Welcome to Hula Lies, an online serial story about the people who reside in an exclusive enclave in Hawaii.

“Look in the mirror,” Jasmine said, stopping at the mirror in the tight laundry room in the back of the spa.  “Make sure you’re not sweating and that your hair is tidy.  They want you to look good.  If you look good then they think you know what you’re doing.”

Jenny stopped in front of the mirror.  She smoothed the front of her tan smock.  She took a Kleenex out of her pocket and dabbed at perspiration above her lip.  It was hot in the laundry room and everything was spinning around her so fast.  In three hours she interviewed for a job, signed up at Personnel, got her uniform, had a quick orientation and now she was shadowing Jasmine.  After this she was on her own.  She took a deep breath.

“Here’s the card from reception.  See, they have your name taped in already.  The card has all the information about your next client.  It tells you who it is, where you’ll find them, what they have come to the spa for, what their favorite foods and beverages are and bunches of other do’s and don’ts for each one.”  Jasmine handed Jenny the pink card signifying the client was a female.

Jenny read it as fast as she could. Becky Horner…waiting in the garden…only decaffeinated, herbal teas…Swedish massage (gentle)…foot massage and pedicure…DO NOT MENTION SCARS…compliment on looks all the time.

“Ready?”

Jenny nodded.  “Let’s go.  We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

When Jasmine opened the door to the spa lobby a gentle breeze fluttered across Jennie.  She breathed in the fragrance of tuberoses.  She followed her mentor through the lobby and nodded and smiled to the gentlemen at the desk.  They crossed the bridge over the koi pond and stepped carefully along the bluestone walk as they entered the garden.  A waterfall cascaded over lava rocks with orchids and bromeliads clustered around.  Under an arbor of bougainvilla Becky Horner lounged in a white cotton robe.  A tall glass of iced tea sat next to her as she thumbed through a copy of Vanity Fair.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Horner, we’re ready for you.” Jasmine said.

Becky looked up.  “Oh, Jasmine how nice to see you.  You’re looking lovely as usual.”

Jasmine blushed or at least pretended to.  “No, Mrs. Horner, you’re the one who looks beautiful.  You’re always so radiant.”  She reached her hand out to help Becky out of the chaise.

“And who is this?” Becky said squinting toward Jenny.

“Let me introduce one of our newest employees here at The Enclave.  This is Jenny she is learning to be a spa attendant.  It’s her first day with us.  I hope you don’t mind if she follows me as I settle you in.”

Jenny extended her hand.  “Nice to meet you Mrs. Horner.”

Beck narrowed her eyes as she examined Jenny.  Then without taking her hand “How do you do?”  She turned to Jasmine, “let’s go.”

Jasmine led them into one of the treatment rooms.  One wall was absent so the walled garden could be seen from the loofa table.  Water bubbled over the top of a jardinière and splashed into a shallow pool of polished rocks.  Soft, new age music drifted out of hidden speakers.  A paddle fan moved just enough to encourage a soft breeze.

“We hold up the sheet so Mrs. Horner can disrobe in privacy,” Jasmine whispered to Jenny as she held a sheet up and turned her head away.  Mrs. Horner obliged by removing her robe and lying down on the cushioned table covered with more thousand count linen.

Jasmine turned down the recessed lights and opened a small bamboo box which hid a stainless steel box.   She pulled out a heated cloth scented with lavender.  “Here we go, Mrs. Horner.  Ready?”

Becky drew a deep breath and exhaled.  She nodded and Jasmine lowered the towel over her eyes.  Jasmine’s hands graced the woman’s face ever so slightly, reassuring her that all is well.

Motioning to Jenny to follow her, she carefully moved Becky’s arms away from the side of her body and dipped a loofa sponge into a basin of warm, soft and scented water.  Slowly Jenny moved the loofa over the woman’s limb.

Mrs. Horner sighed.

