“Are you okay?” I said. “If something’s wrong, please tell me.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’d just appreciate it if you’d agree to hang out there one more day.”
“But you won’t tell me what’s going on?”
“I can’t.”
There was a pause while I waited for him to cave and tell me what was going on. The pause went on a beat too long.
“Hatch, if there’s something up, I’d really like to know what it is. You know I’m not a big fan of guessing games.”
“Nothing’s wrong. Just meet me at the airport, okay? I’m off duty in a couple of hours. I’ll go home to pack and then head out to the airport. My plane lands in Kona at around two-thirty.”
“But if you’re getting here that early, why do we need to stay over? We could catch an evening flight back to Maui.”
“Yeah, but I had a rough shift last night. Two car accidents, a near-drowning, and three medical calls. I didn’t get much sleep. If it’s okay with you, I’d rather relax tonight and come back in the morning.”
“You’ll make the arrangements?”
“Yep. I already have. Bed, breakfast, everything. All I need from you is a ride from the airport.”
I couldn’t argue with his logic. When Hatch was on Maui he was always technically on call. If he was off-island he wouldn’t be called in unless there was an island-wide emergency like a tsunami.
At eight o’clock I woke up Lili.
“I thought you might be gone by now,” she said.
“Nope, change of plans. My friend Hatch is coming over for the day and he asked me to pick him up at the airport. But, still, you need to call David and figure out where you’ll be staying for the next few days.”
“He’ll make me stay at Shayna’s,” she whined.
“Look, Lili. I’m afraid I see only two options: go back to Maui or stay at Shayna’s. What’ll it be?”
She covered her eyes with her hands and made weeping sounds. It sounded pretty phony to me, but I gave in anyway.
“What do you want me to do?” I said. “You can’t stay here. In fact, we need to be out of this room before noon.”
“Please find me a place that isn’t so awful. I promise I’ll pay you back later.”
I wanted to point out that if she was old enough to get married she ought to be old enough to find herself a place to stay. But then it hit me: who would rent a hotel room to an underage kid from a neighbor island? Everything about her spelled “runaway.”
“Okay. Tell you what. My friend won’t be here until after we have to check out. So, until then, I’ll do what I can to find you a place.”
“Mahalo,” she said, giving me a hug. “I’ll never forget this.”
“So get up and get ready. I don’t want to have to ask for a late check-out.”
She saluted me. “Aye, aye, captain.”
I packed up my own meager belongings thinking about my success with Sifu Doug’s niece, Kaili, and how I’d considered the “mom job” pretty much a slam dunk. But in reality the day-in and day-out of parenting was no doubt a lot more perplexing than I’d imagined.
And, speaking of perplexing: what in the world could Hatch have forgotten that was worth taking a full-fare flight back to Kona and spending big bucks for a one-night stay at a bed and breakfast? Not to mention paying my way back home. Whatever it was, he was willing to open his wallet to get it back.
CHAPTER 19
I was fresh out of ideas of where to stash Lili. Obviously, Shayna’s place was available, but hardly suitable; and David’s father’s house was out of the question for more than a couple of reasons. I could check her in at a local hotel and lie and say I’d be staying with her. But I wasn’t in the mood to get dinged for an outlandish room-service bill if she ran amok. Even worse, what would I do if they got wind of her staying there alone and they kicked her to the curb? No, she was my responsibility and I needed to get creative.
We’d cleared out the room and I was about to stash the last of the stuff in the car when my cell went off. I was rolling my roller-bag in one hand, carrying Lili’s enormous suitcase in the other, and I had my beach bag purse draped over one shoulder. I dug out the phone but couldn’t read the number in the bright sunlight. I figured it was Hatch calling since he had hours to kill before his flight.
“Hi, sweetie,” I said clamping the phone between my chin and shoulder.
There was a pause. Then a female voice said, “I’m sorry, I’m trying to reach Pali Moon.”
