The Hawaiian Quilt

by Brunstetter, Wanda E. ; Brunstetter, Jean;

  “I do when I want to learn something.” Mandy giggled. “I thought what he told us about the blowhole was interesting.”

  “Told you, don’t you mean? I was looking at the chickens.”

  “You should have been looking at the water shooting up. It was much more interesting.”

  “I did see it blow, but when the stranger engaged you in conversation, I let someone else take my place at the railing.”

  “If you’d stayed, you would have heard an interesting folk story about a lizard and a man doing battle in the ocean.”

  Ellen rolled her eyes dramatically. “Really, Mandy, I’d never have believed something so narrisch.”

  “It wasn’t foolish. It was fun.” Mandy gave Ellen’s arm a gentle tap. “You need to relax and be more outgoing. A person can learn a lot from talking to strangers.”

  Lihue

  After stopping for a late lunch and doing a bit of shopping, Ellen suggested they start back to their ship.

  “I’m sure we have plenty of time.” Mandy reached into her purse to retrieve her cell phone and was surprised it wasn’t there. “That’s fremm.”

  “What’s strange?”

  “I thought I put my cell phone in my purse after we were done eating, but it’s not there.”

  “Maybe you laid it down somewhere. Could you have left it in your seat or on the table at the restaurant?”

  “I’m not sure. I suppose it’s possible.” Mandy started moving in that direction. “We need to go back and see.”

  When they entered the restaurant, Mandy told the hostess she’d lost her cell phone and thought it might be there, but she was told no cell phone had been found when their table was cleared.

  “Okay, thank you.” Mandy felt her heart beat faster. She needed her phone to keep in touch with her family, not to mention keep track of the time.

  “Where else could you have left it?” Ellen’s gaze flitted around the area.

  “I have no idea.” Mandy took several deep breaths to calm herself. “I need to find it, Ellen. Help me think where it could be.”

  “Let’s retrace our steps.”

  “Okay.” Fear clutched Mandy’s heart. Losing her phone was much worse than if she’d lost her camera.

  After looking in several places with no luck, Mandy finally gave up. “Guess we’ll have to discontinue our search. We need to get back to the ship.”

  “You’re right.” Ellen rested her hand on Mandy’s arm. “I’m sorry I wasn’t paying closer attention. If I had, I may have seen where you laid the phone down.”

  “It’s not your fault. I was careless.” She turned away from Ellen and bit her lip.

  They were several blocks from their cruise ship, so they had plenty of walking to do. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, reflecting off the water’s surface. Hot and cool colors swirled in the sky and waves. It looked like something one would see in a painting, but this was even better because it was real.

  Mandy and Ellen walked at a fast pace, yet Mandy’s heartbeat slowed while she gazed at the sunset. I wonder if there are any legends about the sun in Hawaii, she mused. If there are, I’d love to listen.

  As they approached the dock, Mandy’s eyes widened, and her stomach churned. She turned to Ellen. “Where’s our cruise ship?”

  With a trembling hand, Ellen pointed.

  Mandy saw it then, some distance away. The boat had already headed out to sea. She gasped. “Oh, no! We missed it!”

  Chapter 7

  On the Cruise Ship

  Sadie squeezed her purse handles so tight, the veins stood out on her L/hand. “Oh, dear. I’m getting nervous, Barbara. The ship’s on its way to the Big Island, and we haven’t seen any sign of Mandy or Ellen.”

  “I’m sure they’re somewhere on the ship,” Barbara said. “We must have missed them on our way to dinner. This boat is enormous, and a lot of passengers are milling around, so at this point, let’s not worry.”

  “I realize that, but it’s time for supper. Mandy and Ellen should be sitting here beside us at the table.” Sadie looked around, hoping their friends were on their way and would join them any minute.

  Barbara shrugged. “Maybe they couldn’t find the dining room.”

  “It doesn’t make sense. As many evenings as we’ve all come up to this deck, they surely would be able to find their way here by now.”

  Barbara drank some water. “Perhaps they ate too much for lunch and decided to skip the evening meal. I remember the time Mandy mentioned she’d like to visit the exercise room on the ship. Maybe she and Ellen are there, working out on one of the machines.”

