The Boy at the CrossroadMy housemate Hal touched the back of his hand to his forehead. “Retirement's hard work,” he said, feigning fatigue. “Let's go to the beach.”
I slipped into my bathing suit and wrapped a short sarong over that and tied it off at the hip. We love to swim. Not only does it keep us tanned and healthy, it also keeps us thin and young looking in mid-life, despite the fact we both have graying hair.
We loaded up his van with snorkeling and beach gear and took off just as dawn came filtering in. Other than town and residential streetlights, the rural areas on the island of Kauai, as on most islands in Hawaii, are fairly dark at night.
As we approached an intersection of the highway bordering our small neighborhood, a boy about eight years old came into view. He moved abo
