Page 10 of Poseidon's Island Flower

I had to be strong. I had to comfort him, make sure he still felt special.

“Hey Mom, Dad,” I told the ocean. I fiddled with the petals on the lei. “Dad, you were right. Koma was destined to do great things. A scholarship to play football, a full ride. First in our family.” I sniffed.

“Now it’s just me. I’m still here.” I took the lei in my hand and threw it high in the air. It spread out perfectly into the air, only to land among the crashing waves below.

The waves didn’t tear it to pieces. The flowers were rocked until they spun into the depths of the salty sea, the sound of the waves crashing all around them.

My lips twitched, watching it spiral downward.

That aching hole in my chest wasn’t closing anytime soon. Koma filled it temporarily for so many years, but it was only a quick fix. Because I felt like I was meant to do more, but my problem was…what?

I ached to be wanted, needed. And that was why I hurt so much.

Koma didn’t need me anymore.

“Hey Lani!” A group of surfers lined up on the beach. They waved excitedly, and I waved back. Most of them were Koma’s friends, the ones that stayed here for school or to learn their family’s trade.

They always made me feel welcome, but they were older now. They didn’t really need me as much as I needed them.

“Come surf?” one girl called.

I smirked, shuffling side to side.

Did they really want me? Or were they just being nice?

Going with the former, I yelled, “Let me get my board!” and raced across the lava rock.

I paused halfway down the path that led back to the house when I realized I didn’t say goodbye. I tracked backwards, not caring if the group of surfers was wondering what I was doing.

I traced back to the same spot where the flowers swirled to the bottom of the ocean and blew a giant kiss. “Aloha, Mom! Aloha, Dad!” Then I raced back to the tiny home they once called theirs.

It took only seconds to peel off my work uniform, revealing my swimsuit. I grabbed my rash guard, my board, and my new attitude before shuffling out the door.

Taking some time riding the waves would do my soul good. Something about the ocean always cleared my head. I could shift my worries about finding where I belonged to another day, after I conquered the waves that slammed into the shore.

When I arrived, many had long boards sticking in the sand while others had their short boards like mine.

“Lani, going in today?”

I put my hand on my hip, as I leaned on my board that sat vertically in the sand. “You betcha, got to show you who’s queen of these tides.”

The group groaned.

“It isn’t fair. You live on a damned beach. You can practice whenever you want,” Kal commented.

“Excuses, excuses. We live on an island, Kal. We’re all just a short distance from a beach. I hardly think living on the beach is an advantage. Besides, some of us have full-time jobs.”

And then some.I worked overtime any chance I got.

We all stared out at the ocean in silence. The group rubbed their faces as we counted the sets of waves coming to shore. Something was certainly off.

I taught them how to read the waves as soon as they could hold their boards on their own. They didn’t need me to tell them the best spots to surf.

“The swell isn’t where I thought it would be,” one voice finally commented.

It was true, the swells were larger than predicted; the breaks were off, and the sets were uneven.

“Is there a storm out at sea? That could explain it. Did anyone watch the weather?” I didn’t have a TV and spent very little time on the computer or on my cell phone.

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