Islands of Paradise 1
Chapter 5 – Ignorance Is Not Bliss
It was just past opening time when the first customer came in, it was someone that Nicole did not expect to see at her restaurant. Aleister Gates briskly strolled in and sat at the counter, Nicole brought him a cup of water and a menu just in case.
“Don’t usually see your face here,” Nicole said pleasantly. “Are you here to eat or did Anna send you here on a spy mission?”
Aleister laughed and drank the cup of water she gave him, looking at the menu to be courteous. The noise of Shiro trying to teach Rin how to cook in the kitchen caught his attention.
“Your employees are quite lively,” he told Nicole.
“They’re like that,” Nicole said with a giggle. “My son is pushy about teaching my older daughter how to cook, even though her cooking is worthy of being called a chemical biohazard.”
“And you let her cook?” Aleister asked.
“Goodness, no,” Nicole said. “I have only a few customers as it is. I can’t be killing the rest of them off, else I’d have no customers at all.”
They listened to Shiro try to tell Rin that what she was putting into the soup were not the right ingredients. After a few minutes, Shiro exited the kitchen and approached his mother.
“I give up,” he said defeated. “She can’t cook to save her life. Oh, Mister Gates, hello! What brings you here?”
“Just the person I wanted to see,” Aleister said. “I have something to talk to you about. Missus Sakurai, if I could have a breakfast plate, please. And don’t let your daughter make it.”
“Of course,” Nicole said, who then took his order into the kitchen.
Once she was inside the kitchen, Aleister turned to Shiro, who had taken a seat next to him.
“What’s this about, Mister Gates?” Shiro asked curiously. “Does it have to be kept away from my mother? It’s not a cat is it? My mother and sister have pet allergies.”
“No, nothing of the sort,” Aleister said. “Actually, I want to know something about Mikiya.”
“Sure, what is it?” Shiro said. “It’s nothing too personal is it?”
“Well, I heard that you lived in the same orphanage as he did,” Aleister said. “I wanted to know where it is.”
“Is that it?” Shiro said. “It’s the Koloa Forest Orphanage, I’ll give you directions if you need ‘em.”
“That would be a great help,” Aleister said.
Shiro went back around the counter to find paper and something to write with, he kept talking while he was searching under the counter.
“What’s this about anyway?” He asked. “Something wrong with Mikiya?”
“Not necessarily,” Aleister said. “I just want to know what kind of person raised him.”
“The woman who raised him raised me when I was there,” Shiro recalled. “She retired a few years ago, though. Went to another island, I believe.”
“Is that true?” Aleister said.
Well, so much for meeting his “parent”, Aleister thought. Now what?
“There was this one guy, though,” Shiro continued. “Weirdo. Here’s the pen, where did I put that paper?”
“A weirdo?” Aleister asked. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t remember too well,” Shiro admitted. “I only met him a few times, but Mikiya spent a lot more time around him. From what I remember he was always talking about crazy things that our caretakers were always telling us to forget what he said.”
“What kind of things he did say?” Aleister questioned further.
“Philosophy and stuff,” Shiro said. “I honestly can’t remember, I was a kid with elementary school knowledge at the time.”
“Of course,” Aleister said understandingly.
Shiro wrote down the directions on a post-it note and handed it to him.
“This will get you there,” Shiro said. “Be careful, you need to drive down a dirt road in the middle of a forest and it takes some unexpected turns because of the terrain.”
“Thanks,” Aleister said, pocketing the directions. “Oh and just for confidentiality, don’t tell your mother.”
“You have my word, Mister Gates,” Shiro said. “But truthfully, is this about Mikiya?”
“I am afraid so,” Aleister told him. “I think it can be fixed though, so don’t worry.”
“Well it’s about finding a place for him to live, Mister Gates,” Shiro said. “You don’t need to go through all this trouble. He found his way back to the orphanage on his own.”
“What? Why?” Aleister asked.
In reply, Shiro pulled out of the morning newspaper from under the counter and showed him an article. Aleister only needed to read the headlines, Arson in Kapa’a Industrial District.
“It happened last night,” Shiro explained. “I got a call from Sherry because she was watching the evening news at the time. We didn’t find out that was where Mikiya lived until later, when Mikiya himself knocked on my door. He was pretty bad-looking, burnt, beat-up and stuff.”
“Did he stay at your place last night?” Aleister asked.
“No,” Shiro sighed. “He said he was going somewhere safe. He said something about people following him around. But I got a call this morning and he said he was at the orphanage safe and sound.”
Nicole came out with Aleister’s breakfast plate, loaded with eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, with chicken and rice soup on the side.
“I’m supposed to eat all this?” Aleister asked, as she laid down the meal in front of him.
