Page 39 of Big Island Neighbors
There was a glint of amusement in Mrs. Rasmussen’s eyes. “Why don’t you show up for a few weeks running, and then we’ll talk about doing more.”
“Fair enough.” She turned to look at the families who had moved from the soup line to the playground. “It’s just crazy for me to think that on an island with such an abundance of food year round, people still go hungry.”
“Not everyone has land to grow food on,” Mrs. Rasmussen said. “Or even a place to cook a warm meal.”
Emma nodded and picked up a towel to dry the bowls that another woman was washing.
When she was done, she wandered over to the playground to check on Kai. He was happily engaged with a group of kids, playing some elaborate game of tag.
As she watched, a little girl made contact with his arm and he turned into some kind of fearsome beast, joining the pack and hunting down the last of the survivors.
She sat and watched for a long time before Kai came and climbed up onto the bench beside her.
“I’m hungry,” he whispered into her ear.
“Why are we whispering?“
He sat back on his heels and looked at her. Still keeping his voice just loud enough for her to hear, he said, “Because… I don’t think I’ve ever been as hungry as them.“
A rush of emotion stung in the back of her throat. She was caught off guard by his insight, if not his heart.
“Are we going to come back next week?” he asked.
She swallowed and nodded. “Every week, I think.“
“Good. I want to help next time. But does it have to be soup? Prince doesn’t like soup.”
She looked over at one of the boys he had been playing with, younger than him and rail thin but faster than any of the other kids.
“No, it doesn’t have to be soup. We can make something fun.”
He thought about it for a second. “Okay. I’m in.”
Emma laughed and put an arm around him. “It’s a plan.”
13
Lani
“Do I have to?” Rory’s voice rose to a whine.
“You can just sit here at the table and color.” Lani had her laptop open, ready for their second court-mandated video call.
“I don’t want to color! I want to go play with Paige!”
“You can play with Paige after this call. Please sit down.”
Rory scowled at her, climbed into the seat, and stared down at the coloring sheets Lani had sketched. Then she picked up a fat black crayon and set to work obliterating the delicate group of zinnias that took up the first page.
Emma walked into the kitchen with an armload of kale from the garden. She took in the scene at the table, an open laptop and Rory blacking out flowers with a scowl, then turned to Lani and asked, “Another call with Zeke?”
Lani nodded, her throat tight.
“I can stay, " Emma said softly, “if you want to go take a walk.”
“Don’t you have the soup kitchen today?”
“Yeah, but that’s not for hours. I still have to make some of the food I’m bringing.” Emma’s hazel green eyes were sympathetic. “You don’t have to stay.”