Jasmine handed the sponge to Jenny and without Becky knowing Jenny began cleansing her first client.  She looked at the woman’s hands.  Unlike hers, they were smooth, almost translucent, but she had the faintest of age spots.   Carefully Jenny did Mrs. Horner’s other arm.  She mimicked Jasmine and soon she was moving the limbs as smoothly as a trained professional.  Jenny thought, this isn’t so hard.

Once they were done with the loofa, they would take the shower handle and a light spray of warm water would wash away the dead skin and soap.  Then another warm towel would be wrapped around Mrs. Horner’s arms, then her legs and her feet.  Each time they put another warm towel on her she sighed heavily.

Then Jasmine led Jenny to slowly and lightly loofa her shoulder and then the sheet was brought down off of Becky’s breasts.  That’s when Jenny saw the multiple incisions surrounding her bosom.  She wondered how many breast implants she has had?

“Do they still look good, Jasmine?” Becky murmured, her eyes still covered with the cloth.

“They look fabulous, Mrs. H.,” Jasmine responded while eyeing Jenny.  “I think they’re the best on campus.”

“Oh, you do know how to make an older woman happy,” Becky said with a lilt in her voice.

Jenny cleared her throat.  “I hope you don’t think I’m too forward Mrs. Horner.  But, I would be thrilled to have a body like yours.”

Jasmine glared at her.  What is she saying?  Doesn’t she know she is just learning?

Suddenly Becky shook the warm towel off her arm and grabbed the towel off her eyes.  She stared straight at Jenny, who now is paralyzed.  Did she screw it up already?

“You,” Mrs. Horner said pointing with her other arm at Jenny.  “You and I are going to get along just fine!”  With that Becky sighed again, dropped her arms back onto the table and closed her eyes.

Jenny gasped silently.  Then hurried to get another warm cloth and covered her eyes again.  Jasmine smiled and nodded approvingly.

Scene 13

Hank and Shelly Sinclair sat in the back seat of the limo.  Their two children, Kipper and Andrea sat facing them.  Their dog, Mugsy, a pug with a double twist in its tail sat on Andrea’s lap.  Mugsy was panting and his drool slid down onto Andrea’s dress.

“Driver,” Shelly called out from the back seat.  “Driver, do you have a towel or Kleenex or something up there?”

The man in slacks and a Tommy Bahama shirt handed a couple of paper towels through the Plexiglas transom.

“Honey, take it and wipe Mugsy’s slobber up.  That’s a new outfit and it’s ruined already.”

Hank turned a knob on the console.  “There.  Maybe if we get this cooled down enough he won’t keep panting.”

The car turned down the road to The Enclave and just as the AC kicked in the driver stopped at the entrance gate house and lowered the windows.   “I have the Sinclairs.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair and Kipper and Andrea, welcome home.”

“We’re happy to be here Sammy,” Hank said for his family.

“Oh, and Mugsy, too.  Here I have something for the dog,” Sammy handed Andrea a dog biscuit.

“Thanks Sammy,” Andrea piped in just as the pug snapped and gobbled up his treat.  Another glob of saliva fell onto Andrea’s dress and Shelly blanched.  “Well, I’ll just consider it a buying opportunity for you,” Shelly said to her daughter.  Andrea tried to wipe it up again.

The gate opened and the limo maneuvered down the palm lined road and turned into their driveway.

The Sinclairs got out of the car and rushed to the house, Mugsy running after them.  Waiting for them was Mark Kilani, their house manager.

“Aloha and welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, and you guys too, Miss and Master Sinclair.”

Hank was the first to hug Mark.  “Remember, Mark, none of that Mister and Misses shit.  It’s Hank and Shelly.”  Mark hugged back and then it was Shelly’s turn for a hug and then Andrea and Kipper, but Kipper avoided the embrace.  Just then the dog took a crap by the Monstera plants.

Mark was quick.  He had a plastic bag in his pocket.  He always had one when he dealt with clients who had pets.  “I’ll take of this,” he said picking up the poo.  “Everything is set.  The spa is at the right temperature.  There’s plenty of cold beer and sodas in the refrigerator.  The house is fully open.”  Mark followed the family inside holding the bag behind him.

