“And you really aren’t eloping with Edmond, are you?”
Anna laughed. “No, Mama, I’m not. I will be staying with Lelani’s parents, with my housemates, all girls, in the guesthouse.”
“And when you get home, mi’ja, you’ll tell me all about Lelani’s family, won’t you?”
“Why?”
“Why?” Her mother sighed. “Because I think that girl might be in our family someday. I see it in your brother’s eyes, Anna.”
“Well, I can’t imagine Gil doing any better,” Anna admitted. “Lelani is one of the kindest, nicest, sweetest, most caring persons I know.”
“I know. And she’s very beautiful.”
“Yes.”
“And she has a baby—a baby she left behind.”
“Mama.” Anna took in a big breath. “We don’t know the full story yet.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Okay. I love you, Mama, but I see they’re starting to load the plane now.”
“Are you scared, mi’ja?”
“What?”
“Are you frightened?”
“Of?”
“I know that flying terrifies you, Anna. You’ve always been like that.”
“Okay, yes,” Anna told her as she walked back to the gate. “I’m a little scared.”
“Order a Bloody Mary.”
Anna laughed. “Are you kidding?”
“No, it will calm you down.”
Anna wasn’t so sure about that, but she knew that the laughing that came with the idea had a soothing effect. “Adiós, Mama.”
“Be safe, mi’ja. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Then Anna hung up.
“Everything okay?” asked Edmond as she joined him and Kendall in the line.
“I think so.” She took his hand.
“And you’re going to be all right?”
Anna smiled. “Yes. I’m going to be just fine.”
Twenty
Kendall
Because the guys were sharing a rental car, Gil picked the late arrivals up at the airport. He was driving a little yellow Jeep Wrangler with the top down—cute but tight. They stuffed in their luggage and barely had room for the four of them. But at least Kendall got to ride shotgun. Nice, since she’d felt a little queasy on the last couple hours of the flight. But with the fresh warm air washing over her face and tousling her hair, she started to feel much better.
“Woo-hoo!” she shouted as Gil pulled out of the airport area and onto the busy street.
“So how’s it going?” yelled Anna from the backseat.
“Great!” Kendall yelled back at her.
“No, I was talking to Gil. How’s it going for Lelani?”
Gil stopped for a traffic light, then glanced back and kind of frowned. “I’m not sure.”
“Poor Lelani,” said Kendall. “It must be hard seeing your baby. I mean after such a long time.”
“That’s not really the problem,” said Gil.
“What’s wrong?” asked Kendall.
“Lelani’s mother.” Gil shook his head.
“What’s she doing?” asked Anna.
“She’s making it very difficult for Lelani.”
“How so?” asked Kendall.
“For starters, she wouldn’t let Lelani go into the nursery to see Emma until after her nap.”
“That seems understandable,” said Anna.
“Maybe, but when Lelani finally went into the house, Emma was gone.”
“Gone?” Kendall felt alarmed. “Like kidnapped gone?”
“Not exactly. Mrs. Porter claimed that Emma needed to be at a playgroup. The nanny had taken her there.”
“So Lelani hasn’t even seen Emma yet?” Kendall frowned. “That’s sad.”
“Yeah. Lelani is pretty bummed.” Gil pulled quickly into the intersection now, causing Kendall’s head to jerk back.
“Hey, take it easy, cowboy!” she yelled.
Soon they were on the open highway. Kendall wanted to enjoy herself, but something about the smell was making her feel sick. Plus, there didn’t seem to be any ocean anywhere nearby. “What is that smell?” she finally demanded.
“The sugar-cane plantations,” Gil told her.
“Ugh!” she made a face. “And where is the beach?”
“We just cut through the center of the island,” he told her. “We’ll be driving along the coastline in a few minutes.”
“Oh, good.”
But by the time they reached the coastline, the sun was already going down. As Gil drove them down a very curvy road, it became dark and Kendall started to feel like she was carsick again. At least if she had to hurl, she could lean out the open window. Or maybe she should ask him to pull over. But the road seemed so narrow. And so busy. Where were all these crazy cars going anyway?
“How far is it?” she asked after they went through a tunnel.
“About twenty minutes.”
“You’re kidding,” she groaned. “I thought Maui was a small island.”
“It is.”
“Are we there yet?” teased Anna from the backseat. “Just relax, Kendall, feel that warm night air—isn’t it wonderful?”
“Wonderful,” she muttered.
For some reason this was not how she had imagined Maui. This dark, curvy road never seemed to end, the weird smells seemed to come and go, and she feared that she was going to hurl around the next corner, or that Gil was going to get them into a head-on collision with one of these other cars that seemed to be driving way too fast. Or maybe he was going to take a curve wrong and plunge them off a cliff and straight into the ocean, where their remains would probably be devoured by sharks. She thought she’d heard there were sharks in Maui. Oh, why had she wanted to come so bad?
