When I was one small kid, my gramma and grampa when raise us cuz my fadah was in Kwajalein... my madah, well, guess she nevah like being one mom so she when take off wit some oddah guy, but dass one uddah story. Anyway, was good when we was small kid time. My gramma's house was da besss... She had orchids all ovah da place, one side of da house was all lined up with antiriums, da uddah side was lined up wit ti leaf and gardenia, pikake, oh you name it. Jus tink how owa place when smell every day, ho, da nice.

Anyway, da back yard was owa domain. We had hayden mangoes and common mangoes. We had lichee dat when spill ova from da Silvas yahd, we had five finga and avocado, geeesh, now I stay all haole-fied, I no can rememba what uddah ono tings was in da back yahd. My gramma, eh, no make her mad boy, she make you go pick one stick from da guava tree and bring em back so she can give you lickens!!! Whoa, I remembah dat! An say bad words... aye, you gotta go pick chili peppah, da red kine and she make you eat em. Oh yeah, da back yahd was our domain, we did everyting back dea. We used to au'au when we was all hauna and pilau in one big bucket, all tree of us....an, aye, if you get dirty feet, watch out, hea comes da gramma, checking if we when go outside barefeet again.

One ting I rememba about small kid time, and I share dis wit my kids is da time I was outside by mysewf... We nevah had pets because grampa always end up makin kau kau out of dem. Anyway, (real wala au yeah me), anyway, I stay outside cuz Boy and Susan stay taking a nap, I already had mine, and gramma made me go outside play...  stay playing make preten eh, and when you small, like two and a half feet tall, and only tree, foa yeas ole, everyting look big. So, I get closa to da antiriums on da side of da house, whea my gramma get one gahden with bricks to hole in da rocks. I look, and I when scream one big time, whoa, was wan big tigah! I wen in da house yelling, "Gramma, Tigah, Tigah!!!!!!"

I was so scaaad..(was one calico cat)..I tink i neva go outside fo long time. So, I stahted going in da front... and you know how was back den, you can only go outside when get plenny light because, come almos dahk time, dey fumigate wit da big trucks up and down da street... I was listenin and heard dis big music.. booom boom... drums, all kine, so I look, aye, get some real pupule looking people coming... all of a sudden dis scarey looking guy wit all kine colorful paint on his face, aye, he was walking up to me, I when run fasssss... and den he when pull out one pixie stick.... whoa, you neva see me stop so fas! Found out da circus when come to Pearl City... .man, dat was one trip!!

I miss home, miss da kau kau, miss body surfing waikiki, catching da bus wit my boogie board...hoo, it's been a long time since hanabuddah days.

Athenia "Demeter" Williams (Naupaka) was born and raised in Pearl City, Oahu. She was from "small kid time" raised by her grandparents. She graduated from Moanalua High in 1978. She  worked in tourist industry as lei greeter and Tour Coordinator at Holiday Tours. She now lives in Maine to "have a safe and happy place to raise my kids and give them room to grow. We live near  the ocean, as I would never be able to live anywhere else." She has three keiki, works part time as a sales associate, and is studying to get into a nursing program.

Maine is a beautiful place to live, it's quiet, it's  clean and the ocean, my mana, is always with me.