Mark watched as the kids ran off to their rooms to change into their bathing suit.  He watched as Shelly headed for the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of Perrier.  He watched as the dog followed Shelly to get a good slurp of the bottled water that had filled his doggy bowl.  And he watched as Hank headed out to the pool, kicking off his loafers, stripping off his shirt, then his pants, revealing an incredibly athletic body.  His tight, black bikini underwear remained on, but the view was still excellent.  This was the best part of the day for Mark.  It always happened this way.  The family all went in different directions and he was always left watching Hank Sinclair, star quarterback and Heisman winner, strip.  Hank dove into the crystal clear, salt water pool.  For Mark, his dive stretched all the muscles the right way.  Mark swallowed and knew it was time to head out.  He had another family coming in soon.

If only he could stay a little longer…

Scene 12

Elise Hutchins was not happy as she stepped into the first class section of United Airlines. Immediately she motioned to the attendant.

“Get this shit out of here.”

“I beg your pardon, Maam?”

“Get that flea bitten pillow and blanket off my seat.”

Without blanching the steward removed the offending items and stowed them in the overhead compartment.

Elise reached into her carryon and pulled out some wipes and started wiping down the seat. When her husband was about to sit down in the other seat in the center aisle, Elise yelled at him. “Don’t sit there! Take those awful things and put them up there,” she commanded pointing up above. “And here, wipe the seat down completely. You don’t know who sat here before.”

Avery Hutchins knew not to argue with Elise. It would only make things worse.

He took the wipes from the container.

Then out of her bag, Elise pulled a thin white paper drop cloth. She covered her seat with it and pinned it up on the headrest. Finally she took her seat and then wiped the seatbelt and strapped herself in.

“I hate this, Avery,” she said in a loud whisper. “I hate traveling commercial.”

“Jim took the plane, Elise. You know that.”

“Well, couldn’t you have chartered? You know how I hate this.”

Avery pulled out a newspaper.

“Answer me. You know I hate flying commercial. So why did you do this to me?”

“You hate a lot of things Elise. If we avoided everything you hated we would do nothing, have nothing etcetera, etcetera.” He fluffed his newspaper.

Elise frowned. “No one reads the newspaper on paper anymore. Look at your fingers. They’re all black and then you’ll put your hands on me. We need to get Kindles. Everyone reads on them now. Paper is so over.”

Avery nodded.

Elise wrinkled her nose. “Oh Christ, I think that woman is wearing Georgio or something equally egregious.” She leaned forward and tapped the woman on the shoulder. “Excuse me, could you switch your seat with another person? I’m violently allergic to your perfume.”

“Pardon me,” the woman said turning partially around. “It’s Chanel”

“No it’s not,” Elise snapped back. “I know Chanel and that isn’t it. Whatever it it is it’s giving me a huge headache.”

The other woman completed the turn. “If it bothers you so much, why don’t you switch with your husband, or is his seat too filthy for you?” She swiveled back in her seat.

Just as Elise was to ask Avery to switch seats the plane moved away from the jet way.

Avery reached into one of his pockets and handed Elise a pill. “Take it, you’ll feel better.” He folded his paper and kept on reading.
Elise sighed. She tried to get the attendant’s attention but they were all sitting in their jump seats getting ready for take off. That’s why she hated commercial. When she was on her plane the stewardess served all the way down the runway. None of this sitting down and relaxing way before the plane goes up. This was going to be a long flight. She’ll take the pill and maybe she’ll fall asleep and wake up when they land. And she vowed to herself that never, ever again will she fly commercial. She’d rather not come. She loved going to The Enclave. She loved her house and how everyone knew what she wanted before she asked. And this is the best time to come. Everyone will be there. But this flying with the, the regular people; the people who don’t have standards; well… It will be a dilemma if she has to make the choice of not coming or flying commercial again.

It hurt her head to even think about it.

She popped the pill in her mouth and swallowed it dry. For a second it stuck in her throat. She gagged, but then it went down.

