Page 86 of Big Island Horizons
“I didn’t make it up,” Emma said. “My dad always sang it to us. His parents sang it to him, I think. I don’t know where it came from originally.”
Rory thought about this for a moment and then announced, “I like it. You can sing it to me if you want.”
“You already had your birthday!” Kai said.
“Soon I’ll have another birthday and I’ll besix!”
“Not soon! Not for ages! Youjusthad a birthday!”
“Nuh uh! That was a long time ago already! Before you even went to California!”
“Who wants waffles?” Lani interrupted.
“Me!” Kai jumped up out of Emma’s lap and shot both hands in the air like he was celebrating a goal. “I want waffles!”
“I want waffles too!” Rory shouted.
“I get the first one ‘cause it’s my birthday!”
“I have two waffles ready.” She set down a plate in front of each of them.
“Will you cut mine into trains and cars?” Kai asked.
“Sure.”
“I can cut my own waffles,” Rory bragged. “I cut them myself and I’mfive.”
Kai glared at her, then looked at Lani. “Give me a knife.”
She bit back a laugh as Emma said, “Want to try that again?”
He sighed. “May I please have a knife?”
She handed out utensils and left the kids to laboriously saw their waffles into pieces while she poured more batter into the waffle maker. Emma stood next to her, leaning against the counter and holding her tea in both hands.
“I didn’t realize you were here last night.”
“I wasn’t,” Lani admitted.
“You came over before dawn?”
“Yeah. I thought you could use some backup today.”
Emma took a shaky breath and smiled. “You’re not wrong.”
“It feels weird, hardly using the‘ohanathat I just fixed up for us.”
“It’s good to have a place of your own, even if you’re not there all the time. I know Tenn loves having you around. How’s he doing, anyway?”
“He’s fine,” she said quickly. “A lot better. He doesn’tneedme there. Not really.”
“But he wants you there.” Emma’s eyes were full of understanding – and beneath that, the pain of having lost what Lani now had.
“I just want to be near him,” she admitted. Why did that feel like such a big and scary thing to say? “My whole nervous system settles.”
Emma sighed softly. “That’s how you know he’s the right one.”
“That and a million other–” She cut herself off with a shake of her head as she flipped a waffle out onto a plate. Today wasn’t about her. “Anyway. What needs doing? How can I help?”
