“Oh, dear!” She picked up her cell phone. “It’s after three and we told Anna and Edmond we’d pick—”
“Let’s go!” Marcus was on his feet, reaching down to pull her up to him. And then, to her surprise, he pulled her into a hug. “You’re one great girl, Megan.”
“Well, thanks.” She smiled up at him.
“And now we better rock and roll.” He chuckled as they hurried to the parking lot. “I guess we’re already getting sucked into Maui time.”
Fortunately, Edmond and Anna must’ve been sucked into Maui time too, because they came walking up to the prearranged meeting place only seconds after the Jeep pulled up.
“Sorry to be late,” said Anna. She set a shopping bag in the back. “But we found some great-looking fruit to take back to the guesthouse.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Marcus winked at Megan. “We haven’t been waiting too long.”
“So,” Megan produced a map. “We can either go back the way we came, or we can continue on around the east side of the island.”
“Which might be quicker,” said Marcus.
“And it might be more interesting,” added Edmond, “since we’ll see more of the island that way.”
So it was decided. But Megan was surprised at the difference in the terrain. “I feel like we’ve gone to another place,” she said as they rode through what actually seemed like a desert. “Look, there’s another cactus.”
“Are you sure we’re still in Maui?” asked Anna.
“Well, since we haven’t taken any boats or bridges,” teased Marcus.
“Or stepped into the Twilight Zone,” added Edmond.
“It says here,” Megan read from her brochure, “that this is the dry side of the island. Because of the weather pattern and trade winds, most of the moisture ends up on the west side, which explains why it’s so green over where we’re staying.” Then Megan went on to read other statistics about weather, elevation, and history.
“You’re a good travel guide,” called out Anna from the back.
“And a great teacher,” added Edmond.
Marcus nudged Megan with his elbow. “See, maybe God is calling.”
Megan just laughed. But then she wondered. Maybe God was calling. At least he might be calling her to teach. That seemed fairly obvious. As far as being a missionary, well, maybe that was simply Maui calling.
She glanced at Marcus now. He actually looked quite attractive in his aviator sunglasses and worn khaki ball cap. Already he was sporting the beginnings of a pretty nice tan. His profile, the straight nose and strong chin, was just as handsome as always, although it looked like he’d forgotten to shave this morning, which only added to those rugged good looks. He didn’t notice her looking, because his attention was tightly focused on navigating the Jeep to avoid potholes in this washboard stretch of road.
She turned away and wondered what it was that he’d been about to tell her on the beach this afternoon. Why had it suddenly felt awkward and quiet between them? Or had she simply imagined that? No, she didn’t think so. She couldn’t deny feeling hugely relieved when she realized they needed to get Anna and Edmond. Otherwise, what would’ve happened? Was he really about to ask her to marry him?
Seriously, what would she have told him if he’d made a genuine, honest-to-goodness proposal? Would she have been able to speak at all? She imagined herself with her jaw hanging open, too stunned to respond. Lovely image.
Megan had no doubt that some girls, take Kendall for instance, would think it wildly romantic to receive a proposal in a place like Maui. Perhaps at the right time, it would be wonderful, sweet, and memorable. Unfortunately, Megan didn’t feel ready for that kind of commitment. Not just yet. She sure hoped that Marcus didn’t either. But, just in case, she began rehearsing a response in her head. Something honest but kind, direct but open-ended.
Then Megan began to question herself. Why should she tell him no? Didn’t she love him? Yes, she thought that she did. She felt like she did. But marriage? She was only twenty-four. Okay, almost twenty-five. He was only a year older. He didn’t even like his job. And she didn’t like her job. No, she decided, neither of them was ready for a big commitment like marriage. Were they?
Twenty-six
Lelani
“You really don’t have to go with me,” Lelani told Gil as he snagged a parking spot and did a rather commendable job of parallel parking in a pretty tight space.
“Like I’ve already told you about ten times, I want to go with you.” He frowned now. “Unless you don’t want me there, in that case I can just wait in the—”
“No, I absolutely want you there, Gil.” She put her hand on his arm. “I need you there. It’s just that this is your vacation. You only have four days left.”
“And I would sit in a stuffy lawyer’s office for all four of those days as long as I was with you, Lelani. Don’t you get that?”
She smiled. “Thanks. Hopefully that won’t be necessary.”
He handed her the car keys.
“Why don’t you keep them,” she told him. “In case things get boring and you want to take—”
“I told you already.”
“Okay.” She took the car keys and dropped them into her purse while he put some coins in the parking meter.
“Are you nervous?” he asked as they walked toward the office building.
“Yes. But I’m also sort of relieved. It’s like I should’ve done this a long time ago.”
“No time like the present.”