“You’re one of the few customers I have,” Nicole said. “I have to empty the fridge somehow. Now, eat. I hear you have places to be today.”
So she overhead us, Aleister said to himself.
“Let me tell you a secret,” Nicole said. “I was going to adopt Mikiya at one point. Unfortunately, my husband died and now I can’t support another child. So I had to leave him with the best I could offer, an open guest room and free meals.”
Aleister finished the breakfast and thanked her for the food. After he paid for the meal, he left the café and drove to Koloa. The directions were easy enough to follow, even if Shiro did not mention any street names. A right at the first intersection, a left at the second light, and so on. Aleister was at the orphanage within the hour. Shiro was right about the dirt road leading to the orphanage, it had twists and turns that made no logical sense and seemed to go on forever.
At the end of the road, the orphanage stood in a wide clearing in the middle of the forest. It was an old wooden structure, obviously renovated from an even older church building. There was a newer annex added onto the side made of brick instead of wood. A sign carved out of thick wood welcomed visitors to the solitary orphanage. There were no parking spaces, so Aleister parked on the side of the dirt road.
There were children playing kickball in the grass field beside the orphanage, Aleister could see there was an adult watching over them. She noticed Aleister approach and waved to him, a moment later she greeted him by the front door. She was a middle-aged woman with dark blonde hair, round glasses, and a white sundress.
“Aloha,” she greeted. “What can I do for you, Mister Gates?”
“You know me?” he asked suspiciously.
“Of course,” she said pleasantly. “You own the farms on the other side of the forest.”
“Oh right,” Aleister said.
He forgot that he was close to his property because the dirt road made him feel like he was on the Silk Road. Now that the woman mentioned it, he realized the orphanage was practically in the middle of his farmland along with the forest surrounding it.
“Is Mikiya here?” He asked her.
Her smiling face changed completely into one of suspicious worry.
“N-no,” she said, shaking her head. “He isn’t here.”
He is here, Aleister thought. He is definitely here.
“It’s okay,” Mikiya called out from the front door. “He’s not one of the men from last night.”
“Oh, alright,” the woman said, visibly relaxing. “Should I prepare some tea or something?”
“I’ll take care of him,” Mikiya said. “Keep your eye on the children.”
The woman nodded and returned to her duty of watching over the kids. Meanwhile, Mikiya invited Aleister in. They walked through the church, down a hall, past the kitchen, and into the dining room. They took seats on opposite ends of the table, Mikiya sat with back to the window.
Aleister looked over Mikiya, he was covered in bandages and scratches. There was a bruise on his right cheek, and his hair was frizzy. Aleister wondered if he smelt burnt, or if it was just his imagination. Mikiya wore a plain white t-shirt and cargo pants over all his injuries, acting like it was nothing.
“So what brings you here, Mister Gates?” He asked kindly. “Do you want anything to eat or drink? I heard from Shiro you were coming here, but had a big breakfast.”
“Shiro’s mother cooks way too much,” Aleister said. “There’s no way I would be able to eat that much everyday.”
“Her café has been slow for a long time now,” Mikiya explained. “It just doesn’t keep up with the other restaurants in the area. Tourists don’t really know about it, only a few locals stop in every once in a while.”
“It’s a shame really,” Aleister said. “She’s a nice person.”
“Just because you’re nice, doesn’t mean good things will happen to you,” Mikiya said, perhaps a little bitterly.
“Why did you come here?” Mikiya asked Aleister. “I’m still slightly reluctant to meet with you now that I found sanctuary.”
“What do you mean?” Aleister asked.
“Someone followed you to my warehouse,” Mikiya told him. “Or maybe they followed me on one of my bad days. Well, in the end they jumped me at night. Broke into the place, smacked me a good one, and set the place on fire. They left me to die, you see. Lucky for me, I had enough strength to get out, and the fire fighters arrived fast.”
“Did you lose everything?” Aleister asked him, slightly concerned.
“No, I’m still alive as you can see,” Mikiya said, gesturing to his many injuries.
“You know what I mean,” Aleister said.
“I made out with my laptop, motorcycle and a large trunk with something unknown inside,” Mikiya said, with a bitter laugh. “Can you believe it? It came in the mail yesterday and I haven’t even found what’s in it yet. It’s really heavy though, broke my back bringing around on a motorcycle.”
“Why did you save your laptop?” Aleister said. “Is it important?”
“It contains all my information,” Mikiya said to him. “My resume, my school records, medical information, and stock portfolio, along with a lot of other stuff. To lose it would practically mean losing my life and everything I’ve done until now.”
Aleister was thinking about whether someone was following him when he first went to Mikiya’s warehouse. He was certain he was alone, except for Kenneth who was with him to show him the way.
“You’re not going to ask why I chose to save my bike?” Mikiya asked playfully.
