Page 81 of Try Easy

In two long strides, Keoni was at his uncle’s side, reaching for the phone. Tears were already shining in his eyes as he held the phone to his ear.

Bones’s voice came booming over the line. “Howzit?”

“You’re alive, then?” Keoni asked, not caring that he was crying openly. Half the people in the room were bawling, and the other half were opening cabinets and finding the stash of booze the Keaukalanis had in their cupboards.

“I’m alive,” Bones said.

It was enough for Keoni just hearing his voice. “I’m sorry I was late.”

“It’s not a problem. I get to keep all the cash myself, eh?”

“We thought you were dead,” Keoni said, feeling the initial euphoria give way to despair. He’d let Bones down, and he would never forgive himself.

“Did they leave?” Bones asked, the bravado in his voice disappearing.

“Yeah, they’re gone, bruddah.”

“K’den,” Bones said. “That’s good.”

“Yeah,” Keoni said, although he wasn’t sure he agreed. He would have given anything to have Lou’s arms around him right now.

Arrangements were made for Bones to be picked up in Moloka’i. He’d ended up swimming nearly five miles to get there after coming up from his dive to find the current had pushed him out of sight of Henry and the boat. He’d walked down the road from Keawanui Beach to the first phone he found and called home. He was still wearing his wetsuit.

The Keaukalanis were ecstatic over Bones’s miraculous reappearance. Those not going on the rescue mission to retrieve Bones from the small island off Maui decided to throw an impromptu party that began with cups being filled from a jug of swipe, the potent homemade liquor that Hawaiians were famous for brewing.

Henry came over to hand Keoni a cup, and they toasted to Bones’s life.

“Do you want to call, or should I?” Henry asked.

“You,” Keoni said.

They drank to Bones. Keoni gulped half the contents of the cup in one long sip, then put it down with a gasp. The brew was so strong that it stung his throat as he swallowed. His eyes watered and his chest burned as the liquor spread through him. He took another sip and felt pleasantly numb all over.

“Easy with that,” Ryla said, laughing at Keoni.

“I can handle it,” he said, taking another sip as if to prove it to both of them. He eyed Ryla over the lip of the cup. “You’re the one who should be careful. You’re half my size.”

“I’m not a little girl anymore,” Ryla said, smirking as she raised the cup to her boldly painted mouth. “In case you didn’t notice.”

His eyes dropped down her body. Her strapless dress displayed the smooth skin of her shoulders and a daring amount of cleavage. He noticed.

Keoni raised his cup to Ryla in silent cheers, and drank deep. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast with Lou early that morning, and the swipe was going straight to his head.

It had been one of the longest days of his life, and he was thankful that it would soon be over. He’d lost the love of his life, but at least Bones wasn’t dead. At least he didn’t have another death on his hands.

He felt like getting smashed.

“You want to get drunk?” he asked Ryla. Without waiting for an answer, he refilled their cups with the jug of swipe. “Let’s get drunk.”

“Okay,” she said, laughing. “It’s been a rough day.”

“The worst,” Keoni agreed.

He tipped back the full cup, gulping it down.

“How’s Kimo?” Ryla asked.

Keoni shrugged. “He’s awrite I guess,” Keoni said.

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