A real text message from an exhausted player on Honolulu’s streets
I wondered what had happened to the woman I had planned to interview. Here is the text message she sent me. This message gives a window into the afternoon of a woman who needs money so she will get into the car of someone who pulls up next to here even if she has other plans. You can see how she is treated and how very time consuming it is to “date” someone for 4 minutes. Notice the time spent driving around to find a place to rendezvous that is private and secure while the sun is up and people are walking around and driving by, that is not an easy task and usually means locating a parking lot that is covered, lacks cameras, and is not reliably patrolled by security staff. After the encounter the provider might be a ways away from where she was picked up because the specific requirements for a date friendly parking lot is not easy to obtain. You will she how she gets dropped off a mile away from her car and having to walk back in the hot Hawaiian afternoon. Sweaty, tired, and with not enough money to really make the whole experience worth her while, yet just enough that she cannot pass it up. Here is a genuine piece of history future generations of historians will treasure as a primary document:
“I walked back to town from St. Francis Hospital all the way up Liliha Street. I didn’t forget we were supposed to meet. I wanted to see who was around and I still had stuff I bought with me. I ended up going with some guy but it’s harder to find a spot in the day so we had to go to a parking garage with no cameras or security. It took so long to get there in all the traffic I figured he must have money but he did not have much.
Then he was rushing me to get out bc he has lots of family who know his truck and I get all flustered when I’m rushed. Left the clothes I bought in the guy’s car so I pretty much worked for almost nothing when you subtract the price of the clothes from what he gave me. Walked aaallll the way back in the heat. To my surprise he was waiting for me on Kukui Street but Safeway where he picked me up. He was there to give me my stuff. Im glad I did not rob him after all. BC I was totally beating myself up as I walked back to town. I should have grabbed something out of the back seat. That’s what I was thinking walking on the freeway overpass by School Street. I guess It is good i didn’t. Then again he was obviously lying about not being able to go back to where we met. He just didn’t have any more use for me I don’t owe him for bringing back my stuff NC it is his fault I left it. We are even. I don’t care what he said about next time. Sorry I missed you. You know how it is.”
The memories of days of walking back to downtown Honolulu from some distant valley like Manoa Valley or Kalihi valley during times when the busses were not running all came back to me. I was skinny in those days of street life! Caroleena
Hawaii Street Life-a Trusted Insider Tells All 