Page 63 of Big Island Weddings
“Lani, hello!” He greeted her in a booming voice and walked forward, extending his right hand towards Tenn. “And you must be herfidanzato.”
“That’s me.” Tenn accepted his hand with a smile that was reluctant but genuine.
“I have seen you before, no?”
“Pualena’s a small town,” he said with a shrug.
Lorenzo looked at him for another moment, puzzled, and then grinned. “Il ristorante!I have seen you at Pualena Cafe.”
“He owns it,” Lani said.
“No!” Lorenzo looked at her and then back to Tenn, the picture of astonishment. “This is your cafe? It is excellent. The best food I have had in this country by far.”
Just as Tenn was saying a modest thank you, Rory climbed over the low lava-rock wall and launched herself at Lorenzo. He laughed and knelt to hug her, heedless of the saltwater soaking his linen shirt.
“Olivia!” Rory shouted. “Daddy! Look! This is my Babbo!”
Tenn took Olivia’s hand as she climbed over the wall and peered at Lorenzo, her face crumpled with uncertainty. Still kneeling, Lorenzo offered Olivia his right hand.
“I am pleased to meet you, Olivia. I think that Rory is very lucky to have found a sister.”
She smiled shyly and reached out with her right hand, still clinging to Tenn with her left. Lorenzo shook her hand before standing.
“You are a very, very lucky man,” he told Tenn, “to have such a beautiful family and live in a beautiful place. This is all we can ask for in life, I think.”
“That and good food,” Rory shouted, pulling a bag of lychee out of the cooler.
“Yes, good food is necessary,” Lorenzo agreed, laughing. “It comes from the beautiful place and nourishes the beautiful family, yes?”
“Yes! Have you ever tried these, Babbo?”
And just like that, two separate branches of Rory’s family came together. They sat in a circle on the grass and shared the bag of fruit from Nate and ‘Olena’s orchard, chatting as they did about the island’s popular tourist spots and the girls’ latest art projects.
“Breaking bread is fine and all,” Lani murmured as she pulled apart a red lychee shell, “but I’d rather break lychee any day.”
“I’m withholding judgment,” Tenn whispered into her ear as Lorenzo chatted with the girls, “but he’s right about one thing. I am a very, very lucky man.”
23
‘Olena
The sun warmed ‘Olena’s back as she weeded around her baby hibiscus bushes. They were thriving – one had even put out a huge yellow flower – and they would continue to grow at an astonishing rate so long as she didn’t let the jungle sneak into her yard and swallow them whole. Hibiscus bushes grew quickly, but tropical weeds were a whole different beast.
“Done!” The screen door swung shut behind Nate as he stepped out onto the lanai.
“Already?” ‘Olena straightened up to look at him.
Maybe it was a newlywed thing, or just the relief of having him home again, but even after all these years that man could still take her breath away. He had shoulders as broad as a door and a smile as bright as the sun. And he washers.
“Come see!”
‘Olena brushed the dirt from her hands and stood, stretching out the ache in her lower back. She followed Nate into the house, and he showed her their new and expanded closet.
Like most closets on the rainy side of the island, this one was open air. There was no door in front of their clothes, because closed spaces were an invitation for mold and mildew. Nate had knocked out one side of the open wardrobe and extended the closet rod to the corner of the room so that there would be room for both of their clothes.
He didn’t own much after working for so many years on cruise ships, living in rooms that were smaller than most walk-in closets. Even so, adding a fourth person to the tiny house had been a challenge. With a bit of successful maneuvering, though, the place felt cozy rather than cramped.
Eventually they would build a house above the lychee orchard, but for now ‘Olena was content to live just down the street from New Horizons; the complete lack of a commute was a blessing in a life that was packed to the gills with community and family commitments.
