Page 30 of Big Island Neighbors
Lani watched her for a minute, just taking her in. Her hair, which Lani had thought was true-black like her own, was streaked with highlights from her hours in the Hawaiian sunshine. They were almost invisible in the shade but shone deep auburn in the sun. Her cheeks were still baby round. Kai, who was nearly seven, was starting to lose that softness; it made Lani cherish the last of this phase all the more.
Slowly, painfully, she stood up from the table and went to fetch her laptop.
When she came back into the kitchen, Rory was still coloring happily - it was the only thing that could reliably keep her in one spot for more than a few minutes - and Emma was washing collard greens at the kitchen sink.
She set the laptop up on the table with the court-mandated site up and open, awaiting the scheduled video chat. Too nervous to sit still, she grabbed a fresh piece of paper and started to sketch a squid.
“Here.” Emma set a steaming mug down in front of her. It gave off a floral, comforting smell. “It’s chamomile and lemon balm.”
“Thanks.” Lani paused her drawing to pick up the tea. The squid was looking more like a sea monster than she had intended.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” Emma asked gently. “I can stay and supervise.”
She took a shaky breath, inhaling the soothing steam. After a moment she answered, “No. Not knowing is worse.”
Emma nodded and patted her hand. “Okay. I understand. Do you want me to stay?”
“Yes please.” She couldn’t bring herself to meet her cousin’s eyes. Instead she set down the mug and went back to sketching, adding a tiny wooden vessel above the giant squid for good measure. One of its tentacles curled up menacingly towards the vulnerable ship.
Five minutes passed between the scheduled start of the call and the noise of a second computer connecting.
“Rory!” Lani flinched at the sudden sound of the familiar voice, even though she had kept the volume low. Adrenaline flooded her system, making her heart race and her palms sweat. “Hi! Can you see me?”
“Hi Daddy,” Rory said in a casual tone. It was a beat before she looked up from her coloring sheet. “Want to see my dolphins?”
“Sure!”
Lani stood and moved away from the table, an involuntary motion. She slumped onto the couch and hugged a pillow to her chest. She could still hear his voice, but barely.
She hated that his voice still had such an effect on her - that he had any power over her at all.
Emma came over with her tea. She set it on the coffee table, paused uncertainly, and then sat next to Lani and held her hand.
Lani squeezed her fingers in silent gratitude.
“Do you miss me?” Zeke was asking.
“Not really,” Rory said casually. She was coloring again, only giving a small portion of her attention to the conversation.
“You must be having a lot of fun in Hawai’i, huh?” His voice was fluorescent-bright, sharp and false. “Is it sunny all the time?”
“It rains a lot.”
“That’s right, your mom’s from the rainy side. Where are you living these days?”
“With Kai.”
Zeke’s voice dropped a register. “Who’s Kai?”
Lani turned to see Rory look up with a puzzled little frown.
“I dunno. He’s just Kai.”
“Is Kai your mom’s boyfriend?”
“No!” She laughed. “She’s his auntie. Like Emma’s my auntie.”
“Oh.”
