Page 14 of Big Island Horizons
“Of course not,” the young woman said quickly. “Sit down, please.”
They slid onto the bench across from her. ‘Olena didn’t recognize her, which was an unusual occurrence in a town as small as theirs. Tourists came through daily, usually stopping at her brother’s shave ice place or Tenn’s cafe, but a new face at the weekly soup kitchen was notable.
“I’m Nell,” the woman introduced herself. She was about Lani’s size, with big amber eyes and dark red hair pulled back into a messy bun. “This is Cassie and Everett.”
“I’m four and a half,” Cassie volunteered.
“Good to meet you. I’m Lani, and this is my cousin ‘Olena.”
“You’re the one who runs the Pualena Playschool,” Nell said with a glance at ‘Olena’s t-shirt, which had the name of her co-op printed on the front and back. “I follow you. Online, I mean. And I’ve seen your group at the beach a couple of times.”
“That’s us,” Lani said brightly. “You should come check it out.”
Nell blushed and looked down at her chili, pushed back just out of reach of Everett’s hands. “I would love to, but I don’t have the money right now.”
“Everyone is welcome,” ‘Olena assured her. “If you want to stay and give me a hand instead of dropping your daughter off, you don’t have to pay.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It’s a co-op. That was the idea when it started, anyhow. Most parents would rather pay than participate, but you’re welcome to contribute in other ways.”
“That would be amazing.” Nell said, perking up. She reached into her backpack to find a teether for her baby, and ‘Olena glimpsed a series of bruises on her upper arm, just past the edge of her t-shirt. It put the hair up on the back of her neck.
From the look on Lani’s face, she knew that her cousin had seen the bruises too. But by the time Nell looked back at them, Lani had wiped the dismay off of her face and resumed her welcoming smile.
“My daughter Rory is just a little bit older than Cassie. And the older kids are so sweet with the younger ones. It’s a great group.”
They continued to chat, Lani gradually drawing Nell out of her shell, but ‘Olena’s attention drifted towards the New Horizons building. She had finally gotten the keys yesterday, and a cursory look at the building had revealed more things wrong with it than she had realized before. It wasn’t only the employee salary that the local government couldn’t afford, but also the upkeep.
She excused herself and walked across the lawn, leaving her bowl at the kitchen on the way. While the field around the playground was well maintained – not even by paid staff, as it turned out, but by a kindly old uncle down the street with a riding lawn mower – the space behind the community center was an overgrown mess.
Aggressive cane grass had taken over what had once been a flourishing community garden. She had vague memories of her mom and grandma working in that space with their neighbors, a long time ago now. She couldn’t remember when it had been abandoned, or why. But the land was there, ready to be reclaimed.
Just one more thing on an already overwhelming list of tasks.
But she didn’t have to do all this herself.
This was a community center, and Pualena had community aplenty. They just needed someone to get things started. And with the key to the building, ‘Olena was already halfway there.
She let herself in and walked through the deserted hallways of the community center, refamiliarizing herself with everything that needed to happen.
There were broken lights that needed to be seen to, and exposed wires that needed to be fixed up and tucked away. Her dad knew plenty of electricians; she had a feeling that at least one of them would be willing to put in a day’s work for the community center.
What most concerned her was the evidence of water damage here and there in the ceiling. The building’s metal roof had gone too long without a fresh coat of paint, and the nightly rains that graced Pualena had started to make their way in.
When ‘Olena picked up an abandoned push broom and gave the ceiling a careful nudge, it went right through.
She cursed under her breath and pulled out her phone.
“Howzit?” her dad answered.
“It’s worse than I thought.”
“You down at New Horizons?”
“Yeah. The roof needs work. And the ceilings.”
“Me and the crew been busy building the‘ohanaat Uncle Ron’s place, but we could come next weekend.”
