“He's touchy, huh?” Kaleo whispered to me.
“New relationship,” I whispered back.
“Yeah, I mean, I figured.”
I took Kaleo to the storeroom as I cast aback-offlook over my shoulder. Braxen just shook his head and followed. He did give us a little space, though, and went to lean against the wall. Kaleo shook his head with a grin, but then I laid some pieces out on the table, and he became utterly enrapt.
“Dang,” Kaleo said as he inspected a black totem pole.
“That's carved from argillite. Are you familiar with the Haida?”
“No.” He looked up at me. “I've never heard of either.”
“The Haida are an indigenous group up in Canada. Their art is a very important part of the Pacific Northwest indigenous art style. The thing they're known for is carving in argillite, which is a dense, black, carbonaceous shale. They call it kwawhlahl and it's found only at Slatechuck Creek on Graham Island. The Haida have exclusive rights to it.”
“So, what you're saying is the only way to have a piece of this stuff is to get it from them?”
“Yes, correct. And that piece, in particular, is special because it features a raven and an orca. The orca symbolizes family, romance, longevity, protection, and also travel. It's supposed to protect those who travel and lead them home safely. Orcas stay with their family pods for life and are very protective of their offspring.”
“Lead them home safely,” he murmured, his tone sounding strange. He lifted his stare to mine and added, “You just gave me chicken skin.”
“I'm sorry.” I gaped at him.
“Oh, it's a Hawaii thing. We say chicken skin instead of gooseflesh or goose pimples. You gave me the chills. Good kine.”
“Oh.” I laughed. “I see. Yes, chicken skin. I thought you might like it since you travel.”
“We don't get orcas in Hawaii, but we do get whales. Yeah, this is perfect. How much?”
“That piece is a lot more than your last one. Two thousand.”
Kaleo nodded and handed it to me carefully. “I think that's the one. I'll take it.”
When you think of a totem pole, you imagine something big. But most of the totem poles we got in the gallery were no more than two feet tall. This one was three, making it even more special, which I told Kaleo as I carried it out to the gallery.
“Thank you for giving me a first look,” Kaleo said.
“My pleasure.” I went to the gallery work desk, where Elaine was seated. “Elaine, could you box this carefully for Mr. Chang? It's going on a plane.”
“No problem.” Elaine took the totem reverently. “Wow. This is gorgeous.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” Kaleo said.
“Mr. Chang, I'd like to gift you another argillite piece.” I led him over to a jewelry case. “Please, pick a pendant. There are a few orcas.” I pointed them out. “That way you don't have to travel with a totem pole.”
“What? Naw, you don't have . . . to . . .” he trailed off as he stared at the black carvings enhanced with pieces of gleaming abalone shell. “Wow. I like that one.” He pointed at an orca head. “But I'm happy to purchase it.”
“Nonsense. This is your second purchase and you always make your selections so quickly. This is my way of thanking you for being such a great customer.” I leaned in to add, “And drawing you back on your next visit.”
Kaleo laughed. “I understand good business. All right. Then I'll just accept the aloha. Thank you.”
I unlocked the case and pulled out the pendant. “You're welcome, Kaleo.” I traded the pendant for the credit card he held out to me. “I'll just go take care of this. One moment.”
I went into the office, Braxen still with me, and sat down to type up the invoice and run Kaleo's card.
“Something's wrong,” Braxen said, frowning at Kaleo through the office window.
“Nothing's wrong,” I huffed. “He's a nice guy.”
