With a growing smile he said, “One of the young men said to me, ‘Why is a haole woman from the mainland telling me my stories? I want to learn the stories and tell them.’”
Irene, Catherine, and the doctor chuckled. Carissa guessed the reference to her being a haole meant she was a foreigner or a “white” woman, which she was. If that fact alone prompted someone of Hawaiian blood to take up the torch, then she felt even more exhilarated about having delivered all of Irene’s carefully prepared notes to these students.
Within an hour, they had said their good-byes, exchanged hugs, and were back at the airport. Irene resisted Carissa’s suggestion that they ask for a wheelchair, but once they found out how far they had to go in this international airport to reach their gate, Irene acquiesced.
“This is the way to go,” Carissa whispered to her after they were taken from the back of the security lineup to the front. “I’m glad you agreed to the wheelchair because now both of us get to enjoy a little upgrade in service.”
Irene looked up at Carissa and grinned. “Well, then, we’ll just say that I did this for you.”
“Fine with me.” It was also fine with Carissa when they were allowed to be among the first to board the flight to Maui. Their seats were at the bulkhead so they had more legroom. Carissa pulled out her phone and was about to turn it off for the flight when she noticed she had several messages. Since passengers were still boarding, she listened to voice mails.
The first message was from Blake. She smiled a mama smile from her heart when she heard her son’s voice. “Hey, Dad told me you’re in Hawaii. What’s up with that? Good for you, Mom. So, I called him this morning, and he told me to call you and tell you what I told him. What I told him is that I’ve met someone. She’s great. Really great. I’m pretty much smitten. Is that the word for it? I don’t know. She’s just great. Really sweet and pretty, and she’s funny and …well, just call me back when you have time. Love you. Bye.”
Carissa saved Blake’s message. She knew she would want to listen to that message over and over. It made her laugh because, in all his gushing, he hadn’t mentioned the woman’s name. Carissa had a feeling she would find that out soon enough. This was really wonderful news from her man-child. She would always remember that he had used the word “smitten.”
The next message was from Richard. He told her he was praying for her and that he would be eager to hear all about her time on Oahu. He also said in a lowered voice that he missed her and couldn’t wait to see her and added, “I had a dream about you last night. It was a very, very good dream.”
She felt her face warming as she listened to him, even though she knew no one else could hear. She saved that message, too.
The final message was also from Richard. He said a few more mushy things to her that caused her to blush even more. Then he told her to call when she could, and even if he wasn’t able to pick up, she should leave a message because he missed the sound of her voice.
Carissa thought about the mushy things she wanted to say back to him and liked what she came up with. But she didn’t want to call him now while everyone around her could hear. Instead she sent a text, telling him they were leaving Oahu early and that she would call him as soon as she could.
Irene napped on the flight and still seemed slow-moving when they reached the car and drove back to the house. It was almost three o’clock when they arrived. Kai was in the front yard cleaning out the camping gear. He offered his mom a hand as she extricated herself from the car.
“You brought her back in one piece, did you?” He was grinning, but his concern showed in his nervous mannerisms.
Carissa tried to keep the conversation light. “Yes, she’s in one piece, and I’m afraid there might be no living with her now that she’s a bit of a rock star with all the students at the Kamehameha Schools. You should have heard her presentation. The students ate up every word. They gave her a standing ovation.”
Irene leaned on her cane and looked into her son’s face. “What are you doing back from the camping trip so soon?”
“Dad called me.”
“He overreacted. I’m fine. You shouldn’t have come back.”
“Well, I did.” Kai resumed cleaning out the ice chest and acted as if he were ignoring his mom. Out of the side of his mouth he playfully added, “So deal with it, Rock Star.”
Carissa left the two of them and went around the side of the house to her little cottage. She made herself something to eat and settled on the front porch, enjoying the peace and shade, as she rocked in one of the plantation-style, tall-backed rockers. From her lovely spot she watched the afternoon sun warm the clump of bananas, toasting them to a nice golden shade of yellow. They would be ready for eating in a day. Two days at the most. Carissa hoped she wouldn’t be gone before they were ready to be plucked and peeled and mashed in one of Irene’s large mixing bowls to be turned into banana bread.
Pressing Blake’s number on her phone, she left a message for her son. “I got your message. Smitten, huh? I can’t wait to hear all the details. Isn’t love just the best thing ever? Call me, honey. I love you.”
She drew in a deep, fragrant breath of the jasmine-scented air and smiled. In two days she would be home and back in her husband’s arms. She wondered if she could find a way to tuck some of the wild jasmine in her hair and if it would stay fresh all the way home.
She knew it was worth a try.
19
“‘Oe ke Kokua aloha
Hope ‘i ‘o o Iesu
Ike launa a ho’ola
Ho ’oma’ema’e la ia makou.”
“Jesus, thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.”
