Whatever their condition, disposition or reason for coming, visitors to Kaiser Permanente’s Honolulu Clinic are assured of at least two things as they leave: a genuine smile and a warm wish goodbye.
Credit the center’s dedicated crew of parking attendants for that. Despite less-than-ideal conditions — imagine screeching tires and exhaust fumes all shift long — the folks who man the parking booth have earned a reputation for friendly service.
And no one represents the crew better than 58-year-old Mary Alalamua.
Alalamua, a grandmother of nine, has worked at the center for six years. Each day, she carries out hundreds of quick transactions, from booth to half-opened driver’s-side window, with efficiency and, if need be, inexhaustible patience. And whether she’s greeting everyday regulars or blue-moon drop-ins, Alalamua makes sure each customer feels personally appreciated.
“I like it here,” she says with a shrug. “I like what I do.”
Always smiling, Alalamua maintains an air of imperturbable calm. It could well be exhaustion.
Alalamua was born in Western Samoa, one of 10 siblings. She has five children of her own, ages 26 to 36, each born in American Samoa.
In 1990 Alalamua moved to Hawaii in hopes of providing her children opportunities for better education and employment. In the time since, she has worked tirelessly to make that dream a reality.
For many years Alalamua held two full-time jobs, working from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. as a cashier at Jack-in-the-Box and from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Kaiser.
Alalamua has since quit her fast-food job so she can look after her youngest grandchildren, Titan, 2, and Jachara, 1.
The children arrive early in the morning, Monday through Friday, and Alalamua and her husband, Henry, do their best to keep them fed, entertained and loved until Alalamua heads to work in the afternoon.
The kids can be a happy handful, but Alalamua knows that caring for them herself means her daughter doesn’t have to pay for expensive day care services.
“I don’t care about money or anything like that,” she says. “I did my job raising my kids, and now I help to take care of my grandkids because that is the love I have for them.”
Still, the long hours have taken a toll on Alalamua. Each weekday night she sits in the parking booth, takes the tickets and dollar bills handed to her by outstretched hands, and smiles warmly as she bids each driver good night. Henry sits on a folding chair nearby to keep her company.
“I’m getting old,” she says, chuckling.
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.
