Page 3 of Big Island Neighbors
Tara’s son Cody led the way, gallantly clearing the spiderwebs that stretched across the trail. The younger kids hiked up the gradual incline like champs, with Kai eager to keep up with the twins and Rory happy just to be a part of things.
The trail followed an old access road for a while before ducking into the green shade and soothing aroma of a eucalyptus grove.
Wind moving through the high leaves created such a water-like susurrus that Lani didn’t hear the waterfalls of Hikuwai until they were almost in sight of them. When she finally picked up the distant crash of the water, she reached out and tapped Rory’s shoulder.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Rory panted. She was trudging now, determined to keep up but running out of breath. Lani picked her up and swung her onto her hip.
“The waterfalls.”
“No.” She rested her head on her mama’s shoulder and closed her eyes.
They rounded a corner, and Lani could just make out the first of the seven waterfalls in the distance.
“Look there.” She pointed through the trees and out across all the rolling green to the distinct white streak of water roiling over a cliff.
“Wow!” Rory wriggled out of her arms and ran to catch up with the big kids.
Emma had paused at the edge of the trail.
When Lani came even with her, she saw a sheen of tears in her eyes. She put a sympathetic hand on her arm, and Emma jumped like she’d just been yanked back from another time and place. She met her eyes, and Lani knew that she had been thinking about Adam.
“It’s been so long.” Her voice sounded more broken than it had since that first day that they’d seen each other again, on the beach during Uncle John’s memorial service. “We always meant to come back, but we kept putting it off. Next year, and then next year. We thought we had more time.”
Lani put her arms around her cousin and held her for a moment, then pulled away. “Come on. Let’s catch up with the kids before they get to the water.”
Emma sniffed back her tears and nodded. “Of course.”
They jogged down the last stretch of the trail to find the rest of the group waiting for them near the edge of the river. Rory slammed into Lani’s legs with a hug of greeting. Kai ran to hold Emma’s hand, then turned to regard the river with an apprehensive expression.
“We’re going to crossthis?” he asked.
“That’s the idea,” Lani said. “The waterfalls are on the other side.”
“What if we go over the edge?”
“There are safe places to cross,” Emma assured him, “and safe places to swim. Me and Daddy used to come here all the time.”
“Really?” He looked up at her with wide eyes.
“Yep. Auntie Lani too.”
“I’ve been coming here since before I can remember,” Lani confirmed.
“We’ve been here lots of times,” Paige added. She came to stand next to him and pointed to the concrete wall of the dam. “See how shallow it is there? It’s easy to walk across.”
“Most of the time,” Piper said. “Once it was as high as my waist, and I almost went over!”
Kai squeaked and stepped closer to his mother.
“But the river’s not high today.” Cody gave Piper an exasperated look and then turned back to Kai. “And if you don’twant to walk across, there’s a calm spot upriver where it’s easy to swim to the other side.”
“I want to go home,” Kai whimpered, pressing his face into Emma’s hip.
“You can do it,” she told him. “I’ll hold your hand the whole way.”
The water flowing over the dam was up to Kai’s knees, and Lani wound up carrying Rory, but they all made it across without incident.
