Accidental Moments

Heading north somewhere between Kapa'a and Kilauea, May 6. PHOTO:BBS

The spirit of aloha shows up at the most unlikely of times and places.

Last Friday we found ourselves held up in traffic for two-and-a-half hours. Two cars had collided on the two-lane Kuhio Hwy near Kilauea which shut down the road in both directions, creating a chain of parked automobiles that circled about half of the island.

There are few, if any, alternative routes, so it became a stand-still. We were heading home after a consultation with our car-mechanic rinpoche who had blessed the Blue Buddha, our island Honda CRV.

"Dis izza good vehicle. You scored," said Wayne, brushing off the wear and tear of 163,000 miles of island driving. A native of Kauai who cut his teeth on socket wrenches, Wayne owns 11 cars. He can diagnose most car problems by telepathy. He dreams about the finer points of restoring vintage roadsters. On retainer for at least one  local car dealership, Wayne shuffles his mechanical priorities based on your attitude.

He owns and runs D&W Auto Services in Lihue where you will find more trophies sitting in the loft of his garage than chickens on the island. He is also the dragster king of Kauai.

"Don't grind me," he told a dealer rep who called complaining about a dead battery, threatening to end their business relationship. "Batteries aren't as good as dey yoostabe. I can't be responsible for a bad battery. If you don' like it I don' need yoh bidness."

The rep on the other end of the conversation backed down. He knew better.

Wayne shook his head. "Deez guys."

"What is yoh name again?" he asked me. 

"Kevin," I said. "It rhymes with heaven."

He burst with laughter. "Dat's good energy."

Even without an appointment, the Buddha received Wayne's immediate attention. The exhaust system needed recalibration since our battery had died after sitting mostly idle for months. In 15 minutes, we were back on the road.

Our ride home was interrupted by the accident in Kilauea, known for its lighthouse on the northern most point of the island, also a national bird refuge. For nearly three hours cars were backed up in both directions. No one was going anywhere, except for three ambulances and numerous police vehicles that rushed by, sirens blaring, on their way to the scene.

This is a big deal for a small island that often feels third-world due to road infrastructure breakdown given the climate of plenteous rain and runoff resulting in floods and mudslides.

With no information about the accident itself, folks began to step out of their vehicles. The scene transformed into a another roadside attraction.

One gal began swinging an Eskimo yo-yo.. Two circling yo-yo balls appeared to bounce back and forth, without making contact, defying simple physics, an optical illusion. I fell into a trance. Not a bad place to be under the circumstances.

"Not again," said Barbara.

“Water, does anybody need water?” A woman passed by holding a large bottle and wearing an endearing smile.

Another woman in a white dress, carrying a plastic bag, started picking up trash from the side of the road, most of which was hardly visible in the thick grassy shoulder. She spent the next hour filling two large bags, receiving mahalos from the stranded motorists.

Don't these people need to get somewhere?

Some strolled by with their dogs, as though a canine parade had been announced.

Is that a miniature Husky or a Pomeranian? There goes a Chiweenie! We suddenly missed our German Shepherd, Frida, in Santa Cruz.

A couple came by wearing backpacks. They had abandoned their vehicle.

"Last time this happened I ended up sleeping in my car," he said.

They were hiking home with supplies in their backpacks.

No one seemed too stressed. Horns were not honked. Expletives were not exchanged. Fingers were not given. Although in the back of our minds, we all wondered about the accident itself, hoping it was not serious and did not involve anyone we knew. Barbara and I were relieved when she reached our daughter by text. She and the grandkids were safe.

The bad news arrived the following day, front page.  One person had been killed in the collision, a 69-year-old man. Three others were injured.

Despite the occasional, and sometimes deadly, accident, the pace of island life, like the flow of the tides, rarely falters amid the birdsong and sweet-smelling flora.

Following the impasse, the Blue Buddha started right up, like the unfolding of a white lotus.