  Sadie’s brows lifted. “And miss dinner? I don’t believe it.”

  “If they’re too full to eat anything right now, I can understand them not wanting dinner.” Barbara leaned forward. “Or maybe they went to the ship’s library and became lost in a novel.”

  “They should have been in our room when we went there to change before coming up to dinner.” Sadie pursed her lips. “I hope you’re right about why they’re not here, but I have a horrible feeling they didn’t make it back to the ship before it pulled away from the dock.”

  Barbara coughed, nearly choking on her water. “Ach, that would be baremlich! If Mandy and Ellen didn’t get to the ship on time, they’re stranded on Kauai!”

  Lihue

  Ellen clutched Mandy’s arm. “What are we going to do? The boat left without us, and now we’re stuck here for who knows how long and without our luggage.” For the first time since they’d begun their journey, she sounded desperate to go home.

  “Calm down.” Mandy spoke softly, hoping to ease her own fears. She had to admit, even with her friend standing right beside her, it was a lonely feeling being so far from home in an unfamiliar place. “It won’t do us any good to get umgerrent.”

  “How can we not be upset?” Ellen’s voice rose while she twisted her head covering ribbons around her fingers. “We’re stuck here, with no place to even stay the night. And remember, you don’t have your cell phone anymore. If you still had it, you could at least call Sadie and Barbara and tell them what’s happened. Imagine how worried they are by now. I sure would be if our roles were reversed.”

  While Mandy and Ellen talked more about their situation, an elderly man and woman walked up to them.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt,” the lady said, “but my husband and I couldn’t help overhearing what you two were saying about missing your ship.”

  Mandy barely managed a nod.

  “I’m sorry to hear it. If you’re looking for overnight lodging, perhaps you’d be interested in staying at the lovely bed-and-breakfast where my husband and I have been staying in Kapaa for the past two nights. I heard the owner mention they have a vacancy, so I don’t think getting a room would be a problem.” She brushed her thin, gray bangs to the side of her forehead before looking at her husband who nodded.

  Mandy’s ears perked up when the elderly man mentioned the people who ran the B&B were Christians. “That’s why my wife and I have come back to stay there again. The Palos are so kind and down to earth. Real nice, genuine folks. We’d be happy to give you girls a ride to their place.” He held out his hand. “My name is Frank Anderson, and this is my wife, Dottie. We live in California, and this is our third time on Kauai.”

  Ellen and Mandy introduced themselves, then Ellen turned to Mandy. “What do you think we should do?”

  “I don’t believe we have much choice. We need a place to stay this evening.”

  As Mandy sat in the backseat of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s rental car, her throat constricted. This whole mess is my fault. If only I hadn’t lost my phone. What’s going to happen to us now? Surely the ship won’t come back to get us. I remember what we were told when instructions were given to all passengers about not being late. Now we we’ll need to find another way home.

  She glanced at Ellen, sitting behind the driver’s seat, while fingering her head covering ties again. What is she thi
nking? Mandy rubbed her hand on her chest. Is Ellen as upset with me as I am with myself? She had told her friend to calm down a while ago, but now Mandy was upset. She needed to pray and ask God to help them.

  Closing her eyes, she sent up a silent prayer. Dear Lord, please help us find a way to get in touch with Sadie and Barbara. And show us what we need to do in order to get home.

  Kapaa

  Sometime later, they pulled up in front of a large, two-story house. The sun was about to disappear below the horizon. Mandy didn’t know if it was because they were in Hawaii, but the sky was breathtaking as it turned from a brilliant orange to a deep scarlet red. The porch light was on, and Mandy could read the sign by the front door: The Palms Bed-and-Breakfast. The name seemed appropriate, since two large palm trees, silhouetted by the sunset, stood in the yard.

  Frank turned off the engine, and when he and Dottie got out, Mandy and Ellen did the same. Going up to the door without any luggage seemed strange. Since she and Ellen had not made reservations, she wondered if they would be allowed to stay.

