Page 73 of Big Island Sunset
“Maybe just a nap before sunrise,” Jun agreed. She looked at the blanket with a smile and gave her aunt a warm hug before heading upstairs.
By the time the sun rose up above the ohia forest that stood to their east, the rainstorm had given way to rainbows.
Typical temperamental Hawai’i, Emma thought with a reluctant sort of fondness. The youngest island was always changing, always ready to put on a show… but so spectacularly beautiful that the people who loved the Big Island were willing to put up with her tantrums.
She checked on Kai first, mostly checking to see if the storm had made it through the old roof above his bedroom. He was warm and dry and sound asleep.
Dio’s tail thumped once against the bed before he jumped up to follow her outside. Zuko just gave her a quick glare before tucking his face beneath his tail and going back to sleep.
Outside, the chickens were already up and about, searching for worms that had been driven above ground by the storm. The ducks were living their best life, enjoying the puddles and streams that had appeared in the yard.
The property was littered with fallen branches, but Emma saw nothing thicker than her arm. As far as she could see, all of their outbuildings and fences were intact. Even her garden looked alright. The raised beds had withstood the storm.
It was a constant source of surprise to her, how resilient life was.
Nell was outside already, milking the goats while Everett snoozed on her back. Emma chatted with her for a few minutes, and then she got to work moving fallen branches into her compost pile.
“Get through the storm alright?” Lani’s voice made her look up, and she found her friend watching her with a mug of coffee in each hand.
“No casualties.” Emma dropped the branch she was dragging and walked over to greet her friend. “Is one of those for me?”
“Nope, sorry, both mine. One hand for expresso, one for decaf. Gotta stay balanced, you know?”
“You’re very chipper for a dawn visitor.”
Lani laughed. “There’s a lot to be chipper about.”
Emma looked up at the brilliant blue sky. “I guess there is.”
“Here.” Lani handed her one of the travel mugs. “Don’t worry, it’s caffeinated.”
She chuckled and accepted the coffee. “Thanks.”
Emma took a break from yard work, and they settled onto the front porch to drink their coffee. Just the smell of it lifted herspirits, and the taste of cinnamon and sugar warmed her down to her soul.
When Keith’s truck pulled up to the front gate, Lani gave Emma a look that made her blush.
“Don’t start,” she warned.
“I didn’t say a word,” Lani said.
Emma set her empty coffee mug aside and went to meet Keith at the front gate. He had only been to the house once before, but that one work day had been enough for Dio to greet him as a friend instead of barking the way he did when a strange man approached the property. The big dog greeted him with a series of whines, and his whole body wriggled in delight when Keith reached through the gate to scratch his head.
“Good morning,” Emma said as she approached.
“Good morning. I hope you don’t mind me dropping by. I just wanted to see if you got through the storm alright.”
“Yeah, I think so.” She surveyed the wreckage of their front yard. “It’s a mess, but I don’t think there’s any lasting damage.”
“Plenty of material for mulch and compost,” he said cheerfully, surveying the fallen branches.
“Yeah.” Emma’s brow furrowed in worry when she thought of the tiny tree they had just planted the week before. “I haven’t been all the way back to the durian sapling, though.”
“I can go check on it, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure.” Emma opened the gate and let him through. She started to follow him around the side of the house, but he waved her off in a friendly way.
“You go ahead and visit with your friend. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
