“Thursday.” She nodded. “Okay.”
His grin was as warm as the summer sun, and he didn’t say a thing. Maybe he didn’t want to jinx the moment or upset this fragile newsomethingthat was growing between them. He just kissed her hairline and then left through the back door.
Rikki slipped back in just before the door swung closed, and Anne looked down at the mongoose as she worked to process what had just happened.
“Thursday,” she said again, feeling dazed.
Rikki chirped at her and ran upstairs in search of Pete.
7
Laurie
Sitting in the passenger seat of her mom’s car, Laurie felt like a kid again… and not in a good way. This was her first attempt at finding a place of her own, and her mommy was doing it for her. It was embarrassing.
At the same time, she knew that leaning on her family and community was the only way she was going to find a decent place that she could afford in Hawaii.
And so she sat quietly in the car and rode along to Auntie Mahina’s house, just like she had done a thousand times before.
The Madeira property was beautiful, a tropical paradise blooming with color. Mahina was particularly fond of hibiscus bushes, and she had collected every variety under the sun. Lush flowers bloomed in sunset colors ranging from pale pink to firetruck-yellow. Even the white flowers had red stars at the center.
Mia looked around the garden with wide eyes, her amazement magnified by her bright purple coke-bottle glasses.
Can we really live here?she asked.
Maybe,Laurie told her.We’ll see.
“Aloha!” Mahina came down the steps and greeted them with open arms. “E komo mai!”
“Aloha, Auntie,” Laurie greeted her.
“It’s so good to see you! And look at this baby, so tall and grown up! How old are you now, honey?”
Half hidden behind Laurie, Mia responded with the ASL sign for eight. Mahina’s eyebrows came together, and she looked between Laurie and Dawn uncertainly.
“Use your voice,” Dawn said sternly. Laurie stepped away, simultaneously unveiling her daughter and giving herself a better view of Mia’s face.
“I’m eight,” Mia told her.
“Eight years old!” Mahina said, smile returning. “Just like my Kiki! Have you met my grandbabies?”
“I don’t think so.”
Mahina turned and shouted something towards the house. Then she faced them again and gestured for them to follow her around back. She talked in a steady stream as she led them towards the ‘ohana unit.
Even with her hearing aids on, Laurie couldn’t make sense of what Mahina was saying without reading her lips. Mia gave her a knowing look.
She says they don’t live here anymore,she translated as they walked.
Who?Laurie asked.
Her grandkids,Mia clarified.But they’re still here a lot.
They walked past a big vegetable garden and through a small orchard where the floral scent of lychee perfumed the air. Finally they arrived at a small cedar house tucked into the back cornerof the property. It had a little lanai out front with just enough room for two chairs and a small table. Ti plants provided pops of hot-pink color against the varied shades of green.
For Laurie, it was love at first sight.
She turned to look at Mia, but her daughter had wandered away. Mahina’s grandkids had come out to greet them. There were three of them, a boy and two girls, all close to Mia’s age.
