Page 13 of Keeping Kama

They walked back and sat down in their seats. The sun glistened across the water, and Leia took in the view she had enjoyed every day of her life. Yes, Derek was right. It never got old.

A comfortable silence settled between them. Derek turned his chin toward her. “You have a genuinely nice family. You’re lucky.” Shifting in his seat, Derek leaned way over his armrest. “I can feel the love you have for each other. It’s …” His voice trailed off, and Derek peered back at the ocean again. When he continued, Derek kept his gaze fixed on the horizon. “It’s beautiful to see a family like yours. I wish...” shaking his head, Derek continued, “I don’t know what I wish.”

She kept her gaze out on the ocean too, Leia ran a finger over her armrest. The wood was still smooth and slick. “I know I’m lucky, luckier than most.” Around and around, her finger traced the wood. “How about you? What’s your family like?”

His chest heaved, and Derek let out a long rattling breath. “My family is long gone. I was an only child. My dad died when I was in high school. Then my mom passed away some years ago. It’s just me.”

Leia’s eyes dilated. “You don’t have any family? Any?” Her chest pinched tight. Leia couldn’t imagine being alone in the world, completely alone. “Not even an aunt or uncle? A cousin maybe?”

Derek shook his head, finding her gaze again. “I don’t have anyone.” His shoulders dropped. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I haven’t for a long time.”

His chest heaved while his gaze clouded. Leia had the strong urge to pull him into a hug, because his loneliness was palpable. No family, the thought was unimaginable to her. This town she lived in was full of all her family. Distant, but family. She had more cousins than she could count, aunts and uncles, who grew up loving her too. Sometimes Leia wanted less family not more, but when faced with the complete opposite option, gratitude slowly filled her heart.

Without reservation, Leia reached out and placed her hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine. It must be incredibly difficult to feel so alone in the world.”

Derek gulped, leaning the two inches closer, making their shoulders barely graze one another. “If I’m being completely honest, I sometimes wonder if I’ll live alone my entire life. All I have is work.”

“Leia! Derek!” bellowed a voice from inside. “Dinner is ready.”

Leia flinched, immediately removing her hand from his forearm. Derek rubbed the back of his neck, standing. Holding out his hand to Leia, she took it, rising to her feet. For an awkward second, Leia forgot to let go. “Sorry.” Leia jerked her hand out of his. Fluffing her hair unnecessarily, Leia asked, “Why don’t you follow me inside?”

Smiling, Derek remarked, “It smells good.”

“I wouldn’t get overly excited.” Opening the screen door, Leia held it open for Derek. He gripped the door, allowing them to pass inside. In the foyer, Leia continued, “From what I smell, I think my mom, Teresa, made loco moco. I don’t think she had much time. You’ll have to come over another time, and we can have kalua pork.”

“I’ll be grateful for whatever Teresa made,” replied Derek. “I can’t remember the last time I had a homecooked meal.”

With a nod, Leia added, “My aunt and uncle have a little food truck down the road that sells excellent kalua pork. It’s not homecooked per se, but delicious. You could go there to get kalua pork before you leave.”

Shuffling his feet, Derek glanced down at them. He scratched his neck, bringing his gaze back to Leia. “Maybe we could go there together,” said Derek.

Sweat trickled down her back. A commotion pounded in her chest. Leia flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Maybe,” she managed. Her legs were heavier than before. Was Derek flirting with her? Or just lonely? “We’ll see. You might not be here long enough for us to go together.”

His hands plunged into the pockets of his shorts, Derek said, “Oh, I’d make time.”

Leia gulped, twisting forward, somehow, she remembered how to walk. Wandering down the hallway, Derek followed behind her to the kitchen. They arrived at the threshold into the kitchen. The space to enter was tight since they both tried to pass through at the same time. Derek brushed up against her arm. Leia side-stepped to keep them from touching again, and they finally made it inside.

Leia guessed right, loco moco was on the menu. Kai and Alana had set the table minus the plates. They were sitting with Dad at the round eight top table in the breakfast nook. Leia imagined Malia and Hilo were off watching TV in the toy room. The kitchen wasn’t large, nor did they have a separate dining room, but it worked for their family. They liked being in the same room where the food was being prepared, so nobody felt left out when they gathered.

Teresa glanced over from the stove. With a smile, Teresa greeted him. “Aloha, you must be Derek.” Her voice was warm and inviting. Her glance rapidly slid over him, then Teresa shot Leia a knowing look.

Leia’s cheeks warmed, making her clasp and unclasp her hands.

Derek moved closer to Teresa. “Correct, I’m Derek.” He placed a hand over his heart. “Thank you for inviting me to your home. You have a wonderful family. You must be so proud.”

As Teresa placed the meat onto a platter, she said, “I’m proud and lucky.” She smiled over at Noa. “I should saywe’reblessed.” Sidestepping closer to Leia, Teresa grasped Leia’s arm. “Leia, could you help me plate the food?”

“Of course.” Leia walked to the sink, flipping on the water to wash her hands. Over her shoulder, Leia asked, “What do you need me to do?” She finished washing her hands and dried them off.

Peering past Leia, Teresa asked, “Derek, do you want to help too? Then you can learn how loco moco is made. You never know who you might want to make it for when you return home.”

“I’d love to learn.” Derek stepped toward the kitchen sink. Leia moved as far out of the way as the restrictive space would allow. Flipping on the water, Derek washed his hands. Leia handed him a towel to dry them off. Their shoulders brushed up against each other again in the small intimate space. Leia caught a sniff of his coconut shampoo, and she hated that it made her knees a bit wobbly. Once Derek finished drying his hands, he neatly folded the towel back up and placed it on the counter.

His grasp tightened around the counter on both sides of himself and Derek asked, “What do we do first?”

“First, we put the cooked rice on each plate.” Teresa pointed to the rice cooker on the edge of the counter. “Derek, can you scoop out a cup of rice and place it on each plate?”

Skillfully, Derek moved around Leia and replied, “Absolutely.” He reached for the rice cooker.

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