Why is it we get embarrassed when we make an honest mistake like that? Whatever the reason, I was.
“Sorry. This is Pali. I was expecting a call from someone else.”
“Ah, this is Loke. I just wanted to call and see if Charlene was able to help you. I hope you don’t think I’m being snoopy, but I—”
I interrupted. “No, it’s not snoopy at all. I certainly understand.” How could I tactfully tell her I’d untactfully infuriated Charlene by mentioning her losing her job and we’d ended up in an embarrassing exchange that could best be described as a cat fight?
“Uh, well, I’m afraid Charlene wasn’t in much of a mood to talk,” I said. “Or maybe she didn’t remember. Whatever the reason, I’m afraid I didn’t learn anything useful.”
“Charlene can be prickly. You didn’t bring up anything about her losing her job, did you? She’s real touchy about that.”
I wanted to say it might have been prudent of Loke to clue me in on that before I’d met with Charlene, but it was too late now.
“Are you still on the island?” she said.
“For one more day. I’ll be going back to Maui tomorrow.”
She mumbled something like “sorry it didn’t work out” or whatever, but I cut her off. “Say, Loke. Do you know of someone who could take Lili in for a few nights? You probably heard Malia Byers passed away this week. She was Lili’s fiancé’s mother and Lili wants to stay until the funeral.”
“Yes, I heard. Malia was well-known here in Kealakekua. In fact, our farm helped with funding the improvements at Higashihara Park. So sad she died before the blessing on Saturday. We’re planning to go.”
“Yes, it’s sad.” I waited for her to answer my original question but she cut me off.
“Oh, sorry Pali, but some visitors just showed up. I should run.” She hung up before I had a chance to say “good-bye.”
I clicked off the call and when I turned around, Lili was standing right behind me.
“Were you talking to that lady whose daughter had my birth certificate?” she said.
“You’ve got it kind of backwards, but yes. She called to see if I’d been able to get any information about it. I asked her if she knew of someone who could put you up for a few days but she didn’t get a chance to answer.”
“I don’t want to stay at some stranger’s place. What if they’re scary like David’s sister? Or worse?”
“You know what they say—sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know,” I said.
“What? You’re gonna leave me here with devils?”
I blew out a breath. Yep, the battery in my biological clock was definitely running out of juice. A tick every now and then, but certainly no alarms. The past couple of weeks had strained the little timepiece into permanent snooze mode.
“It’s just a saying, Lili. It means sometimes it’s better to go with something you’re familiar with, even if it’s not that great, than to take a chance on something that could be worse.”
“What could be worse than Shayna’s? The place is a dump, Shayna’s mean, and her kid’s a skank. And I haven’t even met the rest of the family.”
“Those are your future in-laws, you know.”
“I’m marrying David, not them.”
“Don’t be so sure of that. You know the number one reason why marriages fail?” I said.
“Money,” said Lili.
That was true. Maybe she wasn’t as naïve as I thought.
“That’s ri
ght, statistically. But when you marry someone, their life’s problems become your life’s problems. If they have a crazy family it becomes your crazy family.”
“But David and me aren’t going to be living anywhere near here,” she said.
“I know you left Seabury Hall, but I thought David was staying in school.”
“He is. But it’s over in Hilo. That’s like a hundred miles from here.”
“His family is still only a phone call away. And if they want to get in your face it’s less than four hours by car. If you think you can marry David and avoid contact with his family, you’re kidding yourself. Haven’t you noticed? He’s Hawaiian.”
She shot me a load of stink eye. “I know that. So am I.”
“Thanks to your hanai mom you have a Hawaiian name. But from what I’ve seen, your life experience has been nothing like David’s.”
“Are you dissing me? Or my parents? Because even though my mom’s kinda mad at me right now, she’s gonna come around. She’ll see what a great husband David is, and she’ll be nagging me to have a baby. You just wait.”
Luckily, my phone rang.
“Aloha, Loke,” I said.