STILL FEELING ENERGIZED AFTER the rousing time she had had on Oahu with Irene, Carissa decided that instead of snoozing the rest of the day away, she would venture down to the beach. She could read or sleep there, if she felt so inclined. For sure she could catch some photos of the sunset, as Richard had asked.
He had been sending text messages to her throughout the day, letting her know that he was forced to reschedule his flight, but he was leaving Denver that morning. His last text said his flight was on time. He didn’t say what time he would arrive in Portland, but she sent a message back telling him to call her once he landed. She couldn’t wait to tell him what had happened today at the Kamehameha Schools.
Around four-thirty, Carissa took off for the trek down the hill to the beach. Instead of going directly to the sand, though, she decided to explore some of the stores in the shopping center across the street. The variety of fluttering gauze skirts and beach cover-ups hanging in front of one of the shops looked worth a peek.
One dress in particular caught her eye. It was a long, flowing white dress with white embroidery across the top. Carissa had a “flower child” dress like that when she was young. As she slipped into the dress, she found it made her happy, so she bought it. She located a few more souvenirs to take home—a beaded bracelet and some tiny seashell earrings. Heidi and her mom would appreciate those little remembrances. As she checked out some coasters with a bird of paradise design and pondered buying them for Irene, Richard’s ring tone buzzed in her purse. She left the items on the counter and stepped outside.
“Hi.” His voice sounded rich and warm.
“Did your plane land?”
“Yep. Just a few minutes ago.”
“I’m glad you got home safely. I’m doing a little souvenir shopping at the moment. What would you like me to bring home for you?”
“The only thing I want you to bring home for me is yourself.”
She smiled at his sweet words. “Okay. That’s what I’ll bring you then.”
“I’ll look forward to unwrapping my gift.”
“Oh, you will, will you?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Well, I’ll look forward to that, too.”
“Good.”
A playf
ul sort of invisible glow seemed to hang between them in the short pause. Even though the flirty words were being exchanged with her husband, Carissa still felt as if she were a teenager once again, with all the trembling, heady sort of feelings of first love causing her heart to rush.
“So, what are you doing after you finish your souvenir shopping?”
“I’m going to the beach. I plan to take some pictures of the sunset for you.”
“I appreciate that. You remembered.”
“Of course, I remembered. You know what I’ll do? I’ll call you while I’m taking the pictures. That way you and I can sort of be together for a walk along the beach at sunset.”
Richard laughed.
“Don’t laugh. I know it sounds like one of those cheesy personal ads you used to make fun of. ‘Must love long walks on the beach at sunset.’ It’s just that if you were here you would see that it fits. It’s so beautiful. So romantic.”
“If you’re feeling romantic, then you’d definitely better call me.”
“I will. I promise.”
Carissa purchased her souvenirs, impulsively adding a few hair clips, and then headed for the beach. After weighing down her shopping bags with her sandals, she strode into the salty waves. As she swam, a song played in her head. It was a hymn.
The hymn came from her high school days, when she, Richard, and their friends would all go to evening church service on Sundays and sit together in the back row. The big draw was each other, and the excuse was to go out for ice cream afterward. They could stand close during the singing and sit even closer during the service. Without realizing it, she and Richard learned many hymns as they shared a hymnal with their arms rubbing together.
Not all the words had remained in her memory, and she was pretty sure they weren’t in the correct order, but enough were there to keep her singing silently as she swam.
“Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not
…Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love
…Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”
Carissa felt as if she were beaming when she emerged from the water. It had been a long, long time since she had felt this happy.
Wringing out her hair and walking back to her beach towel, Carissa thought she heard her name. She heard it again. Only a few people on the whole island knew her. She wrapped up in the beach towel and looked around. From across the sand, where a large group had gathered, Carissa saw a man waving at her. She recognized him as the Australian who had sat by her on the plane the day she arrived. She smiled and waved back.
He took the hand of the woman beside him, and the couple came walking in her direction. “I thought that was you. Looks like you’ve been enjoying your vacation here on Maui.”
“It’s been perfect. Really perfect.”
“This is my wife, Teri.”
The two women exchanged friendly hellos.
“She just arrived yesterday, and we were able to fit in a birthday party with some old friends.”
“Looks like fun.”
“You’re welcome to come join us,” Teri said. “We have plenty of food. We always do.”
“Thanks, but I have a phone date coming up with my husband.”
“How sweet,” Teri said.
Gordon gave her a nod. “Well, if you change your mind, come on over and get in on the grinds.”
“Thanks. I might do that.”
Once again, Carissa was amazed at the hospitality of the people she had met on Maui. She finished drying off and spread the beach towel out in the warm sand. Reaching into her shopping bag, she pulled out her new gauze dress and pulled off the price tag. This seemed like the ideal time to put it to good use as a bathing suit cover-up. She stood, slipped it over her head, and smoothed down the sides.
