Steve stared in stunned disbelief at the scene in front of him. Slowly opening the car's passenger door, he regarded the ocean of humanity crowding the parking area with a growing sense of dread. He turned to Danny, in a final desperate attempt to talk him out of following through with this part of Max Bergman's so-called prescription, but the younger man had already clambered out of the car and was fairly vibrating with impatience as he waited for his reluctant lover to join him.
“Come on, Steve.” Danny tried to hurry the process along, gently propelling them both away from his Mustang. “The entrance is over here, just in front of the fountains.”
Steve looked at Danny in frustration as they joined the back of the massed line. “I thought you said we were arriving early to avoid the crowd,” he said, wincing internally as he realized he was sounding like a petulant child. Giving himself a mental shake, the Five-O chief studied the slow-moving crowd with a small measure of almost professional curiosity. The tourists were easy to pick out: couples in matching muumuus and aloha shirts, young families laden down with strollers and diaper bags, the occasional pair of older adults, all wearing expressions combining nervous anticipation, stress, and delight on their faces. The locals were mostly calm by contrast, waiting patiently for their turn to pass through the gates and begin their day of adventure. Slowly but surely, the line-up moved forward, and at last the gate was in front of them.
“Well, here we are,” Dan announced unnecessarily, his wallet already out of his pocket, ready to pay the admission fee. Holding his hand out to receive the proof-of-payment ink stamp, he motioned for Steve to do the same, then drew him through the entrance gate and into the main thoroughfare. “Welcome to Ahi Mauna Park, Steve!” Danny's expression reflected both excitement and a small measure of apprehension; he had sensed Steve's reluctance to be here from the moment they had awoken earlier that morning. Determined to ensure that his lover would have a good day, he grinned and waved his hand in front of him in a broad sweeping gesture. “So what do you think? Where would you like to start?”
Steve took a deep breath, inhaling the combined aromas of popcorn, sunscreen, and a hint of chlorinated water from the fountains in front of him. Dominating his view was the focal point of the whole park, the looming height of Ahi Mauna, or Fire Mountain, which was an unlikely combination of sculpted artificial lava and a three-storey curtain of water falling from a gently curved ledge. The hiss of the waterfall created a background of white noise against which all the other sounds in the park rose and fell. The gleeful shouts of young children, the tinny blare of carnival music piped over the loudspeakers, the screams of the adventurous guests who had raced ahead and were already riding the park's many roller coasters: the din was almost more than Steve could bear.
Responding to Danny's question, he began, “I think I would like to start by heading back...” He stopped, abruptly. Catching sight of his lover's face, he noted the faint lines of stress and tiredness that were still visible around the younger man's eyes despite the hopeful grin he was wearing, and realized the angry-looking purple bruising which had spread across his cheekbone fully to his temple must be causing him some discomfort. Pushing aside his own misgivings, knowing Danny needed this outing more than he himself did, Steve stepped forward and slung an arm across his partner's shoulders. “I think we should start by consulting a map!” he declared firmly, setting their course for an information booth beside the fountain. “We wouldn't want to miss anything exciting, now, would we?”
The resulting release of tension in the young man's stature was more than enough to convince Steve he had made the right decision. And Danny's quietly uttered “Thanks, Steve” was almost his own undoing. Together they walked deeper into the Park, maps in hand, ready to begin this part of Dr. Bergman's prescription.
To be continued...
“Come on, Steve.” Danny tried to hurry the process along, gently propelling them both away from his Mustang. “The entrance is over here, just in front of the fountains.”
Steve looked at Danny in frustration as they joined the back of the massed line. “I thought you said we were arriving early to avoid the crowd,” he said, wincing internally as he realized he was sounding like a petulant child. Giving himself a mental shake, the Five-O chief studied the slow-moving crowd with a small measure of almost professional curiosity. The tourists were easy to pick out: couples in matching muumuus and aloha shirts, young families laden down with strollers and diaper bags, the occasional pair of older adults, all wearing expressions combining nervous anticipation, stress, and delight on their faces. The locals were mostly calm by contrast, waiting patiently for their turn to pass through the gates and begin their day of adventure. Slowly but surely, the line-up moved forward, and at last the gate was in front of them.
“Well, here we are,” Dan announced unnecessarily, his wallet already out of his pocket, ready to pay the admission fee. Holding his hand out to receive the proof-of-payment ink stamp, he motioned for Steve to do the same, then drew him through the entrance gate and into the main thoroughfare. “Welcome to Ahi Mauna Park, Steve!” Danny's expression reflected both excitement and a small measure of apprehension; he had sensed Steve's reluctance to be here from the moment they had awoken earlier that morning. Determined to ensure that his lover would have a good day, he grinned and waved his hand in front of him in a broad sweeping gesture. “So what do you think? Where would you like to start?”
Steve took a deep breath, inhaling the combined aromas of popcorn, sunscreen, and a hint of chlorinated water from the fountains in front of him. Dominating his view was the focal point of the whole park, the looming height of Ahi Mauna, or Fire Mountain, which was an unlikely combination of sculpted artificial lava and a three-storey curtain of water falling from a gently curved ledge. The hiss of the waterfall created a background of white noise against which all the other sounds in the park rose and fell. The gleeful shouts of young children, the tinny blare of carnival music piped over the loudspeakers, the screams of the adventurous guests who had raced ahead and were already riding the park's many roller coasters: the din was almost more than Steve could bear.
Responding to Danny's question, he began, “I think I would like to start by heading back...” He stopped, abruptly. Catching sight of his lover's face, he noted the faint lines of stress and tiredness that were still visible around the younger man's eyes despite the hopeful grin he was wearing, and realized the angry-looking purple bruising which had spread across his cheekbone fully to his temple must be causing him some discomfort. Pushing aside his own misgivings, knowing Danny needed this outing more than he himself did, Steve stepped forward and slung an arm across his partner's shoulders. “I think we should start by consulting a map!” he declared firmly, setting their course for an information booth beside the fountain. “We wouldn't want to miss anything exciting, now, would we?”
The resulting release of tension in the young man's stature was more than enough to convince Steve he had made the right decision. And Danny's quietly uttered “Thanks, Steve” was almost his own undoing. Together they walked deeper into the Park, maps in hand, ready to begin this part of Dr. Bergman's prescription.
To be continued...