How About Riding in Kikaida's Sidecar?

Al, Peter and I had been looking forward to this day for a long time. It was Saturday, July 21, 2001 and Ban Daisuke and Ikeda Shunsuke, the actors for Kikaida and Kikaida 01, would be making their appearance in Hawaii for the first time in many years. But when the day approached, Peter had sprained his ankle and had limited mobility. But that wouldn’t deter Al and I. When we got to Pete’s house, he was very reluctant to go because he could only get around on crutches and he felt that with all the crowds, he would just be a burden. Al and I felt we were at a standstill until Peter mentioned that he might be able to get around with a wheelchair. But Al and I knew no one that had a wheelchair. And Peter didn’t have one. But Peter had access to one.

At the Parks and Rec office where Peter was working at that time, they kept a few donated wheelchairs around. So on a Saturday morning, as Peter waved at the security guard, we got a wheelchair from the office and made our way to Blaisdell Center. The only embarrassing element for Peter was on the side of the wheelchair that said "In Memory of Mr. Fulton."

At the event, due to the lack of wheelchair driving experience, Al and I kept bumping the back of people's leg as we wheeled Peter around and kept having to say, "Oh, sorry." One of the displays on exhibition was a large photo spread of "Toilets from Around the World."

A few weeks later, they broadcasted the event on the KIKU Community Calendar on TV. And there we were, in the front row – as they panned Albert and I standing up, the camera kind of kept going and there was a gap between us and the next participant. Why? Because Peter was sitting in a wheelchair and the camera passed right over his head.