“Why did you save it?” Aleister said, playing along.
“It would be hard to get around without a vehicle,” Mikiya said laughing. “I’m too lazy to walk!”
“I find it strange that you can find humor in your own miserable situation,” Aleister said.
“It’s the only thing I can do for now,” Mikiya said with a grin. “Anyway, back to what you came here for.”
“I actually wanted to talk to the person who raised you,” Aleister admitted. “But I heard she does not work here anymore.”
“No,” Mikiya confirmed. “She’s retired and lives on the Big Island now, now this place is run by Erica Grace, which was the woman you met outside.”
They were interrupted by the sound of a horde of children rushing to the building, the footsteps echoed through the halls. Aleister swore the building shook, Mikiya smiled knowingly.
“It’s an old building,” Mikiya said. “One good swing could probably take it all down. Not to mention there are a lot of orphans here.”
Aleister thought about the children he saw outside, not that Mikiya mentioned in there had been many of them. Aleister estimated there had been around thirty of them.
“Mikiya!” Erica called out. “Can I get some help here?”
“Sure!” Mikiya said, rising from the table. “Sorry about this Mister Gates, but while I’m here, I work to take care of the orphanage.”
“I’ll take over for you,” Aleister heard Mikiya say out in the hall. “Keep Mister Gates company, I’m sure he wants to talk to you.”
A moment later, the woman from before entered the dining room and greeted him again.
“Sorry about before,” she apologized. “Mikiya is hiding from the people who attacked him last night.”
“It’s quite alright,” Aleister said.
“Is there something you want to talk about?” Erica asked, getting straight to the point.
“Did you know the caretaker of this place when Mikiya was a child?” Aleister asked. “I want to know why Mikiya thinks the way he does.”
“I knew her, yes,” Erica said, taking a seat. “Back then, I was high school student coming here for community service hours. Mikiya was a quiet kid who sat in the library reading books all day. There were only two other kids he got along with, everyone else he would try to ignore.”
“Was Shiro Sakurai one of them?” Aleister asked her.
“Yes,” she answered. “He still stops by on occasion.”
“I heard from Shiro that Mikiya followed a strange man while here,” Aleister said. “Who was this man? I heard he spoke of philosophy and some other things.”
“I know who you’re talking about,” Erica said. “But I can’t remember his name. The old lady always used to get mad at him because she thought he was devil’s reincarnate or something. He would always talk to the kids about his travels and other things. He got along quite well with Mikiya, but stopped coming after the hurricane hit.”
“The hurricane of ’92?” Aleister asked.
“Yes,” Erica replied. “Tore the roof of this place right off. That’s when they added in this annex, the old building was completely destroyed. I still remember sitting in the church with the children waiting for the hurricane to pass.”
“I think this man has a lot to do with Mikiya’s personality problem,” Aleister said, keeping the conversation on track.
“You mean Mikiya selflessness?” Erica asked. “No, the man was not righteous in any way. He spoke of committing sins to correct the world. He was a Machiavellian man.”
So that is where Mikiya’s talk about changing the world came from, Aleister thought. I guess I won’t be learning about anything more. This is all anybody seems to know.
“Personally, I don’t think Mikiya’s personality is flawed,” Erica said.
“That’s because you haven’t heard him talk crazy,” Aleister told her. “He sounded border-line terrorist to me.”
“I assure you I have,” she told him. “I’ve known him for most of his life, I’m like a sister to him. And when he came here last night, he told me everything. The fear of death makes people spill the beans quite easily.”
“You threatened him?” Aleister asked, surprised.
“Goodness no,” Erica answered. “He was quite certain that there were people following him, trying to chase him down and murder him.”
“Oh, right,” Aleister said.
“I agree with him,” Erica said, looking Aleister directly in the face. “This world needs to change, look here. There’s thirty-two children here ranging from age three to fourteen. Most of them came here in the last five years, abandoned by their parents or victims of accidents which caused the deaths of their parents. Cases like these are becoming more commonplace these days, the world is spiraling into darkness. Things need to change, before it’s too late.”
“Even I understand that,” Aleister said. “But that isn’t a job for him to do, he is too young and inexperienced to even think he can change the world.”
“Did you ever dream of taking over the world when you were a child?” Erica asked. “This is kind of like that, a passing phase. Everyone goes through it, believe it or not. Some just take it more seriously than others. Some people dream of becoming an astronaut when they’re young, only a few of those actually live the dream.”
“Are you saying that he’ll eventually stop?” Aleister asked.
“That,” Erica concluded. “Or he’ll actually change the world. Now, I have to tend to the children. Unless you want to help, I think you should head home.”
Aleister said goodbye and left the orphanage. He got into his car and drove to Anna’s restaurant.