Elise closed her eyes and waited for nothingness.

Scene 11

Arnie McMillan maneuvered his golf cart down the path.  Bougainvilleas, deep red and hot pink, cascaded on the sides of the pathway.  When he reached the main gate he looked around.  Everything looked good.  The landscape was impeccable and the gates, themselves, glistened with new varnish.  Arnie walked in to the gate house.  Everything was in order; no trash around, no half eaten sandwich or empty soda cans.  A large monitor kept track of what was happening in front of all the cameras and this was just a back up security center.

Sammy looked up from the computer, “Mr. McMillan, I didn’t know you were here.”

“That’s okay,” Arnie said, “just checking to see if everything is all set.”

“Everything is fine, Mr. McMillan.  We’re all set for everyone to come in.  I read the inbound sheet and know that a whole bunch of folks are coming in.”

“Good.  Great.” Arnie turned to go and then remembered.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a baggy of dog treats.  “Here,” he offered, “The Sinclairs are bringing their dog.  Offer it a treat when they roll through.”

Sammy took the bag, thinking it was stupid.  “Yes, sir.”

“All these little things, Sammy, all these things make The Enclave what it is.”

“I’ll offer the dog a treat, sir.  Don’t worry.”

Arnie smiled.  “I always worry, Sammy.  That’s my job.”  He headed back to his cart and then zipped over to the spa.

He entered and immediately started straightening magazines and moving the flower arrangement an inch this way and then an inch the other way.  He ran his finger over the main counter and pulled a cushion off a chair and checked underneath.  Alena stood at attention the whole time.  She watched as Arnie inspected the tray holding crystal carafes of iced tea, lemon water and Vichy water and adjusted it slightly.  Another tray held dried papaya and mangos.

Arnie smiled at the receptionist.  “It looks great, Alena.  We’re going to be busy today.”

Alena smiled back.  “We’re ready for them Mr. McMillan.?

“Wonderful.  Where’s Miss Moore?”

“She’s interviewing a prospective Spa Attendant.”

Arnie nodded and headed to Dorothy’s office.  He knocked lightly.

“Come in.”

Arnie opened the African mahogany door and immediately went over to Dorothy.  “So sorry to interrupt you, but can I just have a moment with you.”

“Sure,” turning to Jenny, “Please excuse me.”  Jenny sat on the edge of her chair.  She nodded and Dorothy stepped out with Arnie.

“Why are you interviewing someone when we have about 20 homeowners coming in today?” Arnie asked with concern.

“Because, Arnie, I fired one of our attendants earlier today and I need to get a body in here.  Quick!  That’s why.  Now, if you don’t mind I need to finish up this interview.  I can’t waste time today.”

Arnie nodded.  “Okay.  Okay.”

Before turning, Dorothy added, “One more thing, Arnie.  I don’t like it when you treat me like an idiot.  I’m a professional and I know what I’m doing.  Just let me do my job.  If I screw up, fire me.  Got it?”

Arnie, properly chastised, mumbled back, “Got it.  Just wanted to make sure everything is set.  You know how nervous I get when so many residents come in at once.”

“I know how nervous you get, but handle it yourself and let me do my job.”  Dorothy spun around and marched back into her office.

“I hope I didn’t cause a problem,” Jenny offered.

Dorothy smiled, “No, not at all.  Well Miss Malone, I hope you want to work right away, because we are going to be very busy in a couple of hours.”

Jenny leaped to her feet and extended her hand.  Life was looking good.  “Oh thank you, Miss Moore.  You won’t be sorry.”

Dorothy signed a paper and handed it to her new employee.  “Head back to HR and they’ll have you fill out all the papers.  They’ll get you all set up and when you’re done, come back and I’ll have Jasmine orient you.”  She took Jenny’s hand and shook it.  “Welcome, to The Enclave.”

Jenny shook Dorothy’s hand and left her office already organizing how she will get in touch with Luke and have him watch Missy for the rest of the day.  As she stepped off the large porch of the Spa building she didn’t notice Arnie watching her from his golf cart.