To Hold A Rainbow: A Maui Love Story

by MJ Brannigan

  What lay ahead for her, she still didn’t know. What would she do with herself now that she was smitten with the lovely creature who rescued her? It didn’t seem as though it was just a vacation-time romance or crush. She felt linked to Kamea in some deeper way.

  Rebecca envisioned the first time laying eyes on Kamea’s face as she held onto her kayak for dear life—the face, so caring, eyes, so comforting and easing the panic from her. And then there was the feeling of her arm around her for the very first time, holding her safe and secure as they bobbed in the swells. The comfort, the calm she passed to her was still something she could touch at the mere remembrance of it.

  She knew Kamea was a child of the sea and was at ease in and on the water like no one she had known before. It made Rebecca wonder what she could bring to a relationship with a woman who was already as self-sufficient as she thought possible. Kamea didn’t seem to need her for anything. Why did she feel this attraction for her as well?

  The conversation with Jenny the other night was not what Rebecca had expected. It was what she had wanted for months: months of anguish, months of missing her partner. So much of yesterday’s driving—past lush jungle, along the rocky coastlines, and then through sugar cane fields to the sunset, did little to ease her mind. It was only when she came to the place where she had watched the sunset with Kamea that she found a resting place in her heart.

  Now, that life with Jenny seemed so far away, remote as the continent and the vast Pacific between them. She could go back, she had learned; Jenny rather contrite, even pleading, would make everything up to her when she came home. “We can get married if you’d like. We can adopt too. We can start over again, hon,” she had said. It all left Rebecca feeling drained. “I don’t want to think about this right now,” she told her, having come to Maui for the express purpose of putting Jenny behind her in the first place. Now, what?

  She didn’t want to go back to Jenny. Not now. In fact, she didn’t even want to go back home to Michigan at all. Life there could only be more of the same, she figured. Life continued as-is in suburban Detroit was, well, nothing that excited her. It was nothing that held interest for her any longer. She could go back, yes. But she thought, perhaps, she could go back and put her house and everything she didn’t need up for sale. She would spend her time purging what didn’t belong in her new life and come back here. Maui. Something about Maui had sunk deep into her. It almost killed her, yes. But it was as though it only brought death to the person she had been holding fast to, as she had done on its rocky shore, and was trying to wash the baggage of her old life away. It was giving her the opportunity, she surmised, to decide on a different future for herself, unencumbered from her broken heart.

  Would she and Kamea ‘make it’ if she moved here? she wondered. She figured they had as good a chance as any couple. Why not? We like each other. Maybe too soon to tell? Maybe not. Either way, she felt a longing to be in this magical place. And perhaps there’s such as thing as destiny after all? That was how it felt: Destiny. And it was something she had never known before now.

  * * *

  Rebecca closed her eyes for a moment as she stepped out of the car, turning her face to feel the warmth of the sun as she loved to do, letting the breeze play with her hair, caress her skin. Knowing what she wanted for the first time in a long time—and it seeming so, so right—gave her a newfound confidence—until she recognized the old beater car parked a few spots over from hers. Laura. It gave her stomach a little twist of anxiety, breaking the spell she had been bathing in all morning, since last night’s conversation with Kamea.

  Kamea would be getting off work within the hour. Should I just wait till she’s done to go in? she wondered. Maybe I can shop next door, maybe... she realized she was being fearful, falling back into her old self already—and being just a little silly. It’s an island after all—you’re always going to run into people you know—even exes, she told herself.

  As she walked through the door and let her eyes adjust to the light, she could see the big mop of hair, the bangle-covered wrists: Laura, leaning across the counter, both her hands holding Kamea’s. Her heart sank, her feet rooted to the floor. She had been deluding herself all morning, was all that her mind told her.

  Not knowing what to do—turn around, or march over as though nothing were going on, her gaze fell to the floor. Her hands fumbled with the macrame strap on the handbag, slung over her shoulder. She didn’t want to look up, to intrude on a moment not meant for her to share. She decided to keep her head down as though she had seen nothing and turn to the door acting as if she had perhaps forgotten something. That’s when she heard her name.