Carissa loved how she felt at that moment. Her new dress seemed like a cross between a Bohemian gypsy dress and an angelic choir robe. Pulling her still-wet hair up into a twist on the back of her head, she used one of the last-minute souvenirs. It was a long clip with a white silk flower attached. A few stray tendrils fell loose on the sides, but that was typical for her hair. Richard always liked it when she wore her hair up. She couldn’t remember the last time she had twisted it up like this. It usually all fell out within the first five minutes, but the salt water seemed to help it stay in place this time.
She took a short stroll down the beach but had walked only a few yards when her phone rang.
“Hey, I thought I was supposed to be the one who called you.”
“I couldn’t wait. What are you doing now?”
“I just started to walk along the beach, and the sun has just dipped behind a long row of thin clouds on the horizon.”
“Is the sky pink?”
“It’s just starting to turn pink. More orange, actually. Light orange, like sherbet. There are a few rosy streaks. The top of the clouds look like ruffles, with the sunlight coming through the openings and shooting shafts of silver out on the ocean. It’s really beautiful.”
“I feel like I can almost see it with you. Are you taking pictures?”
“Oh! I almost forgot.” Holding the phone to her ear with her left hand, she held up the camera with her right hand and tried to keep it steady as she lined up the shot.
“Hey, move!”
“Are you talking to me?”
“No. Some tourist in a big beachcomber hat just walked right in front of me as I tried to take the picture.”
Carissa took several steps through the sand to the left. “What’s the deal, buddy?”
“What happened?”
“I moved, and he moved, too. I had a perfect shot of the sunset, but he blocked it.”
“Is he really large or something?”
“No, he’s not large. He does have pathetically white legs, but then I’m one to talk. There. He’s out of my viewfinder. Hang on. Let me take a few pictures here.”
She snapped two pictures before the guy was back in the shot.
“You have to be kidding me!”
“Is he back?”
“Yes.” Carissa lowered the camera and kept talking to Richard. “I can’t believe this guy. He has the whole beach, and he keeps …uh-oh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s coming toward me.” She lowered her voice. “I hope he didn’t hear me.”
“Does he look mad?”
“I can’t see his face under the hat. He’s coming right toward me. What should I do?”
There was no response.
“Richard?”
The annoying tourist was now only ten feet away and was headed right for her.
“Richard!”
No answer.
The man took three long strides forward and removed the beachcomber hat.
Carissa’s jaw dropped. Her heart pounded with wild surprise and deep delight.
“Richard?”
“So, what is the guy doing now?” Richard asked.
Carissa closed her phone. “He’s standing right in front of me, and I think he’s about to kiss me.”
“I think you’re right.” Richard dropped his hat in the sand, pressed the remote phone receiver in his ear and reached out to Carissa. With both arms, he encircled her and dipped her back as he gave her the sort of kiss she hadn’t tasted for many years.
Carissa felt the warm breath from her husband’s mouth as he whispered, “I love you.”
She drew in the smoldering words, swallowing them, and feeling the deep fires igniting. “I love you.” She returned the truth to him with a kiss laced with tears.
Drawing back, they grasped hands and gazed at each other.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” She loved the look of satisfac
tion on Richard’s face. He found great pleasure in pulling off surprises. This was definitely the biggest one.
“I couldn’t wait to be with you. That’s why I was forced to change my flight out of Denver this morning.” He kissed her again. “I had to be with you.”
Pulling back, he touched the curve of her jaw. “You look absolutely amazing. I mean, really, truly stunning. You are so beautiful. I want to marry you. Right now.”
Carissa laughed and touched the side of his face. Richard used to say that line to her during the last year of their dating and engagement, as they counted off the days to their wedding. He would say he wanted to marry her right now, and she would say, “Then I’ll go find us a minister.”
A crazy thought struck her. Tilting her head she said, “Do you really want to marry me? Right now?”
“Yes, I want to marry you. Right now.” Richard kissed the tip of her sun-freckled nose.
“Then I’ll go find us a minister.” She released his hands and walked away from him.
“Carissa?”
“Wait right there. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Hiking up her long skirt, she hurried through the warm sand and approached the large birthday party gathering. Gordon waved as she entered the party area and called out, “You decided to join in, did you? Good deal.”
“No. Actually, I have a question for you. This might be the most bizarre question you’ve ever been asked.”
His wife laughed. “I doubt that. My husband tends to be a quirky-experience magnet.”
“Well, then, here’s my question. You said on the plane that you’re a pastor. I wondered if you would consider performing a vow-renewal ceremony for my husband and me. You see, he just surprised me and showed up. He’s down there by the water. The one with the white legs, looking perplexed.”
Gordon grinned. “This is why I always carry my Bible. Come on, Teri. Grab my backpack. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
The three of them arrived in front of patient Richard with breathless introductions. “This is Gordon and Teri. He’s a pastor. He’s willing to marry us again, if you have no objections.”
Richard laughed. “Are you serious?”
Under a Maui Moon Page 21
