1 Law 4 All. Billy Angel
to see his physician. An MRI was done. The results revealed a brain tumor known as ependymona.
Ben had surgery to remove the tumor with follow up radiation. He took a temporary leave of absence from the law firm. The temporary leave turned into a full retirement. The cancer experience was his awakening.
Ben was in his middle fifties when the cancer cornered him. He had worked all his adult life. He did grab a week here and there for a little R and R. But, for the most part, work was always on his mind.
He began to reason that there was more to life than law. Late in his career, Ben realized that just because he was good a good lawyer, didn’t mean he had to practice law.
His obsession with practicing law left him hobby-less. Most of his downtime enjoyment came from watching professional and collegiate sports. Facing the reality that life is short and has unexpected twists along the way, Ben decided to retire and do whatever struck his fancy.
After several months of retirement, Ben settled into his creative schedule. His routine emulated a relaxed style of life. He began gathering knowledge about things that interested him.
At present, he obsessed over the ancient history of Lake Titicaca. He researched and compared the latest archeological news about the lake with the Biblical Flood.
An Inca legend claims that cities around Lake Titicaca were built by giants and destroyed in a flood. Current research claims that the six feet of sediment on the shallow bottom of the lake must have come from the sea. This sediment contains pre-historic sea shells, from 12,000 years BC. Ben and others conclude that Lake Titicaca was covered by a massive flood such as the one explained in the Christian Bible.
Ben tossed down the last bite of omelet and finished his iced tea. He closed his book and got up from the table. Suddenly, he begin to feel lightheaded. He walked through his dizzy feelings and paid the bill at the front counter.
Ben opened the restaurant door. As he walked out on to the sidewalk, he began to see spots. The dizziness was becoming uncontrollable. He dropped his book and steadied himself on the brick wall of the building. His knees began to buckle. He went to one knee still trying to steady himself on the brick wall.
A passing stranger noticed Ben as she walked towards him. She was about 20 feet in front of Ben on the sidewalk when she first noticed Ben going down. She approached him and asked. "Are you ok?"
Ben took a deep breath in response, trying to gather himself. He looked up with his eyes closed and said, "I'm not sure what's happening to me but I think it's getting better."
"Sit down and take some deep breaths. I'll call 911," she said.
"No don't call. The dizziness is slowly going away."
She looked at him. The color was coming back into Ben's face. She felt that he was becoming more in control of his situation.
"I'm beginning to feel better." said Ben. "In a couple more minutes I'll be off and jogging again," he cracked a slight smile. She returned a smile that expressed a sign of relief.
She said, "Do you live far from here? Where's your car?"
"I walked. I live near Hyde and Golden Gate."
"Well, I live close to there. Why don't you let me walk with you."
"Sure," said Ben. "I have never been accused of turning down a pretty girl's wishes."
She helped Ben to his feet. He oriented himself and checked for the dizzies in his head. He decided he could walk. He started to walk, a little shaky at first. Once his body adjusted to the light-headedness, his stride became more firm.
Ben and the girl walked down Golden Gate Avenue. When they got to Hyde Street they turned right. The conversation was light. Mostly, the girl asked how he was feeling and he answered ok.
When they reached Ben's building he said, "Here we are. I'm on the first floor. Thank you very much for your concern and help.”
She smiled that relief smile when an uncertain situation ends on a good note.
She turned and started to walk away. Ben started to unlock his door while assessing what had just happened to him. Then he turned. Amazed at his lack of curiosity, he said in a raised voice, "What's your name?"
The girl looked back, hesitated, and then said, "Kitiona.”
Chapter 18 The Third Floor Flat
Kitiona walked down the street towards her new, temporary home. She had rented a third floor flat complete with land line phone next to Azalea Market. The mom and pop market stocked the basic food necessities including fresh fruit and vegetables. She felt the need to stay close to home and having the market next door helped.
She wanted to avoid the guys who followed her and were staking out her Chinatown apartment. The run in with the two thugs at Joe's left her slightly paranoid.
Kitiona walked past her building on the opposite side of the street. She checked to make sure no one was watching her new place.
Paranoia was a new feeling for her. American Samoa had spoiled her. Crime was non-existent there. Everyone was family. In the City, Kitiona had to fine tune her hunting senses. Her survival mode had kicked in and was working overtime.
She walked to the corner, crossed the street and kept going. She turned up the alley and walked to the rear entrance of her building. She started to relax as she climbed up the stairs to her back door. She unlocked the door, glanced back to survey the alley and stepped inside her flat.
Kitiona's flat was about twenty feet wide, side to side. She moved through the kitchen in the back, down the skinny hall, passed the bedroom and bathroom into the living area. She looked out the front windows without disturbing the curtains. All clear, she thought with an audible sigh.
She had to go to the bathroom for some time. After helping the man, she thought about using the restaurant's bathroom. But then she felt obligated to helping him get home safely.
She went to the bathroom and relaxed as she sat for a long minute, head in hands. The pose said it all. What will I do now? She got up and looked into the mirror.
She decided to call he friend Kaia. The land line phone worked and she talked with her friend for a good thirty minutes.
They talked about Kitiona's run in with the two thugs and her new flat. Kaia urged her to come home. Kitiona refused saying, "I must avenge my family's killers."
The conversation ended abruptly. They both realized despite the dangers, Kitiona's family honor was at stake. They accomplished nothing except to communicate their deep friendship. Kaia's soothing voice reassured her support. Kaia ended the call. "We all miss you."
Kitiona walked back to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Am I crazy, she thought. Then she whispered, "God I need your help."
Kitiona's Eurasian blend of genes left her uniquely pretty. She had long, thick black hair that hung several inches past her shoulders. Her semi-pointed chin revealed her Japanese grandfather. Her full lips and broad nose base were all Samoan. Kitiona's slender five-foot, one inch frame came from the Irish linage on her mom's side.
Kitiona's friends use to call her 'Jade'. They thought she resembled a celebrity named Janel Parrish. Parrish was an American singer, songwriter and movie star. And while Kitiona could sing a little, she was not the actress type.
Kitiona went into her bedroom. She undressed, turned and looked in the full-body mirror on the back of the door. She gazed at the tattoo on her back. She remembered how embarrassed she was when the artist, her uncle, worked on it. The tattoo symbolized her womanhood.
The large tattoo was diamond shaped. The bottom point started deep in Kitiona's butt crack. The design crept up from there and followed an imaginary bikini line to her waist. The borders extended around her sides to points just above the hips. The top point stretched to between her shoulder blades. The diamond contained Samoan symbols and graphics about strength, long life and peaceful children.
Her tattoo