“Right.” She took in a deep breath as he opened the door for her. She knew she could do this. She would do this. She glanced at Gil. “Thanks for coming.” He smiled. Lelani had considered asking Megan to come. She would’ve if Gil hadn’t volunteered, but she knew that Megan and Marcus planned to drive around the north side of the island today. And Lelani had really wanted them to do that. She was happy that Megan was so taken with Maui’s history. The way she’d told Lelani all about Princess Ka’ahumanu had been really sweet. And for Megan to compare Lelani to her was even sweeter.
“You’ll be like her today,” Megan had assured Lelani this morning. “Strong and wise and doing what’s best for your child.”
Lelani had thanked her, but as she waited for the receptionist to announce her arrival, she felt unsure. Maybe going to a lawyer would simply make things worse. In fact, maybe her mother had already gone to a lawyer. What if she’d accused Lelani of abandonment? It was entirely possible.
“Lelani.” Clara Chan met her at the door, taking both hands in hers and smiling warmly. “It’s been too long.”
Lelani smiled and introduced Clara to Gil. “He’s my moral support.”
Clara nodded in a somber way. “Yes, you’ll need it. Come into my office. Let’s talk.”
Lelani had already given Clara most of the facts over the phone. But something about the way Clara was looking at her made Lelani feel worried. “Is something wrong?” she asked as they sat down in the chairs across from Clara’s cluttered desk.
“Well, I did some checking, Lelani. And records show that your mother attained custody of Emma in August of last year.”
Lelani felt like someone had just jerked the floor out from under her. “What? No one told me. I never signed anything.”
Clara nodded. “No, you didn’t need to. Because you were out of state and your child was here, your mother had the legal right to file for custody.”
Lelani turned and looked at Gil. Tears were filling her eyes and she felt a huge lump wedging itself in her throat. She didn’t think she could even speak. Gil took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Excuse me if I’m butting in,” he began. Lelani just nodded. “But shouldn’t Lelani’s mother have consulted with Lelani about this?”
“Under normal
circumstances, a custody arrangement would be discussed with all parties involved and agreed upon together. Or else it would be settled in court.”
“But neither of these things happened, right?”
Clara shook her head. “But, in Mrs. Porter’s defense, she had the right to file for custody. For instance, if Emma needed medical treatment, she would need to have the authority to get it for her.”
“But I did sign a paper to allow Emma to have medical treatment,” Lelani said. “And I didn’t relinquish my parental rights either. It was the same kind of form that’s used for child-care purposes.”
Clara made note of this. “So, you assumed that was sufficient before you left.”
Lelani nodded. “But I did leave.”
“Only because your parents forced you to leave,” Gil pointed out.
“That’s true.”
“That’s a valid point,” said Clara. “But it might not be terribly valuable in court.”
“Do you think this will go to court?” Gil asked.
Clara frowned. “I’d be surprised if it didn’t go to court. I, uh, I’m acquainted with Alana Porter. She’s not the kind of person to give in to anything without a good fight.”
Lelani nodded and looked down at her lap.
“We’ll give her a good fight,” said Gil.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask what your involvement with Lelani is?”
“I’m her friend.”
Lelani looked at him and smiled.
“And I’d like to be more than that.”
Clara nodded. “I see, but you’re not the baby’s father?”
“No, he’s not,” Lelani said quickly.
“And the baby’s father? What role does he play in this custody dilemma?”
“No role.”
“Because?”
“Because he didn’t want anything to do with her.” Lelani looked down. “He was already married.”
“Married men often have children outside of their marriages. That’s no excuse not to take responsibility.”
“I don’t want him involved with Emma. He doesn’t want to be involved. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“No, if it’s mutual consent. But you are aware that fathers have custody rights too?”
“I’m aware. But he made it clear he wanted nothing to do with Emma.”
“Don’t you think,” Gil injected, “that this is more about Lelani and her parents and Emma’s best interest?”
“I couldn’t agree more, but I just like to shake every tree first. That’s for Lelani’s and Emma’s sakes. We don’t want to get surprised on down the line.”
“So what do you think I should do?” asked Lelani.
“To start with, we’ll file a petition for custody. But then we’ll have to build your case.”
“Build my case?”
“The court is willing to change a custody arrangement when it’s proven to be in the best interest of the child. We must provide evidence to this. We must convince them that it’s in Emma’s best interest to be with you.”
“I thought that courts always showed preference to the mothers,” said Gil.
“Generally speaking. But grandparents are highly respected in Hawaii. And it’s not unusual for grandparents to raise their grandchildren.”
“Even if they steal them from their real parents?” Lelani clenched her fists, still fighting to hold back her tears.
“Where does your father stand in all this, Lelani?”
Lelani just shrugged. She was afraid to speak because she knew she was about to cry.
“He seems to be siding with his wife,” Gil told her.
“I’m not surprised,” Clara admitted. “However, I’ve known Will Porter for quite a long time. He’s always been an honest businessman with a sound sense of fairness.”
“Except when it comes to my mother,” muttered Lelani.