  “Rebecca—Hey!” She heard the clomping of Kamea’s footsteps across the wooden floor making haste towards her from behind the counter.

  She turned to see Kamea wiping both hands on the coffee-stained rag she had grabbed from the countertop; expressing a smile of warmth, and a little look of fear that she might be changing her mind to leave.

  “Hey you, where do you think you’re going?” Kamea asked as she tucked the rag into her apron, reaching out both hands to take Rebecca’s. Finding them, she dragged her to the nearest table and pulled her into the booth to keep her close.

  “I… I thought I might have been intruding on something—wasn’t sure.” Rebecca replied, tilting her head down and away.

  “Oh, that. Yeah.” Kamea answered in a whisper, eyes looking toward the countertop under furrowed brows. “I was afraid of that. Don’t worry about Laura. She’s such a flirt. I told her you were meeting me here when she asked about you, and she got all lovey-dovey on me; said ‘we should hang out again—it’ll be fun,’ that kind of crap.”

  Rebecca looked to where Laura had been standing, only to see she had moved on, looking over towards them expressionless as she passed through the other door; a to-go coffee in hand, and out to the sidewalk and waiting rusty beater.

  “She wanted me to hang out with her last week,” Rebecca confessed. “I met her at the same store where we were having coffee that first morning—invited me up to see her at the farm, take me up to Haleakala and stuff.”

  “Yeah, well… she doesn’t have much in the way of boundaries, I guess. But why wouldn’t she want to hang out with you? You’re adorable.” Kamea’s eyes twinkled as she spoke, her hands still squeezing Rebecca’s. “Can… can I kiss you hello?” Kamea asked, smiling.

  Rebecca blushed. She felt the combination of embarrassment for being silly and misinterpreting the scene only moments before, as well as the warmth flushing through her at the thought of Kamea’s lips pressed to hers. She lifted her head and leaned forward to welcome Kamea; welcome the lips eager to taste hers. Rebecca didn’t think twice about anyone else in the room watching them. She had almost died a week ago to arrive at this. And this kiss was all that mattered right now.

  * * *

  Their foreheads remained pressed to one another. Tips of their noses touched in tenderness. “What did you have in mind for today?” Rebecca asked; kiss having passed. The warmth of it still lingered, the taste of coffee and Kamea’s sweetness still on her tongue. “Got my bikini on under this, like you asked me to,” she added.

  Kamea let a quiet moan slip between them. “Thought you might like to go on a little hike to up the pools above Auntie’s; the place I was telling you about. It can get warm on the hike, but being able to jump in under the waterfall afterward is wonderful.” Kamea replied, hands still holding Rebecca’s. “You’ll love it," she added, smiling.

  Rebecca hadn’t seen such places for herself yet—only in travel pictures and videos online. It was something she had considered doing on her own before coming here. Now that Kamea was going to share the experience with her made a world of difference. Before it would have been a neat thing to see, an enjoyable adventure. Now, though, it would be romantic, sharing this with another heart; Kamea’s heart. The thought of it was so titillating, so Hawaiian-fantasy titillating.

  Kamea looked back to t
he countertop, seeming to remember she was still supposed to be working. A few customers remained lined up as lunch hour was coming to a close, her co-worker trying to keep up. “Let me finish up here and we can get going soon. I got some sandwiches already put aside for us to take. We can have a picnic when we get up there too,” she added, winking.

  As she stood up to slide out of the booth, one knee still on the cushion, Kamea leaned in to kiss Rebecca one more time. “K—I gotta go,” she said, fingers extended to caress the length of Rebecca’s arm, as she dragged herself back to the counter. Her co-worker looked somewhat relieved when she pitched in again to help.

  Rebecca watched as Kamea turned to the espresso machine, thumping spent grounds into the can, loading up more coffee, getting back into the tasks before her. But she also turned back in her direction several times to smile, to wink, and to purse her lips in a pretend kiss. Kamea seemed to take delight in Rebecca’s giggles, and that Rebecca wasn’t taking her eyes from her at all.

