Number

 There was a dilemma in Nan's house. Her third son had just graduated from high school but did not fit in to the profile of boys his age. It was 1971, he was openly gay, we will call him Mr. B.. He did not have a job, with the public scenario not accepting the gay lifestyle in our small town. Nan was single and could not afford to keep an 18 year old boy in clothes, food and other expenses. So Nan decided to send him far away to his oldest sister.

She welcomed him with open arms to Hawaii, where she and her husband were deployed in the military. She assisted in him getting a job in a mail room with a large insurance company. Mr. B was outgoing, handsome, funny, flamboyant and eager to meet other men and women he could relate to with his new freedom. There was a large segment of the island society that exploited their gender preferences. It did not take long for him to move out of his sister's place finding roommates in the center of the city.

Mr. B and his sister would meet up every Sunday morning about 8 am to find a remote beach to smoke weed. They were joined by his new friends with the number growing to 10 on a normal Sunday. His sister had a husband to contend with so she never stayed past 10 am. 

One Sunday Mr. B asked his sister, "What do you want to do for your 25th birthday next week?" She replied I want to climb Mt. Makaha. He laughed with a shrug and dismissed the idea because her birthday was on a Sunday with his previous commitment with his friends. At 6 am the next Sunday morning Mr. B was in his sisters' car on the way to climb a mountain. He was not only hung over he was also high from smoking weed all night.

The two started up the small mountain. They each had a bottle of water, Mr. B had sandals and swim trunks, no shirt. She had on a bikini with sneakers and socks. They started climbing, laughing, short stops for water and singing Happy Birthday on the way up. At 6 am is was 61 degrees. Nice and cool for a climb up a mountain. By 9 am the water was gone, the temperature was climbing above 80 degrees, the steady steepness of the mountain was taking its toll on Mr. B. They never stopped for breakfast, they did not carry any nutrition bars. It was not really that high, they were certain they would be down the slope by 10 am to jump in the ocean at Makaha Beach. 

Mr. B started with dry heaves after emptying his stomach that was all alcohol. His sister stopped 2/3 up the mountain and looked back at him. He could not go any further. There were no cell phones, no one knew where they were. Cars and people on the highway below could not hear them calling for help. His sister laid him parallel to the mountain and began climbing down. She reached the road and called her husband to come to their aid. He refused. She drove to a convenience store for supplies and a backpack. She began climbing back up the mountain to her ill brother. She sat with him until he regained a little of his strength, while assisting him to take short sips of water and small bites of food. It was now noon and 90 degrees. The two misfits slowly made it down the mountain. It was now 2pm. Mr. B was totally dehydrated so she rushed him to the closest hospital. 

When they arrived at the hospital they looked like two filthy wanderers who appeared out of the forrest. Mt. B had an IV for 2 days. His sister went to work the next day with scratches and bruises all over her body. 

Happy Birthday!