“You’re going to do whatever Clara thinks will help you to win custody of Emma. I’m starving. Let’s go get some lunch and we’ll make a list while it’s still fresh in our minds.”
“But that means staying here in Maui.” She turned and looked at him.
He nodded as he dropped some more change in the meter. “If that’s what it takes, that’s just what you’ll do.”
“But … what about … us?”
He gave her his brightest smile. “Hey, you really do think there’s an us!”
“Well, isn’t there?”
“I like to tell myself that there is, but sometimes I worry that I’m delusional.”
“I will miss you so much if I stay here.”
He hugged her again. “It’s just temporary. Just until you get custody.”
“What if it takes a long time?”
“Then I’ll come and visit.” He grinned.
“What if I changed my mind about living on the mainland?” She studied him closely, “What if I found out that I couldn’t bear to leave Maui again?”
His brow creased. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“I don’t know. I’m just trying to be honest, Gil. Maui is my home. And being here now, despite the unfortunate circumstances, well, I still love it.”
“What’s not to love?”
“The fact that your family, your job, everything, is back in Oregon.”
“Everything but you.”
“You couldn’t leave all that.”
“I could for you, Lelani.”
She didn’t know what to say. This was too much. It was hard enough trying to figure things out regarding Emma. And now there was Gil to think of.
“Hey, we don’t need to resolve everything in one day.” He took her hand. “And there’s a restaurant around the corner that I’ve been wanting to try out.”
Gil changed the subject as they walked. He talked about the restaurant business and how the skills it took to run a restaurant could be applied to other businesses. “It’s not like I specifically wanted to handle the business end of my parents’ restaurants,” he confessed. “It’s more like I fell into it. Still I can’t complain. I’ve learned a lot.”
Lelani remembered the questions he’d asked Clara now. “You know, you probably really would make a good lawyer.”
He shrugged. “You never know.”
They were seated and Gil reached across the table to hold her hand again, looking at her with so much warmth in his eyes that Lelani thought she was melting.
“Lelani, Lelani,” he said quietly. “What does your name mean? I know that all Hawaiian names have meanings, right?”
“A lot of them do. But some are just our translations for English names. I had a boyfriend in high school whose name was Mikala, Hawaiian for Michael. In his senior year, he started going by Michael, but his parents didn’t like it.”
“So what does Lelani mean?”
“When you spell it the right way, it means flowers from heaven. Lei, spelled l-e-i, means flowers, like the lei necklaces. Lani means heaven.”
“But your name is missing an i.”
It was a story she used to have to tell often when she was in school, but this was the first time she’d explained it in a while. “My mother had a difficult birth with me, and she was sort of out of it when my dad filled in the information for my birth certificate. He knew I was to be called LeiLani, but…”
“He misspelled it.”
“Yes. Apparently my mother threw a fit, but my father put his foot down. He said that since I was half Hawaiian and half Porter, I deserved a name that was uniquely my own.” She smiled sadly. “That was probably one of the last times he stood up to her.”
“And you got stuck with a misspelled name.”
“I actually kind of liked it in school. It’s a fairly common girls’ name, and being an i short made me feel unique.”
“Well, the name still fits you. Lelani. You are like a flower sent from heaven.”
As Lelani considered the legal battle ahead of her, she felt more like a flower about to go through hell. Still, it would be worth it to get Emma back. As much as Lelani loved peace, she knew that she was willing to go to war for her daughter.
After they ordered lunch, Gil got out a notepad and began writing down things that Clara had suggested Lelani do. Somehow, seeing it neatly down on paper made Lelani think maybe she could do this thing.
“I should start looking for a job right away,” she said. “As well as a place to live. A cheap place. Some of the resorts have housing available for workers. Maybe I can find something like that to start with.”
“I wish you could go back and finish your medical degree,” said Gil. “I think you’d be a great doctor.”
“I wish I could go back too,” she admitted. “In fact, I’ve been daydreaming about going to Portland State. I did some online checking and thought I might even get enrolled for summer term.”
“Well, in due time. First things first, right?”
She nodded. “Right. What matters most to me now is proving to my parents and the court that I can support myself and my daughter. Even if I have to scrub floors and toilets at the Pukahanalakimana Hotel, I am willing to do it.”
Gil laughed. “They’d never hire me there, I can’t even say the name.”
“Most people just call it the Puka.”
But Lelani was serious. She would even work at the low-class, sleazy Puka Hotel if that was the best she could do. She just wished that she’d had the strength to do that last year. But then, she realized, she never would’ve met Gil.
Twenty-seven
Anna
Wednesday, Edmond arranged for everyone to take an all-day snorkeling trip at the island of Lanai. His treat. Anna wasn’t sure what she thought about snorkeling, but she was proud of Edmond for setting it all up. According to Lelani, the cove they were going to visit had some of the best snorkeling in the world. And according to Edmond, the gear that Lelani borrowed from her dad’s shop was some of the best in the world too.
As they boarded the ferry to take them to the island, Anna knew that this had all the makings of a great day. Except for one thing: Anna was not a good swimmer. The idea of being underwater, even just slightly, was totally unnerving. Still, she didn’t want to spoil it for the others. So she played along, imitating them, acting like she planned to have the time of her life even though she was just plain tired.
