Page 58 of Big Island Weddings
The flowers at her table were white with crimson centers, the same colors as her wedding dress. Other tables held yellow and pink and orange, all the sunrise colors of her mother’s garden transported to the lychee orchard. Red globes of ripe lychee hung all around them, as bright and festive as Christmas ornaments.
The food was phenomenal, a team effort organized by Tenn. Tara brought out their wedding cake, which was a mango cake frosted with white coconut cream and covered in flower petals. The day was all laid-back joy, elevated by food and flowers.
When the clouds broke open, they laughed and danced in the rain.
The sun shower only lasted a few minutes, and after the rain had passed them by, a double rainbow arched over the hill where their home would someday stand.
As the last of their guests made their way towards the cars that lined the orchard road, Nate came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. He leaned down and whispered into her ear.
“Was today everything you wanted it to be?”
‘Olena smiled as she leaned against him and tilted her head up to catch his eye.
“And then some.”
21
Nell
Nell swept Everett up to her hip and walked out the door, not bothering to lock it behind her.
Growing up, her family had never locked the door of their little farmhouse. After her dad died, her mother had started locking all the doors and windows. She used to check them obsessively, getting up out of bed or turning the car around halfway to town to drive back and check that the house was all locked up.
Her fear had seeped into Nell, and it was all locked doors after that.
Until now. Living in the little ‘ohana unit at the Kealoha place, with a dog in the yard and friends all around, she had fallen out of the habit of locking the door every time she left the house. It was an immense blessing to feel so safe, especially after all they had been through.
The sound of laughter led her to the big lychee tree out back, easily twice the size of any tree in Nate and ‘Olena’s orchard. Cassie was up in the highest branches with Kai and Juniper, shrieking with giggles as they tossed empty husks back and forth. The air was heavy with the sweet, floral smell of lychee.
“Time to go,” Nell called up.
“Aw, Mom!” Cassie whined in protest. Wisps of dark blond hair had escaped her braid, radiating out around her head and backlit by the sunshine like a halo.
“We need to pick up the meals from Auntie Tara and take them over to A Place of Refuge.”
“Is Bella there?” she asked. She and another four-year-old girl had become friends during their stay at the women and family shelter.
“No, Bella and her mom moved away.”
“Can we go see her?”
“I don’t think so, sweetheart. They went far away in a plane.” As soon as the judge had granted Mary the right to move out of state with her own daughter – over the objections of an abusive ex-husband – they had flown to the mainland to stay with extended family.
Nell had gotten lucky – beyond lucky, really – with Emma’s generous offer of the ‘ohana unit at the Kealoha place. Finding an affordable place to live in Hawai’i was next to impossible anymore; she knew single mothers who slept in their cars and others who lived in tents. The waiting list for subsidized housing was a mile long, and even then the rents were astronomical.
After such a dizzying stroke of luck, Nell felt the need to give back to the community that had given her so much. Delivering food to A Place of Refuge was a start, but it wasn’t enough.
“Cassie, climb down please.”
“I want to stay here!”
Nell stared up at her, surprised. “Without me?”
“I want to stay with Kai and Jun!”
“Okay,” she agreed, half expecting Cassie to change her mind. She had stayed home with Juniper and Emma before, but this was the first time she had ever asked to stay behind. Usually there was a lot of clinging involved, and often a few tears before she finally agreed to let Nell go. Nell was grateful that Cassie felt safe with their neighbors… and at the same time, it felt bittersweet.
“Bye!” Cassie sang out, cheerful. She turned and pulled another ripe lychee from a branch.