Sherry stared out the window, the rain had just started to pour. Her cell phone lay silent on the table, next to the menu and a cup of water. Across the room, Nicole sat behind the counter reading the newspaper. Shiro was in the kitchen, Rin had gone home for the day.
“Your house special fried rice,” Shiro said, coming from the kitchen to deliver her dinner. “And a coke.”
He set the plate of fried rice in the front of her along with the cup of coca-cola. He then sat down on the other side of the table and glanced out at the rain.
“I guess we’re catching up on the rain we missed out on last month,” Shiro joked. “Oh come on, don’t be so depressed, Sherry.”
“I’m not depressed,” Sherry said finally. “I just can’t stand this. I’m safe and sound, and having a good time. On the other hand, Mikiya can’t even sleep at night without being attacked and almost killed.”
“This wouldn’t be the first time,” Shiro chuckled.
“How can you say that?” Sherry said, offended.
“I remember when he and I first started kendo,” Shiro said, remembering. “We were so into it, we attacking each other night, while everyone was sleeping. The old woman whacked us both on our heads and took our practice swords away. So, you don’t to worry, I beat survival instinct into his bones. Some random thugs can’t do him in.”
“That’s really supposed to make me feel better,” Sherry muttered.
“Yes, it is,” Shiro said. “Hey, I try.”
“Thanks anyway,” Sherry said. “Is he alright now?”
“He called a few hours ago,” Shiro told her. “He said he’s doing okay, still hasn’t figured out what to do from now on though.”
He doesn’t even bother calling me, Sherry thought. Yet he informs Shiro of every single thing that happens.
She ate quietly, planning to visit Mikiya tomorrow. There were three weeks left before school started, she would have a good talk with him before then.
“Can you give me directions to the orphanage?” Sherry asked Shiro.
“No,” he said flatly.
“Why not?” She said, annoying.
“He said not to,” Shiro answered.
“If he told you to jump off a cliff would you do it?” Sherry said to him.
“Since he only told me to do things that end up benefiting me,” Shiro told her, “Yes, I would.”
“I hate you,” Sherry muttered. “Go away.”
“I’m kidding,” he said, sliding a piece of paper across the table. “Here it is, don’t tell him I gave it to you.”
“Oh, I’ll tell him all about it,” Sherry said.
Sherry tucked the paper into her pocket and finished eating, it was still pouring outside. She looked at her phone, sitting quietly on the tabletop.
I can’t believe this, she thought. I’m waiting for his call. I’m actually waiting on him. He used to come to me, run to me. When did it turn the other way around?
Shiro yawned, then got up to talk to his mother. They talked cheerfully about something in the news, something related to the Xana SuperCorporate. That was all over the news these days, the Xana SuperCorporate has done this, the Xana SuperCorporate has done that. In a time of economic depression, the Xana SuperCorporate was a shining beacon of hope. They were combating the recession, hiring people and expanding businesses. They were gradually shifting Hawaii’s economy from tourism to finances. They had recently opened a private island to the public to build more cities for more residents and more jobs. Sherry knew all about it, her mother was part of the Xana SuperCorporate Board of Directors. Her sister was working part-time as a file clerk at the regional office here in Lihue.
Sherry picked up her phone and called Mikiya. No answer, it switched to his voicemail. She tried again, and then again.
What’s wrong with me, she thought. I think I need some sleep. Yes, sleep will do good. I’m probably just exhausted from worrying about him so much. Tomorrow I’ll be back to normal.
She said her goodbyes to Shiro and his mother, then walked through the rain to Karen’s car, which she borrowed for the day. She got in a drove back home. She did not want to see her sister, but there was no choice. They lived in the same house, after all.
Sherry got along just fine with her sister, but only when Mikiya was not involved. Karen utterly despised Mikiya, hated his guts. Karen could not forgive Mikiya for the destruction he brought to Kauai. When people began to target him, many public areas were damaged. Karen’s car windows were shattered when they saw her talk to him once. Mikiya told Sherry that it was understandable for Karen to hate him, as she was right. It was his fault for bringing such calamity to their town, and he would leave to take the destruction with him. Sherry went with him, because she did not feel like going to college just yet. And one year later, she managed to convince to return with her. But she did not expect for people’s hatred to last this long.
Sherry sighed, this was the worst. She pulled off her wet clothes and dried herself with a towel. As she dried off she glanced at herself in the mirror. She was tall, had a pretty face, and a good figure. Her breasts were not as large as some of her friends, but she was far from flat. She wondered if she would look better with longer hair, or a tan, or maybe a different set of clothes. She always wore clothes that covered her entirely, from head to toe.
I feel ridiculous, she said to herself. Just what the hell am I doing?
She put on her underwear and a shirt, then jumped into bed. It was still raining outside when she fell asleep.