Last night, Lelani told the girls about her appointment with the attorney and her decision to remain behind in Maui. There had been tears and hugs and everyone felt shocked and saddened that their little “family” was breaking up.
“I don’t know what else to do,” Lelani had admitted. “I want Emma more than I’ve wanted anything in my life. And the only way to get her back is to stay.”
“What about Gil?” Anna had demanded.
“Nothing will change between us,” Lelani reassured her.
“Except that you’ll be an ocean apart,” pointed out Kendall.
“We’ll remain in touch.” Lelani’s voice sounded positive, but her eyes were sad.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Megan smiled weakly.
“And Gil is 100 percent supportive of this,” added Lelani.
Anna just nodded. “Yes, that’s not surprising.” Still, Anna felt disappointed. Both for Gil and herself. She felt like she was losing a sister. Also, she knew that although Gil would maintain a brave front, he’d be heartbroken when it was time to get on the plane and leave Lelani behind. Despite Megan’s trite quote, Anna knew that absence could also pull people apart. And she knew that someone as sweet and beautiful as Lelani would attract all kinds of male attention. Poor Gil!
“Well, I’ll be holding your
room for you,” Kendall had assured her. “For you and Emma when you come back.”
“Hopefully, it’ll be soon,” Megan had added.
But Anna suspected by the look in Lelani’s eyes that it might not be that soon.
“Right now I just need to focus,” Lelani had told them. “I need to get everything together to fight this battle.” Then she’d asked them about writing letters on her behalf, describing observations they’d made about her or her parents. “My attorney needs affidavits that she can use in court.”
Naturally they all agreed to do whatever they could to help. Anna knew she’d have plenty to say. She even offered to help the others with the editing of their letters. Then she’d stayed awake until 2:00 a.m. thinking of all the things she wanted to say in her letter. She got up, quietly took out her laptop, which Edmond had teased her for bringing, and took it to the bathroom, where she sat on the john and wrote.
She read it to her housemates over breakfast, and the next thing she knew, Kendall was dictating a letter of her own. When that was finished, Megan asked to borrow the laptop to write her own letter.
“You guys are great,” Lelani had told them as they gathered their things for the snorkeling expedition. “My lawyer is going to be surprised at how speedy you are.”
“Hey, why don’t I e-mail them to her?” offered Anna. Lelani dug out Clara’s business card, and Anna wrote a quick e-mail, attached the documents, and hit send.
“I asked if her assistant could print them out,” Anna said as they went out to the car. “If they print them in time, we can all go in and sign them.”
“They’ll probably need to be notarized.” Lelani lowered her voice as they got into her car. “Just in case anyone questions their authenticity.”
So the day had started out well, but by the time the ferry landed and everyone got off with their snorkeling gear in tow, Anna was having serious second thoughts.
“I better warn you about something,” Anna told Edmond as they walked down the trail to the cove together.
“You’re really a tiger shark in disguise and I better not get too close to you in the water?”
“Very funny.” Anna looked at Edmond. “There aren’t sharks around here, are there?”
“Well, it’s an ocean, Anna.”
“Is Anna freaking over sharks?” teased Gil from behind them.
“Yes.” Anna nodded vigorously. “I have a serious fear of sharks.”
“The key is to just relax,” said Lelani as she came up and walked beside Anna.
“Because some people think that sharks can smell fear,” said Edmond.
Anna stopped in her tracks. “Smell fear? Then that makes me, what, shark bait? Because, trust me, I am afraid. Very afraid.”
“Oh, Anna, I don’t think sharks really smell fear. Although they do smell blood.”
“Great,” said Anna. “I cut my finger slicing that pineapple this morning. Does that mean I’m shark bait?”
“You’re not going to be shark bait,” Lelani assured her. “We’ll stay together, okay? And close to the shore.”
“Maybe you girls will stay close to the shore,” said Edmond, “but I plan on seeing everything I can today. I’ve got an underwater camera and the conditions look perfect.”
“Thanks,” said Anna. “It’s nice to know that my own boyfriend won’t even come to my rescue in the likely event of a shark attack.”
“No sharks will come near where we’ll be.” Lelani reached over and punched Edmond in the arm. “And if they do, Edmond, the great white snorkeler, will swim like the dickens to your side.”
“Oh, yeah, I’ll be holding my breath.” Anna shook her head.
“Don’t worry,” Lelani put a protective arm around her shoulders. “I’ll be your buddy.” She lowered her voice. “Seriously, no one knows these waters like I do. You’re safe with me.”
Anna nodded. Actually, of everyone here, she did feel safest with Lelani. “But I don’t want to hold you back. I mean it’s kind of like making you stay in the kiddie pool.”
“I can snorkel anytime I like, Anna.”
Anna frowned to remember that Lelani wasn’t planning to return with them. Still, Anna did not plan to bring the subject up again today. Today was for fun. Well, fun for some. Maybe not for Anna.
