Page 23 of Big Island Weddings
When they finally reached the brilliant turquoise water of the lagoon, ‘Olena dived in without hesitation. Cool water swallowed the heat from her skin, instantly refreshing her after the long walk over black rocks.
Nate jumped in a second later, creating a wave that bobbed her up and down.
‘Olena spread her arms and floated on her back, staring up at the endless blue sky. Surrounded by kids all the time, she had almost forgotten what peace sounded like.
She luxuriated in the quiet, nothing but the gentle lapping of water on rock. And in the same breath, she missed her wild little girls. Motherhood was strange that way.
As if in response to her yearning for their two little tornadoes, Nate splashed a wave of water over ‘Olena’s face. She dipped under and came up coughing.
“Real mature,” she spluttered.
Nate just laughed, and so she splashed him back.
They kept it up for a few minutes, splashing and wrestling and laughing like a couple of kids, before they finally crawled up on the sun-warmed rocks to dry off. ‘Olena spread her arms again, luxuriating in the heat like a honu.
Nate’s hand found hers, and their fingers laced together.
They did that for hours, going between the cool water and the warm rocks. They put masks on and swam with the fish, then dove down and found the spots where hot water filtered up through thermal vents.
They ate the lunch he had packed, jumped in the water one last time, and then started the long walk back.
They found Queen’s Bath blessedly empty, and they were able to slip into the shade without shouldering their way through a big group of tourists.
The water, fed by an underground spring and mostly shaded by lava rock, was shockingly cold. It made her gasp after the beating sunshine of the walk back. Smooth rocks covered the bottom, and she got used to the cold as she swam farther into the tunnel.
She could feel Nate right behind her as she stood and picked her way across the rocks. There was another hole in the ceiling farther in, and she walked towards it until she stood right in the beam of sunlight with cold water up to her chest. She raised her face to the sun and drank it in.
“You are so beautiful,” Nate said, almost to himself.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. His expression turned mischievous.
“Remember the first time I brought you here?”
‘Olena laughed and looked away, her cheeks warming. “I remember.”
He came closer and took her into his arms, his skin still warm despite the chill of the water.
The sun was low in the sky when they finally climbed out of the tunnel and resumed their walk back to the car. As soon as she climbed into the cab, she checked her phone to make sure all was well with the girls.
She had twenty missed calls.
From her mother, her brother, Lani.
‘Olena’s heart skipped and sped as she fought back a rising panic.
“What’s wrong?” Nate asked, peering at her face.
She just shook her head as she went through her text messages, reading them backwards, trying to make sense of them and piece together what had happened.
“Lei, what happened?”
“My dad is in the hospital.” Her voice was rough; tears pressed against the back of her throat. “He had a heart attack.”
9
Nell
Nell walked to New Horizons early on Monday to give herself extra time to set up; she even left her babies behind. Emma would bring them along with Kai just before opening and stay for the day to help manage things.
