Page 7 of Big Island Sunrise
Lani’s pulse jumped and sped. Non sequiturs were par for the course with a four year old, but any mention of Zeke still sent her spinning.
She was quiet, not wanting her baby to hear any distress in her voice. Rory was only four, but she was so perceptive that it shocked her at times. She should feel relief that moving away hadn’t traumatized her, but instead she felt a deep grief that her daughter didn’t have a father figure worth missing.
“I like it better when it’s just you and me.” Rory’s wide brown eyes were earnest.
Lani pulled Rory into her lap and hugged her tight. “Me too, baby.”
“Do you want to swim with me?”
“I would love to.”
They waded out through the crisp, clear water. The lagoon was cooler than the ocean beyond the rocks, fed by fresh water from underground springs. She could feel it seeping up in places, much colder than the salt water from the bay.
Lani stood waist-deep and laughed with delight as she watched Rory swimming underwater, comfortable as a baby dolphin in the Pacific. The countless hours they had spent in that heated pool at the community center back in Alaska had paid off.
Her eyes went up to the glint of the ocean beneath a vast white sky, and she breathed deep. This was a far cry from that cement building and the stench of chlorine.
Two hours later, as the morning clouds gave way to clear blue skies, Lani showered and swapped her bathing suit out for a t-shirt and shorts.
“I should head out,” she told her cousin.
“Okay, here.” ‘Olena offered her car keys, but Lani shook her head.
“I can walk.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Take my car, Lani.”
“It’s okay, I can walk. It’s not that far.”
“It’s four miles. You’ll get heatstroke walking back this afternoon.”
“I want you to have a car in case anything happens.”
“What’s gonna happen?” ‘Olena put a hand up. “No, don’t answer that. I’ve got my mama-sized first aid kit. Georgia’s here all day. We’re fine. You take my car, and we’ll see you after work.”
“Okay,” she relented. “Thank you so much.”
“No more thank yous, sis. Go on.” ‘Olena pressed the car keys into her hand.
“You’re leaving?” Rory slammed into her and grabbed two handfuls of fabric, clinging to her t-shirt and shorts.
She gently pried her daughter’s hands away and knelt down in front of her. “I start work today, remember?”
“Can I come?”
“You’re going to stay here with Auntie ‘Olena and your cousins. You’ll eat some lunch and do some painting and I’ll be back before you know it. It’s not even a full day, just half.”
“We’re doing a big art project,” ‘Olena said brightly.
“I don’t want to do art,” Rory sniffled.
“Look how big the paper is,” Lulu said in a tone just like her mom’s. “We have every color of paintandwe have sponges. Look, this one is shaped like a dinosaur!”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t like dinosaurs.”
“You do too,” Lani said.
“Do you like flowers?” One of the other girls, a little blondie named Olivia, offered up a coveted daisy-shaped sponge. “You can use this one.”
