Anne
Anne had taken to walking the cliffs at night, watching the slow and subtle shift of colors that marked a Pualena sunset. Sometimes Noah joined her, and sometimes one of her kids tagged along, but usually she walked alone. It gave her the chance to compose her thoughts and find a bit of zen before diving back into the chaos of their overcrowded house.
Today, she was accompanied by Oakley, her soul-twin sister and dearest friend. They talked and texted basically all day every day, so when they finally got a moment alone, there wasn’t usually much left to say. And that was fine with them.
They strolled along in companionable silence, sometimes splitting off to peek into a tidepool or climb a rise in the lava-rock cliffs before coming back together to walk arm in arm. It was like reliving the best moments of their shared childhood.
They walked home through the gloaming, enjoying the endless crash of waves against the rocks, pointing out stars and planets as they blinked into sight. Up ahead, the windows of their family home shone bright with welcome.
Halia had brought an early dinner of Thai food, and Akemihandled the washing up while Kaleo bounced between aunties, so the kitchen should be clean and ready to use when they got back.
“I need to do some prep for breakfast tomorrow,” Anne said as they walked up the back steps. “Want to give me a hand?”
“Sure. We’re in no rush. It’s a five-minute drive home these days. And the girls would much rather be here than there.”
“It’s a tough house to beat.” Anne took one last look at the moonlit sea before she turned and walked inside… and into a mess of flour-dusted counters and dirty spoons.
“What happened here?” Anne turned to Claire, then laughed when she saw the flour that covered her daughter’s face. A layer of white obscured the many freckles she had gained since their move to Hawaii.
“We’retryingto make cookies,” Claire cried, “but I don’t know how to use this old-fashioned oven!”
“What do you mean, old-fashioned?” Dawn asked from the living room.
“It doesn’t even say what temperature it is! How do I know when it’s done preheating?”
“The vibes,” Zoe said sagely. She sat at the kitchen island, flipping idly through a seed catalogue.
“You just feel it in your heart,” Akemi added.
“You open the door!” Dawn shouted. “You open the door, and if a blast of hot air hits you in the face, it’s ready.”
“But how do I know if that air is three hundred or three fifty?” Claire demanded.
“It doesn’t matter!”
“Of course it matters! This isbaking! You have to be precise!”
“I’ve been baking with this oven for forty years!”
“You see? It’s ancient!” Claire shoved the cookie sheet intothe oven with a clatter and closed the door with a clang. “I guess we’ll just see what happens.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Anne said.
“Can’t we keep this kitchen clean for five minutes?” Dawn walked to the sink and looked at the accumulated mess.
“It was going fine until I tried to close the flour bag and it just exploded everywhere!” Claire stomped over to the sink and splashed water on her face, turning the flour to paste.
One of Anne’s guests edged through with wide eyes, grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge, and then hurried back upstairs.
She watched him go with a sigh. Her reviews were mostly glowing; the few bad reviews she had gotten were due to the crowded house and general chaos of the place.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can live like this.” Dawn started washing the dishes with such agitation that the noise of them clanging against each other made Claire flinch.
“Grandma, I was about to do that.”
“Fine.” She shut the water off with a sudden jerk, then yanked open the nearest drawer and grabbed a kitchen towel.
“Calmdown,” Claire muttered.
