Page 89 of Big Island Neighbors
“Are you guys hungry?” she asked.
“Not really,” Kai said.
At the same time, Prince gave an emphatic, “Yes!”
Kai sighed. “I guess I could eat.”
She held back a laugh. “Okay. Come up to thelanaiin a few minutes. I’ll pull a snack plate together.”
On her way back to the house, Emma pulled some ripe star fruit off of the tree and found a papaya the size of her head that was ready to eat.
Even after a period of neglect, the abundance that this place provided astounded her. It was dizzying to think how much food the land could produce with proper management, and she was excited to learn what that looked like.
Soon they would be producing far more food than they could eat, and she was excited to funnel that abundance into households that needed it – first through the weekly soup kitchen, and eventually through the nonprofit that she planned to start with Tara’s help.
Her neighbor knew so many busy farmers who had frequent surpluses but had no free time to drive the food anywhere, never mind process it into meals.
Emma, on the other hand, had an abundance of time and a deep desire to become a productive member of the community. This felt like the perfect way to accomplish that.
But first, California. She needed to pack up her old life before she could invest fully in this one.
She hadn’t broken the news to Kai yet. He was so happy with his dog and his ducks that she didn’t want to stress him before it was time.
Kai and his friend were eating their snack on thelanaiwhen the Madeira family arrived.
“Auntie!” Lani scolded as Mahina came up the front steps carrying a huge plastic bowl. “I said I was cooking!”
“I just brought a little something.”
“You know your auntie don’t like to show up empty handed.” Mano greeted Lani with a hug that lifted her feet from the ground. When he saw Emma standing on the edge of things, he put an arm around her shoulders and steered her into the throng. “How you doing? How’s ourkeiki hanauna?”
“We’re good, Uncle.”
“E komo mai,” Lani said. “Come on inside. The food’s ready.”
“Is ‘Olena not coming?” Emma asked.
“She’s busy unpacking, and her girls are with their dad today. She’ll be by later, but she said to go ahead and eat.”
“I can’t believe my girls are moving out,” Mahina said as she handed her big salad bowl off to Lani.
“You’ve still got me!” ‘Io pushed through and grabbed his grandma’s hand.
“And thank goodness for that!” She put her arms around him and covered his face with kisses.
They milled around in the kitchen, piling their plates high with all the food that Lani had made and the garden salad that Mahina had brought. By the time they settled around the tableside, Kai and Prince had disappeared.
“Am I the only kid?” ‘Io groused.
“Kai and his friend are out by the pond,” Emma told him.
“What pond?”
“Want me to show you?”
He nodded, and they walked back through the orchard together.
They found the other boys before they reached the pond. Prince was high in the branches of the lychee tree, and Kai was chasing day geckos around the trunk.
