Page 4 of Big Island Weddings
She just hoped that they deserved her.
2
‘Olena
The sun had barely risen over the ocean when ‘Olena left Pualena, but she knew that Nate would already be out in the orchard. He was out there at first light every day, hurrying to gather ripe lychees before the valuable fruit fermented on the tree. Then he spent the rest of the day out on the road, selling the fruit at his roadside stand.
Lychees were delicious and valuable; between their incomparable flavor and the short season, they commanded a high price. They could also go from ripe to rotten in an instant, and the orchard was starting to produce more fruit than Nate could keep up with.
‘Olena was too busy to help during the week, but on weekends she took their daughters up the mountain to help with the harvest. Luana and Kiki were quiet as she drove up the mountain, still sleepy after being loaded into the van first thing in the morning.
She turned up the driveway and drove through Nate’s new property, a gorgeous piece of land on the slope of themauna. Its green hills angled gently towards the ocean. Most of the land along the long driveway was taken up with wavy lines of lychee trees.
The trees were heavy with clusters of fruit that ranged from light green to bright red, surrounded by dark oblong leaves.
Nate had been able to sell some of the fruit wholesale. He had tried the local grocery stores, but they already had standing orders with other farms. Lani had made gallons of lychee syrup for Kekoa’s shave ice place, and a few other small businesses around the island had put in orders as well. But now they were set, and Nate was working hard to profit from this massive harvest before it slipped through his fingers and went to waste.
The orchard and surrounding land had eaten up the entirety of his savings, and he was counting on this one harvest to see him through until next year with enough profit to enable him to plant more fruit trees and begin to diversify.
He had invested everything in this venture, into a solid future for his family, and he was determined to make the most of it.
Sure enough, there he was. Halfway up a tree, even though he was built like a linebacker and the limb he stood on was narrower than one of his feet.
‘Olena pulled over onto the strip of grass that ran between the driveway and the orchard. With all of Nate’s energy going to the harvest, the grass was nearly as tall as her tires.
“This place needs some sheep!” Luana declared the moment she opened the van’s sliding door.
‘Olena laughed and ran a hand over her daughter’s hair, still tangled from sleep.
“What?” Luana demanded, glaring up at her.
“You’re right. We need sheep.”
“So why are you laughing?”
“It’s ‘cause she loves us so much.” Kiki said, hopping out of the van. “Sometimes it spills out and it sounds like laughs.”
“That’s true,” ‘Olena said.
“You shouldn’t laugh at good ideas,” Luana told her.
Kiki had already moved on. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s up a tree!” Luana cried, spotting him. She raced off down the row with Kiki just behind her.
Nate dropped to the ground and scooped them up, his laughter filling the orchard. ‘Olena’s heart expanded at the sight of their girls in his arms, smiles on every face.
Damp grass clung to ‘Olena’s legs as she walked towards them. She knew plenty of people with sheep, but did any of them have portable fencing? Some farmers used the electric kind to move their animals from place to place, but it wasn’t something she had any experience with.
Her plate was full enough with Pualena Playschool. This was Nate’s project. And yet, as many times as she reminded herself of those facts, she still found herself stepping in.
“Did we have plans today?” Nate smiled at her as she neared them, but there was a line of concern between his dark eyebrows.
“Aren’t you happy to see us?” Luana demanded.
“I’m always happy to see you! It’s just that I’ve gotta spend my whole morning picking lychee.”
“We can help you!” Kiki shouted inches from his ear. He winced slightly, but his smile held.
