by Lux Miller
Luca raises an eyebrow. “Are we having brunch or a buffet?”
I giggle softly and smack his arm. “Have you ever climbed a mountain? There’s a gnarly tunnel, lots of steep trails and over a hundred and fifty steps to get up to the top of the crater. It’s worth it… but you need to eat. Don’t make me call your momma and tell her you’re trying to diet on vacation. Besides, I’m fairly certain I could bounce a quarter off just about any part of you. You’re all ripped muscle while I’m the one getting soft.”
Luca shrugs. “I like my woman soft. So, if you want gravy and eggs and bacon and whatever else, be my guest.”
I roll my eyes at him before cracking a joke. “And the real reason you want me pregnant comes out. You think I’m too bony, and you just want my boobs to be bigger so you can bury your face in between them.”
Luca glances at Mike, then back at me. “Not gonna lie. There’s a lot of appeal in the statement you just made. But us men are pretty much all the same. Once a woman gets a hold of either our heart or our balls… and in this case, you’ve got both… that’s when a man is done for. When he’s tamed and housebroken.”
I look over at Mike, who simply shrugs, then points at me. “You married him knowing full well what you were getting yourself into. The man’s an animal.”
Luca nods. “He speaks the truth. I am an animal, but I know for a fact that despite the old man’s advanced age, he’s still holding a candle for a woman that had no need for his balls, but who has absolutely held his heart for decades.”
Mike’s eyes widen in panic, and he shakes his head, clearing his throat several times as he motions towards the front door. “Time is money, folks. Brunch place closes at two-thirty, so let’s get a move on. We’ve got a date with eggs and bacon and stuff.”
Luca chuckles as Mike shoves his work phone in his pocket and hightails it out of the hallway, muttering something under his breath. I turn and look up at Luca with confusion on my face. “What the hell was that about?”
Luca leans down over me and steals a kiss, then slides his hand into mine as he shrugs. “Not my secret to tell, but whether he realizes it or not, Mike just confirmed something I’ve suspected for years. I could never get confirmation, because Mike was meticulously careful to keep it under wraps. But when you spend years idolizing a man paid to protect you, you learn a bit about them. Even if my father warned me away from getting too close to Mike, I don’t regret it for a moment. I don’t regret Mike’s closeness with Momma either, because Lord knows she needed someone in her life she could count on that would be there to help raise us three hellions.”
I shake my head at him. “What’re you getting at, Luca?”
Luca glances in the direction that Mike left, then turns back to look at me, his face dead serious. He licks his bottom lip, then says with a face so straight that I’m just waiting for the punch line. “I want to set Mike up…”
I wrinkle my nose slightly. “Like in a trap?”
Luca guffaws and shakes his head. “Fuck no. That man is the most loyal one I’ve got. No way am I doing anything to jeopardize that. No, I want to set him up with a woman.”
I nod slowly like a Kindergartener looking at a book for the first time. “Like...on a date?”
Luca nods. “Now you’re talking. Yes, on a date. When we get back to NOLA…”
I shrug my shoulders hap-hazardly. “Okay, so did you have someone in mind, or are we talking about trolling Tindr or something?”
Luca shakes his head. “Nah, I’ve got someone in mind, and I need your help to do it. It’s something Mike’s been interested in a long time. Well, I always suspected it at least, but I never had any concrete evidence until now. And I think it’s brilliant. Perfect for both of them, if you ask me.”
I cross my arms and look up at Luca as I twist my lips. “And who exactly is this woman that Mike is apparently pining after?”
Luca grins. “Someone he couldn’t have because of his loyalty to my father. With my father gone, Mike’s no longer hampered by the tedious rules that prevented him from pursuing what I suspect is the only woman he’s ever cared about. At least in that way. He certainly cares about Noemi and you, but this is different. This is a woman that I truly believe Mike would go to one knee for…”
My mouth drops open. “Spill it! Why on earth would your father prevent Mike from pursuing a woman he loved?”
Luca glances over my head at the door, then back down at me with a curt nod. “Because that woman… is my mother…”
SIX
I wince slightly as I push away the still-warm, but now empty skillet in front of me. As promised, I ordered the Koko Moco, which is Koko Head Cafe’s take on the Hawaiian comfort food, Loco Moco. The mix of garlic rice, beef, mushroom gravy, and eggs tastes like home and reminds me of years gone by when my cousins and I would get together to hike up to Koko Crater and make offerings to Pele. We didn’t get over to O’ahu all that often, but Hawai’ian kids never pass up the opportunity to ask for Pele’s blessings. She created Hawai’i after all, and she could easily destroy it.
