Page 10 of Big Island Weddings
“Hi,” she tried, but the word was lost to her awkwardness and dread. She cleared her throat and said, “Good morning.”
“Buongiorno,” he murmured, still looking at Rory.
“Rory?” she prompted. “Can you say hello?”
“Hello!” She peeked at him, giggled, and hid her face again.
“Hello,” he echoed. “Do you know who I am?”
She let Lani’s skirt fall away from her face and said, “You’re my bio– my biodogical… myrealdad.”
“Yes.” His smile was dazzling as he went down on one knee and presented Rory with the flowers. “And I am very, very glad to meet you.”
She snatched up the flowers with a grin and held them to her nose.
“What do you say?” Lani prompted.
“Mahalo!” Rory shouted. “That’s thank you in Hawai’i.”
“In Italy we saygrazie,” he told her.
“Grazie,” she repeated.
“Yes! Like that.”
Rory wrung her hands together, nervous. Then she gathered her courage and asked, “What do I call you?”
Lorenzo smiled and said, “I call my fatherBabbo.”
She giggled. “That’s silly!”
“Is it silly?” he asked, still grinning. “It is what he called his father, and his father, all the way back for many, many years.”
“So I should call you Babbo?”
“If you like.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot and glanced at the grandfather who stood on the other side of the playground. Then she looked back at Lorenzo and asked, “Will you push me on the swing?”
“I would love to push you on the swing.” He spoke carefully, eager to be understood even with a strong accent, and Lani’s heart softened a little more. Even so, it was agony to watch Rory run off with him. She stood holding Rory’s flowers, trying to give them some space but unwilling to take her eyes off her daughter.
Lorenzo pushed her on the swings for a solid ten minutes, and then he climbed all over the play structure with her like a kid. When playschool friends showed up and Rory’s attention went to them, he wandered back to Lani.
“Lei è meravigliosa,” he said quietly. “She is… everything.”
Lani blinked back a prickle of tears, overwhelmed by the emotions rushing through her.
Fear and guilt were slowly giving way to a genuine happiness for her daughter, that she wouldn’t have to live the rest of her life with this piece missing. She would know who her father was, would even have the chance to know her extended family… but they were so far away, and that possibility kicked Lani right back to fear.
They settled back onto the bench, leaving room between them for Rory. But Rory was busy playing tag, and Lani set the flowers down in her place.
“You are not married?” he asked suddenly.
She startled and turned to look at him. “No.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “You will marry me. We can be a family for our daughter.”
“You’re not serious.”
