Page 53 of Big Island Weddings
Students drifted between tables, and Emma answered questions while Juniper walked her elders through the process of drying herbs. The seventeen year old was also telling theirclassmates about other preservation methods that might be better suited to the tropics, like vinegars and tinctures.
The class went long, and then longer still as everyone chatted and ate the foods they had made that day. Finally people began to trickle out, each one carrying a cardboard box full of jars and seeds and starts.
Emma stayed on to oversee the last batch of jars that had gone into the pressure canner. She texted Nell to tell her that she would be a few minutes late.
No worries,Nell shot back.The kids are having a blast with the chalk paint we made today.
“Hi.” Keith’s voice sounded nearby, and she looked up from her phone with a start. “Thank you for all of your help. You obviously have a lot more experience with canning than I do.”
Emma’s cheeks burned. “I wasn’t planning on teaching a class today.”
“Well, I’m grateful that you were such a good sport. I think everyone learned a lot.”
She glanced this way and that, uncomfortable with the full focus of his summer-blue eyes. A few feet away at the herb station, Juniper was fiddling with bundles of moringa and pretending not to listen.
“I’ll miss seeing you every week,” Keith said.
She glanced back at him, unsure of whether he meant her in particular or his students in general.
“I like teaching, but I’ll be grateful to have some free time again. I haven’t been able to get out and forage in months. I’m planning to hike out this weekend for ferns and mushrooms. I’d love some company.”
“Me?” she asked stupidly.
Keith just smiled, as if her awkwardness were charming. “You.”
“Sure,” she said, surprising yourself.
“Great.” He smiled even wider. “It’s a date.”
Emma’s heart sped with panic as he turned and walked away. She looked over at Juniper, who was staring at her with one hand clamped over her mouth, eyes dancing with laughter.
In a stage whisper she asked, “What did I just do?”
“You just got yourself a date with the teacher,” Juniper whispered back, dancing over to her. “Keith and Emma, sitting in a tree–”
“Stop that,” she hissed.
“You’re going on a date!” Jun whispered, delighted for her.
Emma stared at the back of Keith’s t-shirt as he disappeared into the food forest.
“I guess I am.”
19
Lani
Lani raised a hand against the glaring sunlight as she stepped out of the car. Her eyes adjusted after a moment and she dropped her arm, looking out towards the rows of tents that ran between the parking lot and the cliffs.
“I see Auntie Nell!” Rory shouted. “Can I go?”
“I’ll walk over with you,” Lani told her.
Nell stood beneath a pop-up tent and a sign that readPualena Playschool Summer Camp. Her red hair was up in a braid that ran around her head like a crown, and Everett slept on her back.
“That time of year already?” Lani asked.
“I guess so,” Nell said. “‘Olena had already paid for a spot at the market, but things are so crazy right now that she asked me to cover for her and try to pull in a few more families for summer camp. We’ve got finger paints at this table and your Big Island coloring books on that one.”
