"You came to the right place. Tell me, do you golf?" he asked.
"No, I don't," I said, wondering what he would say to that.
"It'll help you relax. The Four Seasons has one of the best courses on the island."
"You think I need help relaxing?" I asked, amused. I knew something that was really relaxing. I shot heroin; that was the most relaxing habit there was.
"You must if you need a vacation," he said. I smiled, looking out the window. He was all right. Making conversation with the people in the back of his car was probably what got him through this job.
I couldn't relate. I'd had my eye on a music career since I was a teenager. I had never really done anything else. I wondered what it was like driving a cab for a living. Probably not great, but if I had to do it, I'd probably choose doing it here than in LA.
"Yeah, I just needed to get away. I haven't been here in years. I forgot how beautiful it is."
"Lanai is the only island that's still wild," he said matter-of-factly. "Miles and miles totally untouched. The hikes are amazing," he raved. "You'll love it." I smiled. I already sort of did.
"You here alone?" he asked.
"Yeah. Just me."
"Your family isn't joining you? Your wife? Girlfriend?"
"No. I'm not seeing anybody," I said, answering a question I usually hated. I'd usually be suspicious if anyone else asked. Back in LA, when people asked that question, they already had an answer; they just wanted you to say something so they could pretend they cited you as a source in the fake article they would write later. I was sure that this guy had no idea who I was and was really just trying to make me feel welcome on the island. He was genuinely curious.
"You're lucky. The most beautiful women in the world come from Hawai'i," he said, looking at me through the rearview mirror. I smirked. Oh, yeah. I knew that. He didn't have to tell me twice. If everything went according to plan, I'd be getting close to more than a few women while I was here.
He kept going like that, making casual conversation. I didn't discourage him because the more he talked, the less I could think about the heroin literally inches away from me in my backpack. I learned that he worked as a driver during the peak tourism season and was a salesman the rest of the year. He had three kids, two whom had moved to Oahu. His wife ran cultural programs for tourists.
He had been right about a lot of the island not being built up. It looked wild, like people had forgotten about it. He said it had mostly been plantations and when some of them closed, they were abandoned, so the wild vegetation reclaimed the land. He offered to drive through the city in case I wanted to buy anything before we went to the hotel, but I told him not to bother.
We finally got to the resort. The island was small, only like 150 miles or something, but I was running on fumes. I needed to get inside.
I climbed out of the car, thanking the driver for the trip and tipping him because why not. A couple of porters tried to get my bags, but I told them I could do it myself. I walked into the lobby. It was nice. Flowers and shit everywhere. Looked really clean. Nothing like the Vegas Four Seasons, but still nice.
I could see two girls at the front desk. Pretty young, surprisingly. One was Hawai'ian, the other was a blonde. The Hawai'ian one was smoking hot; she looked like a model. She was sitting, though, so I couldn't get a good look at her body.
The blonde was standing up. She smiled at me as I came towards the desk. Straight white teeth and pink lips I didn't think were that way because of makeup. She was tanned – of course she was, she lived here – and her eyes were blue. Not like the ocean, lighter. Her hair was tied up in a bun. Her face was nice; cute button-nose and high cheekbones. Getting closer, I noticed light freckles across her nose. She was pretty.
She was something else, too. I could see it. After a while, you can spot the look people get when they know it's you and don't want to say anything. They get this smile that they can't wipe off their face. The girls giggled. They looked at you like they knew your secret. She was a fan. Shit, I thought I'd be able to fly under the radar for once. I had wanted this place instead of Honolulu for thi
s exact reason.
She hadn't said anything yet, though, and so far, she seemed to be the only person who knew. All right. This wasn't the end of the world. She was working, so maybe she'd be professional and keep her mouth shut. If she asked about the band, though, I was drowning myself in the ocean.
"Aloha," she said, that smile not dropping for a second. "Welcome to Lanai Four Seasons."
"Hey, uh, thanks," I said. Wow, looked like someone loved their job. The other woman got up and greeted me the same; she was also smiling and nice, but it was like a regular sort of nice that they probably taught you at hospitality school. Polite, but sort of detached.
"Is this your first time in Hawai'i?" she asked me. I read her name tag. Makani.
"No. I've been here a few times," I said.
"First time on Lanai?"
"Yeah, I usually stay on the Big Island."
"First of many, we hope," she said. I looked in her face searching for any sign she knew who I was. Nothing. I relaxed. This really had been the right place to come. Apparently, Remus didn't get radio play on this island.
"Yeah. Let's hope so." I handed her my credit card and identification so she could check me in.