Page 39 of Big Island Weddings
‘Olena lifted her face to the faint salt spray of crashing waves and breathed the ocean air deep into her lungs. It was such a luxury, this stillness. Standing beside her man in contented silence, staring out at the horizon.
They walked along the sea cliffs towards the ironwood forest that grew just a few yards from the edge of the island. Those woods, with their climbable trees and spongy forest floor, were one of her daughters’ favorite places to play. She made a mental note to bring the co-op out there soon for a low-key field trip.
“Wait here.” Nate put his hands on her shoulders and turned her so that she was fully facing the water, standing with her back to the woods.
Maybe hedidhave plans beyond a sunset stroll, though that alone would have been enough. More points for him, then.
She stood on the black expanse of lava rock, looking out at the subtle beauty of an east-side sunset. The sky took on a purple hue, still punctuated by fiery clouds. The endless white noise of water rushing in and out of the cliffs below soothed her soul, andthe ground beneath her feet vibrated slightly with each crashing wave.
Behind her, she heard the strike of a match and caught a faint whiff of sulfur. She kept her eyes trained on the golden glow of the clouds, intent on not spoiling his surprise. Finally, he walked up beside her and took her hand.
She turned and saw a candlelit dinner laid out against the backdrop of the woods. Not a picnic meal, but a wooden table and chairs complete with table settings and flickering candles. The trees provide just enough shelter from the wind to protect the candle flames.
“How did you do this?” she marveled as they walked across the rocks.
“I stashed everything earlier, before I got home. You like it?”
“This is amazing.”
Nate had laid out her favorite foods in the sort of plating arrangements she would expect from a fancy restaurant: a circle of sashimi with chili pepper water, seared ahi with mango salad, and a cheesy pasta dish that was still steaming. He had packed everything so carefully that the hot food had stayed hot while the sashimi was still fresh and cold.
He pulled out her chair with a flourish and helped her find a steady spot on the uneven ground.
“Thank you.”
“Can I pour you a drink?”
“Sure.”
He opened a glass bottle and released the sweet smell of lychee and lemon. It was the cocktail that their restaurateur friends had made out of the lychee from Nate’s farm. He poured her a glass – real glass – and handed it to her. She took a slow sip, savoring the bright sweetness.
He sat down across from her, and they ate in the comfortable silence she had only ever truly found with him.
She had gone on a small handful of first dates over the years, mostly setups by well-meaning friends and aunties, and every single time they had been insufferable. Even with friends, their need to fill the air with small talk exhausted her.
With Nate, she could justbe. The sound of the wind in the trees and the waves crashing below was utterly peaceful, and she savored it as much as she did the phenomenal food that Nate had brought for them to enjoy.
When dinner was done, he cleared the table and brought out two jars of lilikoi curd with coconut cream. The light was nearly gone now, with bright stars appearing in a dark blue sky, but she could still see his handsome face in the glow of the candlelight.
‘Olena didn’t say one word until she had scraped the last of her sumptuous dessert out of the glass jar. Only then did she set it down and reach across the table to take Nate’s hand.
“This was the perfect date,” she told him.
“I’m glad. Because I have something to ask you.” Candlelight flickered over his face as he turned over ‘Olena’s hand and set something in the middle of her palm.
A diamond ring shone and sparkled in the faint golden light – the same ring that she had flung at him the day their divorce was finalized. Five years ago now… it seemed like a lifetime.
“You kept it,” she breathed.
“You told me to go slow,” he said, “and I’ve been trying. But we’ve already spent so much time apart. And I’ve hated it. Every day without our daughters and every night without you.
“If you’re not ready, I’ll keep waiting. I would wait for you forever, because any amount of time with you is better than a lifetime with anyone else. But I want to be close to you, Lei. I want to be a family again.”
One of her hands was held in his. The other was over her mouth, as if the pressure on her lips could keep her from fallingapart. Mixed in with the love in Nate’s eyes, she saw fear. There was so much vulnerability there, his heart laid bare.
‘Olena couldn’t find her voice, but she nodded.
“Yes?” he asked, his voice unsteady.
