The Trip to Halawa Valley "The Trip to Halawa Valley," is a short story written by Lynne Sharon Schwartz. The story is about a son succeeding and getting married in Hawaii, and the reunification of his divorced parents. The parents become the main focus of the story when the son suggests that they go on a trip to Halawa Valley. In this story Schwartz is trying to show people that once you make a decision it is very hard to turn back on that decision. With all the characters, except for the briefly mentioned newlyweds, Schwartz shows how decisions made by a person or a couple are hard to turn back on. An example of this is Paul's parents.