Gil hit the brakes and she felt certain they were doomed for a wreck. But then nothing happened and he just kept driving, a little slower now. What if they did get into a wreck? Kendall’s hand went protectively down to her midsection and she realized that, maybe for the first time in her life, she felt more concerned for someone else than she did for herself. She didn’t want anything to hurt her baby.
“That’s Lahaina,” Gil told them. “Lelani’s house is on the other side of town.”
“Thank goodness,” said Kendall. She sighed as Gil slowed down even more, but the traffic thickened. “Lelani said it’s busier than usual here, thanks to spring break.”
“I’m starving,” announced Edmond from the back.
“Me too,” echoed Anna.
Kendall didn’t feel hungry yet, but she knew as soon as this horrible car trip ended, she’d probably be famished.
“Lelani made reservations for us in town.”
“Why don’t we just meet there?” suggested Kendall.
“Your bags,” he said as he slowed for a traffic light. “They might not be safe in an open car.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Soon he was turning toward what Kendall suspected was the ocean, then they went through some gates. He parked in a circular driveway and hopped out. “Here you go, ladies.”
The guys helped Kendall and Anna unload their bags, then hopped back into the Jeep. “I’ll run Edmond to the hotel to dump his stuff, and we’ll meet up with you girls at the restaurant.”
“What do we drive?” asked Anna.
“Lelani’s parents are letting her use a car.” He lowered his voice. “It used to be her car, but they took it back.”
“Oh.” Kendall nodded. Maybe Lelani’s parents were kind of like her parents. They give and then they take it back. At least Lelani’s parents were giving them a place to stay, and this didn’t look too shabby.
“The guesthouse is around back,” Gil
told them, nodding to where a well-lit path led around the side of the house. “You need to go directly back there—not through the main house.”
So Kendall and Anna lugged their bags along the pathway alongside the sprawling house and past a pretty nice pool and on back until they finally found a smaller house. “This must be it,” said Kendall in relief.
“You’re here,” said Lelani as she burst out the door to greet them. “Aloha!” Then she put real flower leis around their necks. “Mahalo,” she said, kissing them both on the cheek. “Mi casa es su casa.”
Anna laughed. “Hey, that’s not Hawaiian.”
“No, but Gil’s been teaching me some Spanish.”
“Come in, come in,” called Megan from inside. “Check out our digs.”
“This is nice,” said Anna as they entered the spacious room with polished wood floors and bamboo furnishings. “Pretty.”
“This couch makes into a queen bed,” Lelani told them. “And there’s a small bedroom that Megan and I already dumped our stuff in, but if you like I’m happy to—”
“No,” said Anna. “Kendall and I will be fine out here, won’t we, Kendall?”
Kendall wanted to protest but thought it might sound selfish.
“Actually, it’s a lot roomier in here,” said Lelani. “And those doors open right out to the beach.” She pointed to sliding glass doors.
“Cool.”
“There’s a closet for your stuff here,” said Lelani. “And those end tables are really dressers.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “But we should head out to meet the guys.”
“Not until I have a potty break,” announced Kendall. “I’m not only eating for two, but I’m peeing for two as well.” Lelani showed them the bathroom that all four of them would be sharing, but at least it was fairly roomy and the shower was nice.
Soon they were back in the car. Lelani’s car, unlike the Jeep, was pretty comfy and a convertible too. “What kind of car is this?” asked Kendall, who had asked to ride in front again, explaining about her carsick feeling on the way from the airport.
“It’s a Chrysler Sebring,” Lelani told her. “My dad gets good deals on cars from the rental car places. The year he got me this one was the big Sebring convertible year.”
“I like it better than the Jeep,” admitted Kendall.
“But the Jeep is good for the beach,” Lelani pointed out.
Soon they were back in town, which appeared to be right on the ocean and filled with lots of cars and people. Kendall almost felt dizzy as they pressed through the crowds of people—the music, lights, the smell of good food, and activities on every corner—toward the restaurant, which overlooked the water. Finally, what Kendall had hoped Maui would feel like.
“This is nice,” she told Lelani after they were seated at a table that overlooked the ocean. Kendall knew it was the ocean because lights were spotted out over it, and she guessed boats were bobbing out there.
“Welcome to my Maui.” Lelani smiled, but her eyes seemed unhappy. “The guys should be here soon.”
“So you’re glad to be back?” asked Anna tentatively.
“Oh, yes, definitely.” Lelani nodded. “I really do love it here. It feels so good to me.” She sighed. “I mean things aren’t going too smoothly on the home front.” She glanced at Megan now. “You got to see that firsthand today.”
Megan made an uncomfortable face.
“My mom sent the housekeeper out to greet us,” said Lelani. “By telling us to go directly to the guesthouse.”
“The baby was sleeping,” Megan explained.
“Yes.” Lelani fiddled with her napkin. “And then Emma had her playdate.”
“Which took all afternoon.” Megan looked skeptical.
“And then Emma was so worn out that Ginger, the nanny, fed her supper and put her down for the night.”
“So you haven’t even seen her yet?” asked Anna.
“No.” Lelani forced a brave smile. “But tomorrow is a brand-new day.”