  And Rebecca couldn’t take her eyes from her, try as she might. At this moment, there was nothing more beautiful than watching Kamea in her element. And she seemed to handle this place; the conversations with customers, the service with smiles, with the ease of paddling her kayak, with the ease of cleaning a fish—or rescuing her from a life she had become tired of. Kamea was genuine Aloha to her, and she was beautiful.

  CHAPTER 19 - KAMEA

  Kamea delighted at the feel of Rebecca’s hand in hers. She led her up the narrow path through the fragrance of the eucalyptus trees to the first falls. An occasional stop would prompt a stolen kiss, and Kamea would point out the plants and trees that would all be new to Rebecca. Now, they sat close to each other on the rocks, feeling a soft spray from time to time, sent their way from the waterfall on a gentle breeze.

  While other visitors had come and gone, some having taken a dip in the pool, they had remained seated next to one another, talking small talk over the sound of the falling water. The last car door slammed down below, letting them know they were alone for the first time on the trail.

  Their hands were still touching, fingers intertwined and playing with each other’s, when Rebecca lifted herself, turned her back to the pool and nestled herself between Kamea’s crossed legs, wrapping her legs and arms around her. Forehead to forehead, nose to nose as they seemed to like to do. They sat like this, feeling each other’s breath. A warmth began to build from between her thighs, prompting Kamea to melt into Rebecca’s waiting lips.

  Now, looking into her eyes, she could see Rebecca’s wish to confess something—said she wanted to confide in Kamea about Sunday, and Jenny’s call. She expressed how it threw her for a loop, confused and tortured her.

  “I couldn’t believe she would call me after almost a year had gone by,” she told Kamea. “If she had called before I came here, I would have been surprised and shocked, but welcomed her back and perhaps not even come to Maui at all. I thought for so long she was my one-and-only, you know?”

  “And how do you feel now?” Kamea asked, placing a light kiss on the tip of Rebecca’s nose.

  Rebecca lifted her face to take Kamea’s lips once again. “This, this is what I feel, what I want. It’s all I know for sure right now.”

  Kamea could only feel the warmth in her grow; a desire, a longing to taste Rebecca more, to feel her deeper. She slipped her tongue between Rebecca’s parted lips, hearing a soft moan, a sigh, as Rebecca opened her mouth further, to take her deeper as though to quench a long starved and hungry heart.

  They heard another car pull in on the gravel lot below them, a car door close, then another; “God,” Kamea exclaimed with a sigh. “I think we better cool off a bit before we, well...” she said, laughing.

  “I know, right?” Rebecca replied, chuckling along with her.

  Kamea grabbed the daypack with their sandwiches and water bottles as they stood, handing a bottle to Rebecca; “Let’s head up the trail some more. There’s another waterfall up there, and a picnic table we can have lunch on if we want.”

  The second part of the trail to the upper falls was steeper, and not as well traveled as the lower path. Most tourists would stop on the road to or from Hana and only take the time to see one and not the other. They may have the upper falls to themselves, Kamea hoped.

  * * *

  The last part of the climb up the trail took more effort than the path to the lower pool. They were deeper in the forest, and the breeze off the ocean didn’t carry down into the trees as well. Kamea stood behind Rebecca, hands around her waist, chin tucked into the crook of her neck as they stood looking at the water falling from much higher above them.

  “Mmm, salty,” Kamea said, kissing Rebecca’s neck and shoulder.

  “Ha, I know. I’m all sweaty,” Rebecca laughed, turning around to take Kamea’s face in her hands, her lips waiting to take her in.

  “I like salty,” Kamea said, between soft, gentle kisses; their breathing still heavy from the last part of the steep hike. “Let’s lie over here in the shade.” Kamea pointed to the grass below a large tree that sat in the small meadow, away from the forest behind. Taking Rebecca’s hand, she pulled her down onto the ground beside her.

  The grass felt cool on her back, relieving the warmth in her legs and arms, and took her body temperature back down in the heat of the afternoon.

  “This feels lovely,” Rebecca said, closing her eyes, her hand still in Kamea’s.

  Kamea turned her head to feast on the sight of Rebecca, whose eyes were closed and held a satisfied smile on her face. She looked at the gentle heaving of her breast, watching the rise and fall of her breathing.

