Page 4 of Big Island Neighbors
Still following the long-legged Cody, they scrambled up the rocky slope and picked their way upriver until they reached a calm pool at the base of a waterfall.
The water was crystal clear, but the pool was so deep that they couldn’t see the bottom.
Cody dove right in and swam across to the waterfall, then proceeded to climb the cliff to one side of it. This was one of the smaller waterfalls at Hikuwai, about twenty feet tall, and it was the best spot for jumping. Piper was right behind her brother. Paige sat watching, kicking her feet in the cold water.
“Mama, help!” Rory squeaked. The too-small pink dress that she’d insisted wearing over her bathing suit was stuck up over her face, pinning her arms next to her head. Lani freed her with one good tug.
Rory slipped into the water, squealed once at the cold, and then swam off like a fish.
Lani quickly shed her shorts and jumped in after her. The water closed over her head with a quick, icy shock - but by the time she surfaced next to Rory, she was almost used to the cold.
Tara dove in and swam towards her kids. Kai was playing in a shallow pool nearby, too cautious to dive right into the deep swimming hole. Emma sat next to him with her feet in the water and her face turned up towards the sun.
Rory tried to climb up after Tara, but her arms and legs weren’t long enough. Lani boosted her up onto dry rock and then turned to watch their neighbors jump.
The shy teenager who lived next door surprised her by doing a backflip off the top of the waterfall and into the pool. When he surfaced a moment later, everyone cheered. Piper and Tara jumped next, hand in hand.
Eventually they climbed up onto the sun-warmed rocks to eat the food that they had brought with them. After lunch, Cody led the little ones upriver to explore - still in eyesight of their mothers, but out of earshot.
Lani could hear Rory’s peals of laughter over the sound of the river as she walked between Paige and Piper, holding both of their hands.
“You’re quiet today,” Emma said to Tara. “Are you okay?”
Tara let out a one-note laugh. The sound was pure stress.
“Oh man.” Lani turned towards their neighbor. “What’s up?”
“I called my husband last night.” Tara’s voice was barely audible over the steady rush of the waterfall. “He said he’s not coming home.”
Emma rocked backwards in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“He went to the mainland for a highschool reunion and hooked up with an old girlfriend. He’s quitting his job here and staying with his parents for a while.”
“Wow. That’s one heck of a midlife crisis.”
Lani looked at Tara’s kids happily exploring the rocky riverside and guessed, “You haven’t told them yet.”
“Not yet,” she admitted. “A part of me is hoping he’ll change his mind and get on that flight.”
“And the other part of you?”
Her face pulled together in a guilty frown. “Mostly I’m relieved.”
“Relieved?” Emma repeated.
Tara nodded slowly. It was clear from her expression that she was still sorting things out herself, figuring out how she felt about it all.
“Things have been that bad?” Lani asked.
“Not bad, exactly. We built such an amazing life together. I love my kids. I love my land and my garden and my animals. But our marriage, the relationship itself…
“We haven’t really connected in a long time. I guess we were just going through the motions for the kids. I guess I thought – when I thought about it at all - that it was just a side effect of having such a full, busy life. Of being married so long. I didn’t know he was this unhappy.”
“But you said you’re relieved?” Emma looked confused.
“It’s like he ripped off the bandaid. There was this moment of shock and hurt, but after that… yeah, just this sense of relief. Which also caught me off guard.”
“Sounds like he did you a favor,” Lani said.