Kendall nodded. But still she wondered. How would it feel to be the mother of a child you couldn’t even see? Then she realized that could actually be her. Would that be her?
The guys arrived. They took seats next to their girlfriends and Kendall was aware that she was the only one without a date. Her hand reached down to touch her midsection again, and for some reason that was reassuring, like she wasn’t totally alone. Still, it felt odd being the dateless girl. Even the waitress gave her a slightly sympathetic glance as she took her order. But Kendall just smiled. No big deal.
Still, she didn’t talk much. Not that there was room to get a word in edgewise. It seemed everyone was talking at the same time, sharing their travel experiences, talking about what they wanted to do tomorrow, where the best surfing beaches were, how to book snorkeling trips, and whether it was a good time to go whale watching. Kendall felt like telling them all to put a lid on it. If they’d shut up, maybe they could hear the ocean.
At least the food was good. Kendall ate everything on her plate and wished that the others wanted to order dessert. But they were eager to walk around the town before the shops started to close. So she trailed behind the couples, since she didn’t really fit in, though she also was careful not to lose them, since she didn’t want to be left behind.
Twenty-one
Megan
“If I told anyone that I spent my first morning in Maui inside a church, they would think I’d lost my mind or that I was lying,” said Kendall from the front seat. The sun wasn’t even up yet, and Lelani was driving the four of them to a place that Marcus had told Megan about last night.
“We’re not going to be inside a church building,” Megan said from the backseat. “It’s church on the beach. A sunrise service. The guy told Marcus that it was something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been up this early in my lifetime.” Kendall yawned and stretched sleepily.
“All I can say is it’s a good thing our bodies are still on home time,” said Anna, “or else I wouldn’t have been able to get up this early.”
“Everyone can sleep in tomorrow,” Megan assured them. “And every day until we go home.”
“This is the place.” Lelani pulled off the road to a beachside area where a number of other cars were parked. The wind was blowing and the sky was a dusky dark-gray color. The ocean seemed to match.
“This sure doesn’t look like the Maui that I imagined,” said Kendall as they walked through the sand.
“There are the guys,” Megan whispered, pointing at the Jeep just pulling into the parking area. For some reason she felt she needed to be quiet now—as if there were a hush over the still-sleeping world.
The girls waited for the guys, then they quietly joined the small crowd gathered right on the beach. Megan estimated there were about fifty in the group, and from all walks of life. In front, three musicians (with a guitar, ukulele, and some kind of flute) were playing what sounded like a Hawaiian-style hymn. Everyone was singing. Even though Megan didn’t know the words she felt the peacefulness of the beat and the melody seeping into her. And she felt at home.
The singing continued in this quiet and reverent way until the first rays of the sunrise began to break through, coming from behind them and spilling over the mountain and into the sea. As if following the lead of the sun, the songs grew more joyful, until they were singing a full-blown praise song that Megan and Marcus actually knew. Tambourines and drums came out, and everyone was clapping and singing wholeheartedly.
The group sang a few more similar songs, then the musicians joined the other worshippers, and a man in a Hawaiian shirt stepped forward and introduced himself as Rick. “Some people call me Pastor Rick, some just call me Rick, and some call me names I shouldn’t use here in chu
rch.” Everyone laughed, and then he prayed for a blessing on their time together. After that he opened his Bible and read a simple parable (the one about the shepherd who went looking for one of his hundred sheep), then shared briefly about what that meant to him.
“I was a lost sheep once,” he told them. “I had gone my own way and made a mess of my life …” He explained how he’d started smoking marijuana and got caught up in some crazy money-making scheme, and how it all crashed down on him. His own family would have nothing to do with him. “I felt hopeless and lost and ready to give up. I was at rock bottom.” He smiled and held out his hands. “And that’s when my shepherd found me.”
He talked more about how he felt called to be the one who goes out looking for lost and lonely sheep, and how finding one was better than having a big flock that didn’t appreciate what they had. “Not that I’m saying our church is like that.” He chuckled. “I guess what I’m saying is that I see my friends here more like the shepherds who will be out there looking for lost sheep.” Everyone said amen, and then they sang more songs. Pastor Rick asked for prayer requests and they prayed again, and then the service was over.
“As usual, we’ll have a picnic here in the park,” Rick called out, “and everyone is welcome. Mahalo!”
The man who had told Marcus about the beachside church came over and greeted them now, extending the invitation to have lunch with their group of seven.
“I’ll check with the others,” Marcus told him, but Megan suggested they were getting antsy to leave. “This is our first day in Maui and I think our friends want to have some fun,” Marcus explained.
The guy slapped Marcus on the back and grinned. “Tell them they came to the right place! Aloha!”
“That was a cool service,” Marcus told Megan as they went to join their friends.
“I actually got goose bumps when the sun came up,” Megan admitted, “and not because I was cold either.”
“Yeah, me too.”
But the others were ready to begin their day, already making plans about who was going where. Edmond and Anna wanted to be dropped in town, where they could make arrangements to take a whale ride on a raft. Kendall just wanted to find a nice beach.
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