  Both of them held back until the Andersons entered the house. A pleasant-looking Hawaiian couple, who appeared to be in their late forties, greeted them.

  “Luana and Makaio, these two young women missed their cruise ship and need a place to stay tonight,” Dottie explained. “They’re Amish, and their names are Mandy Frey and Ellen Lambright. Would you have a room for them?”

  “I’m sorry to hear of your predicament.” A look of concern was quickly replaced by Luana’s pretty smile, revealing perfectly white teeth. “We have two rooms left, but one is reserved for some people who are expected to arrive later tonight. Would one room with twin beds work for you?” She directed her question to Mandy. “It’s the Primrose Room.”

  “That would be fine.” Mandy hesitated, biting her lip. “How much does the room cost?”

  “For a single room with a shared bathroom, the cost is ninety-five dollars per night,” Makaio spoke up.

  “We’ll take it.” Ellen’s cheeks turned pink when she looked at Mandy. “Is that okay with you?”

  Mandy nodded. It wasn’t like Ellen to speak up so boldly, but in this case, she was glad she had. Mandy was relieved they had enough money between them, even though it wouldn’t last forever. They wouldn’t be able to stay here too many nights, but for now, what other choice did they have? Mandy was dog-tired and stressed out from all the drama they’d gone through today. Ellen had to be feeling it, too. I wonder if Barbara and Sadie are exhausted from worrying about us.

  Mandy couldn’t wait for her head to hit the pillow; although she wished she and Ellen were on board the cruise ship. On a positive note, she thought, I’ll have a nice bed to sleep in tonight rather than a tight upper bunk in our ship’s cabin.

  She suddenly realized that they needed to get in touch with their folks as soon as possible to let them know what had happened. Hopefully, they could send them enough money for tickets on another cruise ship that would take them back to the mainland.

  “Could we borrow your phone?” Mandy asked Luana after the Andersons headed down the hall to their room. “I’ll pay you whatever it costs for the long-distance call.”

  “Certainly, but don’t worry about paying us back. We have unlimited long-distance.” Luana spoke in a bubbly tone as she pointed to the phone sitting on a desk where the guest book lay. “Please, help yourself, and don’t forget to sign our guest book.”

  “Thank you so much.” Mandy looked at Ellen. “I’ll call my folks first, and then you can call yours.”

  “What about Sadie and Barbara? How are we supposed to let them know where we are?”

  “That’s a problem. I can’t call Barbara’s cell phone, because her number was programmed into my phone and I didn’t write it down.” Mandy released a frustrated groan.

  “Maybe when you call your parents and explain what happened, you could ask them to get ahold of Barbara’s parents, because they surely have her cell number,” Ellen suggested.

  “Good idea.” Mandy picked up the receiver and punched in the number for home. After getting her parents’ voice mail, she left a message explaining what happened. She also gave them the phone number for the B&B, reminding them of the five-hour difference in time between Indiana and Hawaii. Then she handed Ellen the phone. “Your turn.”

  “I’m bummed. The last thing I want to do is make this call to my folks. They’ll be so worried when they get my message.” The sound of dread in Ellen’s voice was evident.

  Hopefully by tomorrow, one of them would hear something from someone back home. Mandy prayed everything would work out.

  On the Cruise Ship

  “Did you get ahold of Mandy?” Sadie asked when she stepped out of the bathroom and saw Barbara with her cell phone.

  Barbara lay back on her bed. “Unfortunately, no. I did leave a message, though.”

  “How many messages does that make now?” Sadie sipped a cup of tea she’d made for herself.

  “Three.” Barbara sighed. “If they did miss the boat, which I’m almost sure is what occurred, what’s gonna happen to them?”

  Sadie sat down on Ellen’s bed. “I don’t know, but they’re both schmaert. I’m sure they’ll figure something out. We’ll pray they get help this evening and things will work out as smoothly as possible under the circumstances they’re facing.”

  “It’s hard to have faith sometimes—especially when something like this happens.” Barbara’s voice cracked. “This is horrible. It’s sure put a damper on our vacation.”