  Rebecca turned her face to Kamea, opening her eyes; “What?” she said, smiling at Kamea, catching her looking at her.

  “Just... it’s so nice to look at you. I like it; love watching you,” she replied, as Rebecca moved her face closer for a kiss.

  “Ooh!” Kamea exclaimed, looking past Rebecca as she opened her eyes from the kiss.

  “What?” Rebecca asked, seeming to be taken a little by surprise.

  “Mangoes!” Kamea replied, pointing to a tree at the edge of the forest on the opposite side of the pool. “I thought they’d all be done by now, but here’s some just for us!”

  Jumping up, and taking Rebecca’s hand, she pulled her around the pool to where some of the spray from the falls was drifting to the trees. Fine droplets of water covered the smooth yellow-orange skins of the hanging fruit.

  “Beautiful,” Rebecca said. “It’s like a photographer misted them for a photo shoot or something,” she continued, chuckling. “Are they good enough to eat?”

  Kamea noticed the ground covered with partially pecked and half-eaten ripened fruit that had fallen from the tree. She reached up to squeeze one, then another. And giving each a gentle tug to see if it was ripe enough to offer itself up to them. She found a few that fell into her hand with little resistance. She handed them to Rebecca; “These will be tasty, wait and see.”

  * * *

  Kamea had spread one of the towels she brought as a makeshift picnic blanket at the edge of the pool. The grass at the water’s edge seemed more welcoming than the picnic tables under the trees. They took in the sunshine and splendor of the waterfall in the late afternoon light as they ate their sandwiches—between kisses, of course. “We’ve only got an hour or so of direct sun into the pool and meadow,” Kamea explained, “You wanna take a swim now” she asked?

  “Sure,” Rebecca answered; Kamea drinking in the sight of her as she removed her t-shirt, and got up to remove her shoes and shorts. She was lovely.

  Kamea followed suit, and taking Rebecca’s hand in one hand, and two mangoes in the other against her tummy walked towards the water.

  “You’re bringing the mangoes with us?” Rebecca asked, looking a little puzzled.

  “Best way to eat ‘em,” Kamea replied with a wink, leading her onto a flat-topped boulder where they could both sit with their legs in the water.

&n
bsp; “Not too cold,” Rebecca said, wide-eyed. “I was expecting worse,” she chuckled.

  Kamea smiled and picked up one of the mangoes next to her, and began to knead it in her hands, squeezing it on all sides, massaging it gently while Rebecca looked on, puzzled. She took the end of the mango, breaking the skin with her teeth, then squeezing it into her mouth, the yellow-orange flesh on her lips, beginning to laugh as the juice trickled down her chin.

  “Kiss me now,” she urged Rebecca, whose tongue had now begun licking her own lips in anticipation of what Kamea was offering. The look in her eyes expressed a hunger for the sweet kiss to come.

  Kamea felt the tenderness of Rebecca’s lips to hers; the movement of her tongue exploring her parted lips, tasting the sweet mango in her mouth, and the juice running down her chin and neck. “Mmm, that feels so good,” Kamea said in a whisper. She squeezed the mango juice to her neck and shoulders and across the top of her breasts as Rebecca’s eager mouth kissed and licked the rivulets of sweetness wherever she found it.

  “Here, your turn,” Kamea urged, as she set down the spent mango and picked up the other. She saw the smoldering look of anticipation in Rebecca’s eyes as she watched her knead, squeeze, and then bite the flesh of the dripping mango, and move it towards her. As Kamea kissed her lips again, she squeezed the mango along the nape of Rebecca’s neck, and along the top of her shoulders; one, then the other. Kamea soon following with her mouth to taste the sweet, sticky fruit dripping across Rebecca’s skin.

  A muffled “God,” was all Rebecca could muster to say, as her head also fell into Kamea.

  Kamea lifted the mango above Rebecca, prompting her to expose her neck to her kisses, and gave the tip of the dripping fruit to her parted, waiting lips. The juice of the mango ran down her face, her neck, and across her breasts. Kamea took her time, tasting and licking the sweet juice from her, inch by tasty inch, and then slowly sliding herself into the water, pulled Rebecca in to join her.