I remember my first time on da bus alone. I was so excited. My mom was usually protective of me going solo. This time I was going to see my nana. She lived along the Ala Wai -- makai side, near the old Kaiser Hospital site. In those days the ride was ten cents.

My mom and I walked to the busline along Nu'uanu Avenue, across the street from the old Chun Hoon store. The plan was that first I'd take the #4 bus to Hotel street then transfer to the #8 which would get me there faster. So the bus came, I got on, and I was on my way. The transfer went okay, and before I knew it I was at my stop where my nana was waiting for me. We walked toward her apartment along the Ala Wai. Back then it was known to be dirty but not like these days. Still it was pretty nasty. I happened to look into the water and saw a bunch of quarters sitting at the bottom of the canal, close to the wall, just down from one of the many stairs entry ways. The stairs are still there today just nobody would go in. Except crazy people, or paddlers.

Well, anyways, my nana warned me that the water was filth but against her advice I went for it. There were 12 quarters down there. It would have taken me forever to save that much in 1977. I could have bought a lot of kaki mochi at Chun Hoon's pharmacy. It was pretty creepy -- water has that advantage on you when you were born in the Jaws generation. Naturally nana was disgusted, but elders always warn you against all the cool stuff when you are a keiki. I never listened to that crap. Still don't. When we got home I rinsed off my legs and traded the quarters for dollars with nana -- wow, three dollars. That was 12 bags of mochi crunch, or a lot of Green River to drink. At any rate, it was the richest day that I had seen in a long time at the age of 7.

Kyrsten Kidani, 2003