My Cardboard Balcony

Aloha! by Belinda Roddie Aloha! We are still in Kauai and had a great time at a luau that is owned by a great local family that sure knows how to make me tip my hat to them. The food was excellent, the sweet and strong Mai Tais kicking us in the gut in just the best way. We danced to the beat of bass and ukulele, and guess what? We got applause for being newlyweds and enjoyed a great series of song and dance from all sorts of cultures. Now sleepyheads, we went back to our hotel room. Perchance I'll collapse as soon as I finish this silly sonnet, and hope my dreams are bliss.

By the time the fight was over, Ashley had two fractured bones in her left arm, a sprained ankle, two impressively robust black eyes, and a much darker outlook on life than she ever thought possible. As she sat rigidly in her hospital bed, too far away from the window to observe what was going on outside, she tried to block the pain and humiliation with thoughts. Any thoughts. Thoughts of birthdays and parties and past loves, rather than complete and utter defeat against her archrival.