As it turned out, Lelani was the perfect snorkeling buddy. She started by giving Anna lessons on the shore. Everyone else made fun of them. But Anna was truly appreciative. Lelani taught Anna how to put on her mask, how to use her snorkel, then made her practice relaxing and breathing as they sat on the bench of the picnic table. She carefully explained how the surf would practically knock them over when they got in. “So you’ll put your flippers on out in the water.” She demonstrated, pulling her knee to her chest and slipping it on. “And now for the magic piece of equipment.” Lelani tugged an orange vest out of her pack and helped Anna into it. “It doesn’t really go with your swimsuit.” She smiled at Anna’s tropical colored stripes. “But it will help you to stay afloat so you can relax.” Anna looked at Lelani, she looked sleek and at ease in her navy tank suit and diving shorts, whereas Anna knew she probably looked ridiculous in comparison. But she didn’t care. “Now, just remember to do like I told you,” Lelani reminded her as they headed for the water. “And relax.”
It took a while for Anna to get her flippers on and readjust her mask, get the snorkel back into place and, finally, to put her face in the water. She tried to just breathe … and relax … and suddenly she saw a yellow fish dart by. Anna lifted her head out of the water and immediately sucked in a gulp of ocean. Lelani was right there though, helping her, calming her, getting her situated again, reminding her to relax and breathe slowly.
This time Anna did better. She started to enjoy spotting fish, and everything seemed to be going fine, but when a fish brushed up against her leg, once again she stuck her head out, sucked in more salt water, and had to be calmed down.
“You’re doing great, Anna.” Lelani smiled.
Anna wasn’t so sure, but she wasn’t ready to give up either. She put her face down again. Relax … breathe … slowly kick fins … relax … breathe. She was seeing more fish, and they were really amazing. Striped ones, spotted ones, turquoise blue and purple ones, and coral along the bottom, and starfish and anemones. Really spectacular. Amazing. She was glad that Edmond was taking photos.
She saw what looked like an eel! Eek, an eel! She was about to poke her head out again, but she felt someone taking her hand. She glanced over to see it was Lelani, and she was smiling and pointing to the eel, like “Look, see, isn’t it cool?” Anna nodded and looked and relaxed. Really, it wasn’t so bad.
After what felt like an hour but might’ve only been thirty minutes, Anna was ready to go back to shore. Lelani didn’t even complain as she swam back with her.
“That was really amazing,” Anna admitted. “I’m really, really glad I went out there. And you’re an awesome instructor.” She smiled sheepishly. “But …”
“You’ve had enough?”
Anna nodded. “I think so.”
“Well, you did great, Anna.”
“You can go back and join the others if you want.”
“No, that’s okay. The sun feels good. I was getting a little chilled anyway.”
Anna figured that wasn’t the complete truth but didn’t question her as they sat back down on the picnic bench and removed their snorkeling gear.
“You know, Lelani,” Anna began carefully. “I couldn’t sleep very well last night.”
“I’m sorry. Is it the bed?”
“No. I was thinking about you and Emma and the custody suit.”
Lelani nodded. “Yeah?”
“And I had this idea.”
“What?”
“Oh, it might be a bad idea, but just b
ear with me.”
“I’d love to hear your idea. Any ideas are welcome.”
“Okay.” Anna set her snorkel and mask on the table. “Well, you know how I have problems with my mother, right?”
Lelani smiled. “Yes. Although they seem tame compared to mine.”
“Oh, trust me, it can get pretty wild. But I called my mom right before we left the Portland airport. I’m sure Gil told you that my mom and I had another little blowout after you and Gil left the grandparents’ farewell dinner.”
“He mentioned something.”
“Anyway, I should probably admit that besides being afraid of sharks and open-water snorkeling”—Anna smiled—“I also have a fear of flying. I was kind of panicking and thinking maybe the plane will go down, so I called my mom to make things right. And even though I thought the fight we had was mostly her fault, I went ahead and apologized for my part in it.”
“And?”
“And she seemed touched. And we had this really nice conversation. Well, nice for my mom anyway. We made headway. I’ve called her a couple of times since we’ve been here.” Anna shook her head in amazement. “It’s like she’s changing. Or maybe I’m changing. But we’re not fighting.” Anna shrugged. “I suppose that could all change once I get back home. Anyway, for what it’s worth.”
“You think I should apologize to my mother?”
Anna frowned. “Well, I realize that she’s done a lot wrong. A lot wrong. And she should really apologize to you. But I doubt that’s going to happen.”
“Probably not.”
“You’ve said yourself that you made some mistakes in the relationship.”
“That’s true. I don’t claim to be innocent. I pretty much wimped out. And then I got angry at my mom for hiring the nanny. It’s possible that she really only hired Ginger to help me out … although I don’t think so. But, let’s say that was the case. Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.” Lelani nodded as if taking this in as she continued to talk to herself. “Let’s say that she never intended to send me away, but she was just so frustrated and she saw me moping about. Maybe we just totally misunderstood each other. And maybe my mother really thought she was helping me by sending me to Portland!” Lelani stood up now. “That really could be possible, couldn’t it?”
Spring Broke Page 22
