Our family built our house in Kailua in 1955.
I was 3 at the time. In those days, Kailua was a sleepy bedroom community about 20 minutes from the heart of Honolulu. There were no Pali tunnels back then. We used the "Old Pali Road."
If you've been to Kailua, you're familiar with some of the landmarks in town. One of the most famous is the Kalapawai Market at the entrance to Kailua Beach Park. There is no cafe more beloved in Kailua. It was built long before our family moved to Kailua from Honolulu. The building goes back to 1932.
The brand has now emigrated to Kailua Town, Waimanalo, and even Kapolei. Everytime I see this market I'm reminded that Kailua will always have a special place in my heart. And not in mine only. There are several Facebook pages devoted to the town, including "My Kailua," "I Love Kailua!," and "Kailua Calabash." While the community has a Whole Foods and a Target, longtime local businesses also flourish. It is here at the Kalapawai Market that I got my favorite coffee cup, the one I used this morning.
After all, at heart I'm nothing more than a lazy Hawaiian boy who's relocated to the "Big, Big Island" (the mainland). Obviously, Kailua will never again be the small town I grew up in. People can get frustrated over that -- as seen in bumper stickers such as "Keep It Kailua," "Kailuafornia," and "I Loved Kailua Before You Came." That's to be expected I guess.
No matter. My coffee cup reminds me that life goes on, and that you can never really "go back." Still, Kailua will always be "home" to me in a way that Southern Virginia never will be. Yes, earth is temporary. It's merely a "rental property." I am passing through the world rather than belonging to it. But if there's one place I'd "belong" to if I could, it would be a pristine 3-mile beach on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere.
