Page 38 of Big Island Weddings
“I want to go to Tutu’s house!”
“Not tonight, little opihi.” ‘Olena tried to pry Kiki’s arms away, but she just held on tighter and wrapped her legs around ‘Olena’s for good measure.
“I’m never letting you go!”
“Come on, Kiki!” Luana put her hands on her hips. “Everyone else says goodbye to their moms every day! You can let her go one time.”
“No!”
“Hey kids!” Emma called from the lanai. “Who wants popsicles?”
“Popsicles!” Kiki released her hold on ‘Olena and tumbled to the ground, then scrambled to her feet and sprinted to the house. “I want one!”
“We made them with cane juice!” Kai shouted. “They’re so ‘ono!”
Emma winked at ‘Olena and then followed the kids inside.
“Quick!” Nate put a hand under her elbow and pulled her towards the gate. “Let’s escape while we still can.”
“She’s so clingy all of a sudden,” ‘Olena said. Nate opened the gate for her and latched it firmly behind them.
“She had a tough time when you were at the hospital with your parents. She’s never been away from you that much, and not being able to see youoryour mom for days was really hard on her.”
“I guess. I just want her to be more resilient than that.”
“She will be. She’s only little.” Nate opened the passenger-side door and kissed her before she stepped up into the cab of his truck.
“So?” she asked when he was in the driver’s seat. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” Nate said. But when he got to the main road and turned towards the ocean, there was really only one place they could be headed: the cliffs for sunset.
That wasn’t much of a surprise, but it would be a pleasant way to end the day. ‘Olena took the girls down there often. She even took the whole co-op group down to the ironwood forest sometimes, but there was no relaxing at the cliffs with kids. Shewas always on high alert making sure that no one went over the edge.
Even when it was just her and her girls, it seemed like they did their best to terrify her. Kiki loved playing in the pools of water that the splashing waves made near the tops of the cliffs, and Luana was always trying to peek over the edge. It was a gorgeous place to walk, but never easy on her nerves.
Riding along with Nate, on the other hand?
Sometimes that felt like the one time she could breathe easy.
Growing up, she always felt at ease with her parents. They were her foundation, sturdier than the ground beneath her feet. There were no earthquakes or hidden sinkholes with Mahina and Mano – just unconditional love and support.
Even as a young mother, her parents had been her rock. They had let her move back in after her divorce, and they had parented her daughters every bit as much as she had. Without them, she would have struggled just to scrape by; she could hardly imagine it.
Now, although she was as secure in the knowledge of her parents’ love and support as she ever had been, things had shifted. Her dad’s heart attack had rocked her to her core, and her mom was just as shaken. It was time for them to refocus their energy on themselves and enjoy some well-deserved rest.
They were still young and able, but those days in the hospital had been a reminder that they were slowly approaching the era in whichshewould be taking care ofthem. And that would be her honor; the alternative was too devastating to think about.
But it all left her feeling like she had leveled up into a new phase of adulthood, fully independent of her parents and standing on her own two feet.
And Nate had made that transition ten times easier.
When she was with him, she could relax. The rest of the time, she was a small business owner responsible for the community’schildren. That too was an honor and a privilege, but it could also be exhausting. Whether she was at work with the Pualena Playschool or at home with her daughters, she was alwayson. Always responsible for someone else.
And so those rare times that she could fully rely on someone else? Just sit back and let him take the wheel? They were priceless.
He parked on a dirt road on the edge of town. They followed a trail out through the brambles and walked across the black lava rock hand in hand.
The sun was setting, and the shade of the mauna had thrown the eastern side of the island into a prolonged twilight. Golden clouds shone against a dusky blue sky, and their reflected light danced over the surface of the water.