“Yes.”
“So what kind of evidence does Lelani need to gather so that she can prove that she should have custody of her own child?”
Lelani nodded eagerly, thankful that Gil was on top of things.
“The court looks primarily at three criteria. First being the safety and well-being of the child. Then the court considers the history of the guardians, if they have previously caused physical harm or reasonable fear of physical harm to another person.”
“Would that include emotional abuse?” asked Gil.
“Yes. Emotional abuse would be considered.”
“What’s the third criteria?” asked Lelani.
“If a parent has been absent or has relocated as a result of family violence, the relocation shall not be a factor against the parent in determining custody.”
“Bingo!” yelled Gil. “That’s it, isn’t it? Emotional abuse sent Lelani into a depression. It’s what forced her to leave.”
“It will be difficult to prove. Lelani already told me that although her mother is verbally abusive, she never physically harmed her. Emotional abuse is a slippery slope.”
“And it will be my word against hers,” pointed out Lelani.
“But you have witnesses.” Gil stood now. “Lelani has been living with three other women, including my sister. They’ve seen how Lelani has been traumatized by all this. She’s had nightmares and panic attacks and all sorts of things.”
Clara nodded and wrote something down. “Interesting.”
“Some of Lelani’s friends actually heard Mrs. Porter verbally attacking Lelani, just this week, right here in Maui. Even in front of Emma.” He turned eagerly to Lelani. “Right?”
“That’s true. Megan saw it.”
“A witness,” declared Gil.
Clara actually chuckled as she made note of this. “Gil, have you considered going into law?”
“Not really.”
“But he’s very intelligent.” Lelani reached up and took his hand. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
He squeezed it and smiled. “Me too.”
“Well, Lelani, I suggest you get affidavits from your friends. Both in regard to your emotional state while living in the mainland, and things they witnessed in your parents’ home. Both will be valuable. In the meantime, I will file the petition and began to prepare for your case. By the way, you have the legal right to visitation with your daughter. I will get that started as soon as possible.”
“Does this mean I should remain here?” asked Lelani. “Not return to Oregon?”
“That would definitely be in your best interest.”
Lelani frowned. “I’ll need to find a job and a place to live.”
“Yes, you probably won’t want to live with your parents, under the circumstances.”
Then Lelani told Clara about how her mother postured to get rid of Lelani in the first place. “If I’d been stronger then,” said Lelani, “if I hadn’t been struggling with post-partum depression, I think I would’ve gotten a job and found a place to live. I never would’ve gone to Oregon.”
“Why Oregon?” asked Clara.
“My dad’s sister lives in Portland with her husband and three kids. I stayed with them at first. But their house was tiny and my aunt and uncle seemed to think I was the nanny and maid and, well, other things.” Lelani shook her head at the memory.
“Who decided that you should live with them?”
“My mother.” Lelani kind of laughed. “Of course.”
“Has your relationship with your mother always been strained, Lelani?”
Lelani considered this. “No, not always. As long as I agreed with her, as long as I lived my life the way she felt was best, as long as I was her adoring daughter, as long as I was perfect”—Lelani swallowed hard—“then things were okay.”
“That’s
a hard act to keep up,” said Clara sadly.
“Tell me about it.”
Gil put his hand on Lelani’s shoulder. “I don’t know anyone as close to perfect as Lelani is. I would think any mother would be proud to have her as a daughter.”
“Unless that mother saw her daughter as her competition,” said Clara. “Do you think that’s a possibility, Lelani?”
Lelani thought about it for a minute. “Yes, I suppose so. Especially as I got older and tried to make my own decisions. Like when I wanted to go to medical school, my mother hated the idea, but my dad supported me. That got a little ugly.”
Clara nodded, then began summarizing their meeting, rattling off a list of the things that Lelani needed to do. Fortunately, it looked like Gil was listening carefully, because Lelani felt like her head was spinning.
“Okay, then.” Clara looked at the clock on her desk. “I think I have enough to go to work on here. I’d like to make some notes about your case, check on some things, before my next client arrives at two.”
So Lelani and Gil thanked her, and Clara told Lelani that she would be in touch.
Outside, Lelani couldn’t contain the emotions anymore. She put her hands over her face and began to cry. Then Gil took her in his arms and there on the busiest street of downtown Lahaina, Lelani sobbed. Wouldn’t her mother be ashamed to see her daughter now?
“I’m so sorry,” she told him when she finally pulled away, touching his dampened shirt—a Hawaiian one that he’d just gotten yesterday. “Look, I soaked your new shirt.”
He stroked her hair and smiled. “You’re welcome to soak my shirt anytime.”
Lelani was still trying to remember all that Clara had told her to do, gathering material for affidavits, dates, records, letters … and then she remembered that she’d have to stay in Maui until the custody was resolved.
“Oh, Gil, what am I going to do?” she asked when they reached the car.
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