They had one daughter, Mariko, who was an identical copy of her mother. She was born with traditional Hawaiian features, dark hair and dark, almond eyes, and she quickly became a beach girl. She had learned to surf in the hotel pool, almost before she could walk, and Mariko became a local feature at the beach. With the body of an athlete and a deep, soft tan, she was a vision of beauty.

By the time she was 10 years old, she had become an experienced, spoiled little princess. With the luxuries afforded her through her family wealth, she carried with her an air of confidence, and most of the other girls looked up to her. The fact that her father named the hotel the Mariko Bay simply added to her own bravado.

Michelle and her sister Anja had not seen Mariko since her 6th birthday, and they had become close cousins almost immediately. With her family living in Hawaii and all, it was very difficult to get together, and it had been several years since they had last spent time together.

The three girls were fervent pen pals, sharing letters and thoughts with each other, and it almost seemed like their lives were following somewhat similar paths. Both the same age, Mariko had written Michelle of her adventures on a surfboard and on the beach, and it sounded like a dream life to me. In turn, Michelle had written about her adventures in the dance studio and with her ballet, and Mariko would tell her how much fun that sounded like to her.

The one difference was with Anja who was her sister and older at 14, and that Mariko was a single child. Anja and Michelle had a great relationship, and they shared in everything. Although older than Mariko and her, Anja did enjoy talking with Michelle about Mariko's adventures in Hawaii, and she was just as excited about their upcoming trip to Hawaii. She was always a little more extroverted than Michelle was, and she was looking forward to this trip as a way to "sow some oats." ......(cont)