The scene:
It’s a sweltering Friday evening here in the village.
Villagers pass by our house, returning home from the bush, going to bathe in
the ocean or en route to drink kava in the hall. I see Tuki’s brother, Toutai
(toe-tie), walk by. Having spent all day in the bush, hand pollinating each vanilla plant so you westerners can use
vanilla extract for your baking and lattes and whatnot, Toutai is going to a well-deserved
night of kava drinking.
I smile at him and say hello as he passes by. I am sitting
on our floor, dying of the heat and watching as my wife furiously type notes
for whatever project she is on today. But from the corner of my eye I notice
something. Something unbelievable. I feel my heart. It’s soaring. And then it
comes into focus. What is Toutai wearing? It looks like a jersey. It’s black.
But wait, is that gold trim? (If Pearl Jam’s ‘Garden’ is not playing in your
mind right now then we are not on the
same page) And what’s that on the shoulders? A logo.
A Tigerhawk logo. Toutai, brother of our Tongan mentor Tuki,
is wearing a HAWKEYE JERSEY. A
HAWKEYE JERSEY. Think I’m done? Not by a long shot. The number on this
beautiful garment? 6. That’s right. 6. My favorite number, worn by my favorite
Hawkeye player of all time, Mr. Tim Dwight. Toutai is wearing a Tim Dwight Iowa
Hawkeye jersey, just like I used to have in 6th grade. The first
Hawkeye apparel I have ever seen in the Kingdom, and its here in our tiny
little corner of the island.
Tears.
I want to give him a ‘Can I get a Go Hawks!’ but Toutai
doesn’t speak English. Instead I give him a ‘Saipe’ia fiema’u lea Go Hawks’ It’s okay if you want to talk Go Hawks in
my pathetic Tongan. He doesn’t respond and upon noticing the zeal in my eyes,
walks a little bit faster past our house. So I consult with my wife and then
yell ‘tika taha ho falani’ your shirt is
the bomb, which combined with my wielding a camera pretty much gets him to
a full sprint away from me. But have no fear Hawk fans, I think he knew exactly
how special this moment was. For all of us.
So there you have it. Just when I thought there were no surprises
left in this little cowtown of ours, Timmy D, the Hawkeyes and the slightly underachieving
1996 Iowa football team walks into my life and changes everything.
Say hello to the bronze medal day I spent swimming with the
whales. And stuff it in a sack, wedding day. You’ve been dethroned. Long live
the new Happiest Moment of my Life. A Hawkeye jersey in the Kingdom.
Wait, hold the phone, I forgot about witnessing the ‘Hail Holloway’ in
the 2005 Capital One Bowl live and in-person. That changes things. No worries dear reader, a full recap of
that moment and updated rankings to come….
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| You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him. |
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