Page 41 of Big Island Horizons
“For someone who’s calm like ninety-nine percent of the time, you get amped up about weird things.”
“And you’re apathetic about weird things! This is Pele! The goddess is awake. Now you have four minutes and forty-four seconds to get ready togo.”
Lani laughed. “Okay, okay!”
‘Olena disconnected the call and screwed the top onto her thermos.
“Girls!” she called. “You ready?”
No answer.
‘Olena looked out the window and saw the lights on in her van, her girls silhouetted in the windows. She laughed.
“Those are my girls,” she congratulated herself. “Let’s go.”
A few minutes later, they were at the Kealoha place. Lani had rallied. She and Rory were waiting just outside the gate. Dio whined frantically on the other side.
“Sorry, boy,” Rory said, petting him through the fence.
“Come on, baby,” Lani said to her. “Climb in.”
“Where are we going, anyway?” she muttered as she climbed in.
“To see Tutu Pele!” Kiki shouted.
“Who?”
“We’re going to see the lava,” Lani said as she strapped her into one of the spare car seats ‘Olena kept for carpools. “Auntie’s driving us to Volcanoes National Park.”
“That’s cool, I guess,” she muttered.
“And there’s hot chocolate!” Kiki exclaimed.
“Mom always brings hot chocolate,” Luana said.
Rory perked up. “I want hot chocolate!”
“When we get there,” ‘Olena told her.
There was a three-note chorus from the back seat, a disappointed “Awww.”
‘Olena laughed. “No hot chocolate in the car. You two know that already.”
“Just this once?” Kiki asked, clasping her hands together under her chin.
“Nope.”
“Aw man.”
It was a bit of a drive up to the top of the volcano, and she put on a stories podcast to keep the kids from bickering. Beside her, Lani was quiet. ‘Olena didn’t know what she could say to make her cousin feel better, but she hoped that the awe-inducing sight of an active volcano would help. It always worked to make her own problems feel small and inconsequential.
They entered the national park and drove along the rim of the crater to the viewing area. The parking lot was full of cars, but nothing like the number of people that would be there in a day or two when word got out.
“Okay, get your jackets on,” she said as soon as she’d parked.
“Won’t it be hot next to the lava?” Rory asked.
“We’re not gettingthatclose,” Luana told her.
