Dates to Remember

Furriest of Them All

When Kai released him, he stared at the man's face a little longer. "It's me, Kai, Mister Hiapo! I'm back."

After a few moments, he gasped in his low base tone and looked at the young man from head to toe. "Holy crap! You're Kai?!"

Kai made tiny excited jumps, glad that the old man finally recognized him.

"My goodness, you got stretched out real well. What did you eat to grow so tall?" The man smacked his back. "And who's this?"

"Daniel Lee," he said. "I'm his best friend."

"Best friend?" Hiapo asked, questionably. "I thought that Rafa girl was your best friend?"

The two younger men paused, gaping at him.

"You know who that girl is?!" Dani was the first to react.

"We've been trying to find some info about her online for the past few weeks," Kai said. "Do you know where she is right now?"

"Heavens know well I do. I've watched that girl grow up." Hiapo gave a little chuckle. "I suggest you go down to the beachfront Shucking Shack around two in the afternoon. You'd find her there."

"Oh, so, she works in that old restaurant?" Dani said, almost with awe. "I didn't think that place's still running."

"Mister Big Billy will cut your tongue if he hears you say that, boy," Hiapo warned.

Dani shuddered in the thought as Kai scanned the place and found the very nemesis he had back then in the same place. He approached it, looking at the little stuffed dolls inside the claw machine.

"This still works?" he asked, testing the control sticks.

"Of course," the older man responded. "Why? Are you gonna rob me of my prizes again?"

The taller younger male laughed and pulled a five-dollar bill to exchange for some tokens while the shorter one only shook his head in disbelief. On the other hand, the old man continued to be amused with their interactions.

"Please don't tell me you've been picking on all the claw machines you see since then?" Dani asked.

"Just saving some children, one token at a time," Kai proudly said before inserting one of the ten tokens he got.

"Somehow, I am torn if I should be glad that you're still the same or not," Hiapo said, now arranging some things behind the counter. "Just don't take too much of my stuff, okay?"

Sitting at the immediate booth of the diner, both Kai and Dani had finished their lunch and were passing time by munching on an order of malasada. The young men discovered no waitress with the name 'Rafa' or the likes of it. However, they still diligently waited as per Mister Hiapo's instruction.

"It's almost two o'clock," Dani said, checking the time from his phone. Kai kept quiet, just enjoying their dessert.

The sound of the lapping waves could be heard from underneath them as the water hit the supporting beams the establishment had secured over the sandy coast. Five minutes after two went by, the diner's door opened with a loud ring, instantly alerting the employees.

"Rafa," one of the waitresses called out. "Those guys were looking for you."

They both turned to where the waitress was talking to and found a short haired female wearing an oil-stained denim overall looking back in their direction. She gave an acknowledging nod to the other female and headed towards the booth.

"'Sup, boys," she said, placing a hand on her hip as she stopped beside them.

"You're Rafa?" Kai asked, sliding out of the booth.