“I’ve talked it over with Ray,” she said. “And we’ve agreed Lili should stay here, with us.”
“Oh, I don’t know—”
“No really. It will be fine. We agree that bonding with Lili could give me a chance to get past my loss. I don’t think it’s a mere coincidence she came into my life. I need her. And it sounds like she could use some support right now. First this birth certificate thing, and now her fiancé’s mother dying? I think we could be good for each other.”
“Would you mind if I called you back?” I said. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“Certainly. I keep my phone in my pocket so call when you’re free.”
I asked Lili if she’d like to head over to the breakfast room and I’d join her in a few minutes. I said I needed to make a call but I’d be right over.
As soon as she was out of earshot, I called Loke back. “It’s really kind of you to offer to take in Lili,” I said. “But to be fair, I must warn you she’s a handful. She’s an only child and her parents have pretty much catered to her every whim.”
“Pali, perhaps you’re forgetting that if my own Lili had lived she would’ve been an only child, as well. We’ve got three little guest cottages and I’d love to offer one to Lili for as long as she needs it. Free of charge, of course.”
“Mahalo. That’s very generous.”
“I hope you won’t find it pathetic when I say I can’t wait to have her here with me.”
“Please try to remember that when she demands cream and sugar in her coffee tomorrow morning,” I said.
“Oh, I would expect her to! When I was her age I hated black coffee. I made my dear mother make me hot chocolate every morning.” She chuckled. I couldn’t help but wonder why it was that the spoiled always seem to find people who can’t wait to spoil them. Oh well, as Auntie Mana used to say, “Every pot has its lid.”
After breakfast, I drove Lili down to the coffee farm. Loke must’ve been eyeballing the dirt road leading up to it like a Hatfield checking for McCoys, because as soon as I started down the steep incline she shot out of the door of the gift shop and began heading in our direction.
Lili said, “So, her little girl who died was also named Lili?”
“Yeah. That’s probably why your birth certificates got switched.”
“That’s so sad. I’m gonna be extra nice to her so she’ll think her daughter would’ve been nice. Sometimes I don’t work so hard at being nice.”
I shook my head.
“Oh yeah. You may not believe it, but it’s kinda hard to be nice all the time if you’re not seriously focused on it.”
We parked and Lili got out and hugged Loke. I thought the older woman might cry, but her smile looked genuine.
“It’s so wonderful to have you staying here with us,” Loke said.
“Mahalo for having me. I hope I won’t be any trouble. I’d really like to help out wherever I can.”
I stared at Lili, unable to comprehend how easily she could turn the charm on and off. It was like watching a magician’s sleight of hand.
“I’ve set you up in the first guest cottage. It’s closest to the house, so you can come over whenever you’d like but you’ll also have your privacy.”
“Mahalo. That’s great. I’d seriously like you to find something for me to do to help out. Pali probably told you I’ve recently lost my future mother-in-law and it would help to keep busy and not think about it. I’m a good worker.”
I wanted to mumble “since when?” but I stifled my pique.
Loke invited us to the house for coffee. I had almost two hours before I had to leave for the airport to pick up Hatch, so I agreed.
Ray Vick was in the kitchen when we walked in. He was about my height, with intense dark eyes. His skin was the color of old pennies, and his black hair was pulled back into a stubby ponytail. “Naturally Kona” was embroidered above the breast pocket of his khaki shirt, and his jeans were held up by a length of hemp rope knotted above the fly. To me, he looked like the quintessential “man of the earth.” A textbook example of a long-time Kona coffee farmer.
“Welcome to our home,” he said in a soft voice. He glanced over at his wife as if checking for signs of distress. She was still smiling, but her eyes darted from Lili to Ray as if trying to send him a signal.
“How lucky for me to get another cup of your coffee before I have to leave,” I said trying to cut through the tension that hung in the air like thick morning fog. “It’s wonderful. Very full-bodied flavor without even a hint of bitterness.” I sounded like an ersatz sommelier describing the wine-of-the-month at Outback Steakhouse.
