Tutu Wahine buried. I always keep sacred, never want nothing built here. But I think of place in heart, see it just like you tell me, I ask, Tutu Kane say he want his gravesite to be foundation place for keiki's to learn, to enjoy the land and the sea. He also say 'my son not totally useless, he know lawyer friends.'

"Son find out we no have to sell land, or lose it either. We find way to give land to Hawaiian people for cultural school. It's in trust now, so we get donations to pay taxes. Now all kids can come here to learn how build Hawaiian canoe, learn speak Hawaiian and fish in old ways. Dey learn to take care of land too, pick all bananas, mangoes, all kind fruit to pay for expenses. Now dis land can pay for itself, never get no condos built or taken by government.

"And, I make my keiki's directors on board, so dey got responsibility to all people even long after I'm gone. But you know what, Steve? I gonna be around one long time now. Tutu Kane show me dat kids really not so bad, dey just not want land to get taken for nothing. When we find we can work together, keep land, and, dey no have to get hands dirty, everything okay. I find out dey pretty good at dat kind stuff. Still work, just different.

"Now I can laugh again, be happy like Tutu Kane, not no grump Papa like mine was. I gonna live to see grandson Kava be teacher at this school. And when I die, I gonna live in each one of my keiki's hearts. Maybe one day you look at their hearts with your machine too, and you can see me there. You'll know it's me, Steve, cause I'll be smiling and waving. You can take my picture and show to them. Maybe dey build foundation on my grave too."