Page 24 of Big Island Weddings
‘Olena had left Nell in charge for the week, maybe longer.
Her brain had been on overdrive since she got the news the night before, and she was exceedingly anxious – not because she didn’t think that she could manage it, but because she was so terribly scared of letting ‘Olena down.
Nell’s community of friends was slowly growing now that she was free of her ex, but ‘Olena had been there for her when no one else had. She had gone above and beyond with her support as Nell fought her way free of Zeke and navigated family court, and Nell wanted to be there for her in the same way. There was no room for missteps or forgotten tasks that would wrench ‘Olena’s attention away from her family.
Nell needed to step up and fill ‘Olena’s shoes… but they were huge shoes to fill. ‘Olena was a powerhouse of a woman, and Nell was in awe of her.
But she could do this. For however long ‘Olena needed her, she would oversee the community center and run Pualena Playschool.
She walked in silence for a moment, letting the cool green of the morning calm her nerves. The street was one long tunnel of tropical plants, broken up here and there by gravel yards on new lots. Even those were surrounded by green, with new plants taking root in the seemingly inhospitable ground.
Halfway down the street, she pulled her phone out and called Hugh.
“Good morning,” he answered, his voice warm. “How did you sleep?”
“Not so great,” she admitted.
“What’s wrong?”
“‘Olena’s dad is in the hospital.”
“Mano?” he asked, surprised. “I hadn’t heard.”
“The coconut wireless has its limits, I guess.”
“What happened?”
“He had a heart attack. It doesn’t sound overly serious, as far as heart attacks go, but they’re keeping him under observation for a while. I’ll be running the playschool this week.”
“I’ll call Nate and see if they need anything.”
“Sounds good. He’s swamped with work, I think.” Nell hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and took a breath. “I called to tell you that I won’t be able to make our date tonight. I’m taking Kiki and Luana home with me this afternoon, and Nate won’t be able to pick them up until bedtime.”
Emma had offered to watch all of the kids for her so that she could still make her date, but she would already be volunteeringat the co-op all day. Leaving her with five kids after managing a dozen all day long felt like too much to ask.
“I would probably be too tired to enjoy myself anyhow,” she continued. “We have a field trip today for the big kids, and I didn’t have the heart to cancel. I’m going to take them to the botanical garden up in Papaikou while Emma stays with the littles.”
“Are any other parents coming?”
“No, I don’t think so. I asked in the group chat if anyone could meet us there, but no one stepped up. Maybe at dropoff I can get one of the parents to stay, but most of them have work.”
“I would come, but I have meetings all morning.”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I don’t expect you to show up at the co-op when Daisy’s not here.” Hugh’s daughter joined in with the playschool when she was with him, but that was only when she was on break from the public school she attended in Honolulu.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thank you. I will.”
She stashed her phone in her bag and let herself into the community center through a side door. Emma and Georgia would be managing the littles while she was gone, and she wanted things to go as smoothly for them as possible.
She sorted through art supplies and set out the boxes that they would need for the day’s activities so that they didn’t have to spend their time rummaging through ‘Olena’s extensive collection of school supplies. She rotated out all of the books on display, putting away the old books and choosing new ones that would hold the littles’ attention.
She had just finished setting up an easy science experiment when Emma came in with the kids.
“Mommy!” Cassie threw herself at her with so much force that she stumbled sideways, and her arms clamped around Nell’s waist like a vice. “I missed you!”
“Good morning.” Nell returned the hug, albeit more gently. Emma walked towards her, ready to hand Everett off, but he launched himself towards the toys in the corner. She set him down, and he speed crawled across the tile floor.
