The Budget of Paradox

Sophia,
Perhaps you’ve seen the news about Maui. I know you probably don’t feel very connected to Hawaii. Furthermore, you were born on Kauai, not Maui. It’s too bad.

But I still feel connected. From my perspective, you were meant to grow up in Hawaii. But that’s another story. I’ve been to all the Hawaiian Islands, even Ni‘ihau. I don’t have many memories from Maui. I’ve probably been there only a dozen times or so. But I remember Maui’s westside well – Ka‘anapali Beach, Lahaina Town, Kihei, and Wailea. Your mother and I visited them all.

Here’s a story. About four months after I met your mother, we went to Maui together. We weren’t married yet. We went there to see a live show at the Maui Theater, right there on Front Street in Lahaina. The next day, we walked the length of Front Street with all of its shops and art galleries. I learned a lot from her about art. I enjoyed that time. In fact, we spent more than an hour in one specific art gallery. There, I discovered the paintings of Robert Watson. Your mother liked a thousand-dollar painting of poppies by Anna Good.

memories lost: Cheeseburger in Paradise on Front Street in Lahaina

We ended up eating at a restaurant called Cheeseburger in Paradise. Goofy name, I know. But it’s located directly on the beach with great sunset views. It was crowded. They told us we could wait for a table of our own – or share a table with another couple. We accepted the latter. The other couple was from Bakersfield, California. The man’s name was Dell and he was a lawyer. I forgot the wife’s name; she was a nurse. The food was okay, but it was loud and crowded. I accidentally left my sunglasses there when we left (Maui Jim’s: really nice sunglasses). I went back the next day and surprisingly, they still had them.

Anyway, this is just some dumb, random memory with your mom from 23 years ago. But I saw in the news that Cheeseburger in Paradise has burned to the ground, along with all the nearby shops and art galleries. So, another part of my world is gone forever. Now, just stinking memories.

What’s funny? As much as I remember from that trip, I can’t remember what show we saw at the theater. Maybe your mother remembers. But probably not.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

By telling you all this, I want you to know you’re part of something bigger than yourself. You’re not just some girl in Lynchburg. You’re part of a family (a divided family, but still…) that has memories and roots and love and experiences, all in Hawaii. I know your mother has forgotten all the good times and bizarrely only wants to remember the bad ones. I can’t change that. But I’m telling you, there were happy times in beautiful places. I wanted my kids to be born into that world.

beach view

beach view