  “I agree. It’ll be hard to get off the ship in Hilo tomorrow morning and go with the others who signed up to see the volcano.” Sadie looked down at the bed and brushed her hand over the blanket. “It’s probably not the right time to say this, but…”

  “What were you going to say?”

  “I’m taking Ellen’s bed and leaving the cramped upper bunk behind.”

  “I don’t blame you for choosing to sleep there, and Ellen can’t say anything if she’s not here to talk you out of it.” Barbara’s eyes teared up. “Maybe we shouldn’t go sightseeing tomorrow. We should probably stay here and keep trying to get in touch with Mandy and Ellen.”

  “What would that solve? You can keep calling her when we’re on the Big Island.”

  “True.” Barbara picked up her cell phone again. “Think I’d better give my folks a call and tell them what happened. I’ll ask Mom to let Ellen and Mandy’s parents know about them missing the boat. After that, you can call your parents.” She grimaced. “Everyone—especially Mandy and Ellen’s family—will be umgerrent when they hear the news.”

  Chapter 8

  The Big Island

  Sadie stretched her arms over her head and released a noisy yawn. She hadn’t slept well last night, despite being in her friend’s bed. Thoughts of Ellen and Mandy kept her awake. Now she and Barbara were scheduled to take a tour to see the volcano, but neither of them felt like going anywhere. How could they have fun while their friends were stranded on Kauai?

  “Even if we’re not in the mood for sightseeing, we need to leave the ship and join the tour.” Barbara gathered her sunglasses, along with her phone, and put them in her purse.

  “You’re right. We may never visit Hawaii again, so we should try to make the best of this beautiful sunny morning. I hope we hear something from Mandy today.”

  “Jah.” Barbara reached for her sweater and held it up. “You may want to bring yours, too. I heard it can be a bit chilly near the volcano.”

  “I’ll get mine.” Sadie gathered up the rest of her things and put them in a tote. “Let’s be off.”

  Kapaa

  “This is a lovely room,” Mandy commented as she and Ellen put their only dresses on Friday morning before joining the other guests for breakfast. “The Primrose Room—what an appropriate name. The entire space looks like a beautiful flower.”

  “And don’t forget these.” Ellen gestured to the twin beds, each covered with a lovely qui
lt. “Wouldn’t it be nice to buy a Hawaiian quilt to take home when we go?” Ellen walked to the bed and ran her fingers over the material.

  Mandy brought her hands to her chest. “I would love to own one, but I hear they’re expensive.” She moved over to the mirror and put her head covering on. “If we end up staying here awhile, maybe we could make one. I don’t think they’re much different than our Amish quilts.”

  “That may be, but we won’t be here long enough to make a quilt.” Ellen moved toward the door. “We’d better go downstairs. From the delicious aromas coming up the steps, breakfast must be ready.”

  Mandy was almost to the door when she dropped her handkerchief. She bent to pick it up and noticed a little wooden statue on the floor under the dresser. “I wonder what this is.”

  Ellen turned around. “What?”

  Mandy reached for the small object and held it up. “Have you ever seen one of these before?”

  “No, I have not.” Ellen ran her finger over the dark-colored sculpture. “It’s smiling face carved into the wood looks so peculiar. Let’s ask Luana or Makaio about it.”

  When Mandy and Ellen entered the dining room a short time later, they were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, already seated at the table.

  “Did you two sleep well?” Dottie asked.

  “I did.” Mandy grinned and pulled out a chair at the table. “The bed was a lot more comfortable than the upper bunk I slept on during our time on the ship.”

  Ellen pulled out a chair and sat beside Mandy. “I had a good night’s sleep, too.”

  Two other couples entered the room and took seats at the table, and everyone introduced themselves. The middle-aged couple were from Washington State, and the newlyweds who’d arrived last evening lived in Canada.

  Smiling cheerfully, Luana stepped into the room carrying a plate of scrambled eggs. Makaio, wearing a pale green shirt with palm trees on it, was right behind her, bringing a platter of sausages and a bowl of white rice. Already on the table were two bowls of fruit—one with pineapple and strawberries, the other with papaya and blueberries.