Page 96 of Catch a Wave

“My name is Stephen. But my friends call me Scoop. Where will I find you … ?”

He trails off, leaving room for Lei to fill in her name. She doesn’t.

Then he adds, “Can I get your number?”

“Nah. You’ll find me.”

With that, she hands the Styrofoam box my uncle passes to her out the window.

“Take care, cute haole.”

“Cute, huh?” He beams up at her like a little puppy begging for a treat.

“Cute enough that if you track me down, I might let you take me to coffee or a smoothie. Dinner’s next level. You have to work your way up to that.”

“See?” he says, winking at her. “Complex. Mysterious. Evasive. Women are far more challenging to figure out than men.”

“Well, I hope you’re up to the challenge, then.” Leilani gives him a smile and turns to me, indicating she’s finished with her little flirt session.

The guy takes the hint and leaves.

“I’m not going to make nearly enough money today with you chatting up every tourist that comes to the window.” My uncle sounds serious, but he smiles at Leilani.

“You’ll do fine. Besides, I’m ensuring they come back.”

“Looking for you, not my fried Spam.”

“They’ll come looking for me, and they’ll buy your Spam. Don’t worry, anakala.”

She calls him uncle, even though she’s not remotely related by blood. But Leilani’s ohana is mine, and mine is hers.

My time at the food truck does the job of distracting me, but as soon as I’m alone in my VW Beetle, the same feelings overwhelm me.

Bodhi broke my heart. I’ve never felt so aimless and empty. Tears flow down my face as I drive down the highway leading to the road that will take me back to my parents’. I think back over those days we spent in the hospital just after his accident. And then anger flows through me. How dare he push me out? Why didn’t he give me a say? I would have given everything up for him. I still would. That’s probably the most tragic piece of this whole situation. I’m not over Bodhi Merrick. I don’t know if I ever will be.

When I came home after those first two days in the hospital on Maui, Leilani threatened to call down curses on Bodhi. She said,I could call my uncle. He’s a kahuna. He could bring Bodhi down. Then she added,I don’t even need my uncle. I might just book a flight to California and rip that man five new orifices. What does he think he’s doing?I just answered her with the truth,Bodhi’s already down, Lei. I wasn’t mad then, but I’m furious now.

My grandma wasn’t much better than Leilani. She asked me questions all rooted in our island superstitions:

Did you leave your chopsticks standing up in a bowl of rice?

No, kuku wahine. I know that’s bad luck.

Did you cut your nails at night?

Did I? Maybe.

No, tutu. I didn’t.

Ah. You wore shoes in the house?

Probably.

No. I am respectful. I always remove my shoes.

Then she announced her declaration. I’m sorry, Keiki. This boy is not good for you. You need to be rid of him.

If only. I wish there were an exorcism for the way a man’s very essence entwines itself around your heart. I’d go to that ceremony and have Bodhi severed from me the same way he seems to have so easily cast me aside. Even that thought draws up tears. I don’t want to have Bodhi removed from my heart. He is my heart.

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