“Well, but that would give us some time together.”
“You’ll be busy with Anne.”
“I don’t have to be. We could go somewhere just you and me. We could bring our tent and camp out in the woods!”
“Why would I want to sleep in a tent when we have a perfectly good bed?”
“It’s actually a super comfy place to sleep. The pine needles are like two feet thick, so it feels like sleeping on a plush mattress. My sisters and I used to camp there all the time when we were in high school.”
“Then maybe your sisters will camp there with you this time.”
Oakley stared at him. “Don’t you want a break from the office?”
“I like my office.” His tone had lost its warmth and taken on an edge of irritation.
“I know, but you never leave it anymore.”
“I leave it three times a month! I travel plenty. Don’t give me a hard time for wanting to behomewhen I’m home.”
“What happened to that intrepid adventurer who was always up for a camping trip?”
“Your mom’s backyard isn’t exactly hiking through the Himalayas.”
She ground her teeth together. The volcanic cliffs and sweeping Pacific vistas of her childhood were no less spectacular than any place they had visited in their many years of travel.
But she didn’t want to argue anymore. She hadn’t wanted to argue in the first place, but it seemed like every invitation turned into an argument these days.
She was pushing too hard. He worked so many hours that he wanted to rest when he wasn’t working. That was understandable.
“Okay,” she said at last. “We’ll see you in a couple of days.”
Oakley tried to let go of her resentment as she tossed their bags into the car. She wanted him towantto spend time with them, but it had been nothing but a struggle for years now.
Like the rest of what felt off in her life, she had hardly noticed it until things reached a breaking point.
Outside the elementary school, she greeted her girls with hugs and then handed them snacks once they were buckled into the back seat. Then they drove south towards Pualena.
With each beautiful mile, Oakley’s soul felt lighter. She loved Hawaii with her whole heart. Anytime she started feeling grumpy, all she had to do was get outside and let the beauty of the island wash her worries away.
Focusing on day to day stressors was so myopic, she remembered as they breezed down the coastal road. She hadsomuch to be thankful for.
Oakley breathed deep and counted her blessings.
Her daughters were thriving.
She had her health.
Her husband worked hard to pay their mortgage and send their daughters to private school.
They lived in the most beautiful place in the world.
Her family was less than two hours away, and the drive down was incredibly gorgeous.
What did she have to be grumpy about, anyway?
By the time they pulled up to grandma’s house, her spirits were high.
Pete greeted them in the driveway wearing his bathing suit.