Everyone shot me a pitying look.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m afraid I’m not good at small talk.”
“Relax, Pali,” Ray said. “I know we’re all a little on edge. But Lili is very welcome here, and Loke and I are both looking forward to her visit. We only wish it were under more pleasant circumstances.”
“I heard Malia took her own life,” said Loke. “It’s tragic for her family. But I’d also heard she had a lot of health problems. Sometimes it’s just too much to bear.”
“I hope the autopsy comes back soon,” I said. “There are some people who think the circumstances look suspicious.”
“David, for one,” said Lili. “He said his mother would never do something like that.”
“It’s always hard to imagine a loved one in so much pain,” said Loke.
“It’s not that,” said Lili. “David said his mother was actually doing better lately. His sisters told him the Parks Department might be naming a park for her.”
Now it was Lili’s turn to get the pitying look.
“No, seriously,” Lili said. “He said there was supposed to be a blessing this Saturday and his mom was going to cut the ribbon and maybe even make a speech.”
Loke busied herself with getting coffee cups down while Ray fussed with grinding the beans. I offered to help Lili unload her stuff from the car and get settled into the cottage.
“Do you know who found David’s mom on Monday?” I said. We were making our way to the first of three guest houses on the property. This one was painted pale blue with white trim around the windows and a white Dutch door. Above the door was a sign that read, “Cloud Cottage.”
“Why’s the door cut in half?” Lili said as we went inside.
“It’s called a Dutch door.” I unlatched the top from the bottom and pulled the top half open. “See? It’s both a window and a door.”
“Cool.”
We both took in the one-room cottage. It had a queen-sized bed made up with a fluffy blue comforter with appliqued white clouds, a tiny bathroom with sink, toilet and corner tiled shower, and a two-person wooden table with chairs sized to fit a six-year-old.
“Really cute,” I said. I
could only imagine what Hatch would think of a place like that. He’d probably call it a kiddy doll-house and ask to be moved to adult quarters, but it was perfect for Lili.
“I wish I could stay here forever,” said Lili. She fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “Maybe the birth certificate was right and the death certificate was wrong. Maybe Loke and Ray are my real parents, after all.”
“Your ‘real’ parents are the people who raised you,” I said.
She snorted an edgy laugh. “Sure. But remember? My mom kicked me out when I got engaged to David. Maybe she’s decided to stop being my mom.”
“I don’t think that’s an option,” I said.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. That’s why David said he’s sure his mom didn’t kill herself. He said no matter how bad things got, she’d never leave him and his sisters. Never.”
CHAPTER 20
I bid my farewells and drove out to the Kona Airport to pick up Hatch. It irked me a little he’d refused to tell me what he’d forgotten. I could’ve located it for him and been home a day sooner. It wasn’t like Hatch to be secretive with me, but ever since he’d gone off to wildland fire training in Montana last year I’d seen a change in him. He’d become quieter, moodier, and less enthusiastic about the perks of island life. It seemed as if he was itching to trade surfing and perfect weather for skiing and twenty-below. For me, any talk of a move to the mainland was a deal breaker. For Hatch, the push-pull of go or don’t go seemed to be taking a toll.
I entered the open-air airport. There wasn’t much of a waiting area since the bulk of the tiny airport was beyond the security screening, but it was already after two o’clock so I wouldn’t need to wait long.
Fifteen minutes later, Hatch appeared. He carried a tiny duffle bag and looked deep in thought. He walked right past me, making me hustle alongside him to get his attention. I touched his arm.
“Are you okay?” I said.
“Uh, yeah. Sorry. I thought you’d be waiting out by the curb.”
I pointed to the miniscule duffle bag. It was barely bigger than my purse. “Have you got more luggage?”
“I’m a firefighter. I prepare for the worst, and only take what I can carry.”
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