Page 41 of Big Island Sunrise
‘Olena’s minivan pulled up just as Lani was finishing the last of the chicken. Lulu and Kiana spilled through in a wave of energy, sweeping Rory up in the general excitement. ‘Olena and her parents came through a moment later, and the front room filled with warm greetings.
“Is Kekoa still coming?” Lani asked.
“He should be here any minute,” ‘Olena said. “He wouldn’t skip out on free food.”
“Don’t talk about your brother like that,” Mahina scolded. “He’s a business owner and a single father, not some lazy teenager.”
“Where’s the lie, though?”
Mahina gave her daughter a playful shove and walked through to the kitchen.
“This all looks amazing!” she said.
“Just some basics,” Lani said.
“Did you put‘uluin this mac salad? This is your grandma’s recipe, isn’t it?”
“Is it?” Lani grinned. “I tried to make it like my mom used to.”
“Yep, and she made it just like our mom did.” Mahina patted Lani’s cheek. “She would be so proud of you. They both would, your mom and your grandma.”
She blinked rapidly, smiling through her tears. “Thanks, Auntie.”
Mahina turned to Emma. “Before I forget, come out to the car. I have something for you.”
They walked out through the front door, and Emma blinked in the sudden sunlight. Mahina opened up the back of ‘Olena’s minivan to reveal a huge cardboard box full of roots and twigs and bits of vine.
“I, um, thank you?” Emma couldn’t keep a bit of uncertainty from creeping into her tone, and Mahina chuckled.
“It’s all plants that grow from cuttings. There’s plenty of green in John’s garden, but it’s all weeds. I thought you’d want to start fresh. These slips areuala, sweet potatoes. There’s white, orange, and you know da purple kine? That’s this one.
“These seeds are ice cream bean, they grow quick as anything. What else? There’s taro corms. This one here is cassava. This is chaya. Here’s some bele. What else, what else…?”
She picked up a bundle of green twigs about as wide as their pinky fingers. Mahina had trimmed off most of the leaves, leaving just a few at the end of each branch. She plucked one of these off and handed it to Emma.
“This is katuk, it’s a tasty perennial. Taste it.”
Obediently, Emma put the nondescript green leaf in her mouth and chewed. It was surprisingly tender. The taste was pleasant, almost nutty.
“It’s good cooked. I like to put it in soup.” Mahina held up another bundle of twigs and smiled. “And these are hibiscus. Every color I have. A woman needs some flowers.”
“And I just… stick them in the dirt?”
“Yep. Just plant them and keep the weeds away. It helps to mulch them real good. And make sure you plant them deep enough, maybe halfway in the ground.”
“Thank you so much.” She hefted the heavy box, overwhelmed by the bounty.
“Just put it somewhere shady until you’re ready to plant. And if they don’t take the first time, don’t worry. Just tell me and I’ll bring more. They don’t cost nothing.”
“And you said that there’s a garden?” Emma asked hesitantly. “I’m not sure where you mean.”
Mahina barked with laughter. “It’s that far gone, huh? Here, you tuck that box in the car port and I’ll show you where the garden is.”
They walked around to the back of the house, to a lush green area that Emma hadn’t looked twice at. Mahina pushed aside some of the weeds to reveal a garden gate, and they walked around the perimeter. It was the size of her backyard in Redwood Grove, and the whole area was fenced; the fence was just so completely overgrown and green that Emma hadn’t seen it.
“This isn’t a weed,” Mahina warned, parting a section of broad green leaves to reveal a spectacular purple passionfruit flower. “Don’t pull theliliko’ivines.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Emma agreed. Standing close and looking closer, she could see the regular lines of mounded green where the earth rose in garden beds.
