We drove along the sea and stopped at a small cafe for breakfast. The pineapple was so sweet it seemed to melt on my tongue. Sated, smiling, and caffeinated, we made our way across the island to experience the horror of December 7, 1941.
The memorialized casket of the Arizona loomed across Pearl Harbor. Scenes from Hollywood’s rendition of that infamous day reeled through my mind. The sympathy I’d felt as I watched and re-watched the the film did not begin to express the extreme empathy I have as a military spouse. As I listened to the stories and walked the harbor, I could see myself, Kyle, our friends, could imagine us going throughout the day on base, and the horrors of surprise attack. The memorial became sacred to me as I lived that day, as I stood above the sunken ship, as I saw the oil droplets rise and float along the water.
Somber and tired, we made our way to Starbucks where we FaceTimed with family and energized for the epic drive (that would be filled with parking challenges and snarky snarls as this hungry couple attempted to navigate touristy Waikiki Beach). The highly rated Noodle House where we’d chosen to eat was filled to the brim with Japanese locals and tourists, predicting the quality and authenticity of the Japanese food which we were about to devour. It was surely an experience to prepare us for our move to come!
After supper, we searched out the luau on Waikiki beach, but were quite surprised to see older dancers rather than the young pin-up girls depicted in the World War II era photos. We enjoyed the show for a while, but the idea of seeing the new Thor movie spurred us back to our car and across town to the theatre, where we sat on the edge of our seats and thoroughly enjoyed Marvel’s newest masterpiece. What a day.
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