“Holy cow, I’m so full…”
I poke at my belly with a laugh, and Luca nods in agreement before polishing off his delectably sweet brunch choice of cornflake french toast. He washes it down with the last of his Lilikoi Fizz and belches softly. He chuckles as he brings his hand to his mouth and nods his head. “My compliments to the chef… that… was amazing…”
Giggling, I nod. “I know. I have fond childhood memories of this place. It wasn’t the same owners then, but they kept some of the dishes. And those are the ones I remember. We didn’t island hop often, but when we did, my grandfather would always bring us here. He died the year before my mom did, and it didn’t have quite as much joy afterwards as it had before. Maybe it was because I’d lost a good chunk of my childhood innocence with him. And maybe it’s because that…” I point to the skillet in front of me, “...was one of his favorites, but he really loved the fried kimchi. He’d always wrap it up in napkins and take it up on the mountain with him.”
Luca smiles slightly, watching me as I do exactly that, gingerly wrapping up the pieces of fried kimchi in a napkin. I wave down the waitress and ask her for a small bottle of gin. Her head bounces on her shoulders as her gaze sways from me to Mike and finally to Luca before returning to me. I see her eyes drop slowly to the jewel-encrusted turtle that sits at my throat, and a smile slowly tugs her lips outward. She dips her head at me quickly before disappearing to the back and returning a minute later with a small bottle of clear liquor the size of a soda bottle. The waitress glances out the window at Diamond Head and turns back to me with a curt shake of her head. She makes a wide smile as she gives me a Shaka symbol. I repeat the gesture back to her with my pinky and thumb extended as I curl the other three fingers into my hand and give my hand a quick shake.
As she walks away, Luca turns to me with his mouth open in surprise. “How did you just have a whole conversation with a complete stranger without saying a word?”
I grin as I stand up from the table, tucking both the bottle of gin and the fried kimchi packet into my small crossbody purse. “We said a lot, but you don’t always have to use words to say something. This right here…” I hold my hand up and show him the gesture again, “...is called a Shaka… or for mainlanders… a hang loose. It’s a universal Hawaiian greeting of good will.”
Luca looks me up and down, glances over at the girl who’s tittering about with the bartender, then looks back at me. “But how did she know-?”
I chuckle as I shrug my shoulders and walk around the table to him, sliding his arm up onto my shoulders as I rest my head against the side of his chest. I pat his side, right where I know his knife wound scar is and sigh softly. “You have your secrets and I have mine. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for returning me to my islands, even if it is temporary. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed them until now. And I want you to fall in love with them the same way I did… by experiencing them
. Come on, Pele calls… she’s far too angry at Kilauea, but here… here, she’s at peace. I have a favor to ask of her, so the sooner we get up the side of that mountain, the more my soul will be at ease.”
Luca nods like he doesn’t understand, but he’s going along with it for my sake. I smile and motion to Mike, who has polished off not one, but two skillets of volcano eggs. Mike pushes away from the table and stands, looking like a looming monster of a man. He nods his head at Luca, and Luca tosses a hundred dollar bill on the table, then leads me out of the small cafe, with Mike right behind us. I smile and whisper to Mike about my change of plans, and as we pile into the rental car, Mike’s grinning from ear to ear.
We pull up to the big open expanse of parking lot below Koko Crater, and I know in an instant that I made the right decision to skip over the touristy Diamond Head all together. While Koko Crater is just as likely to have its share of tourists, there are far fewer guided tours going up along the railway ties that are set into the side of the mountain, creating a journey of over a thousand steps to one of the most spectacular views a human will ever experience. I motion for Luca to follow me, and he does, staying less than a foot behind me as we weave around behind the baseball diamond and find ourselves at the bottom of a long, steep ascent up the side of the Koko Crater.
Luca clears his throat nervously behind me. “Just so I’m sure that we’re on the same page… we’re going to hike that?”
I nod with a grin as I turn around to face him. “We are. Diamond Head is easier, there’s no doubt… but Koko Crater… Luca, the view from up there is incredible. It looks like it’s going to be a fairly clear day. If it’s as clear up there as it looks like it is, we’ll be able to see Moloka’i, Lana’i… and maybe even Maui. Trust me, okay?”
Luca nods as he raises an eyebrow. “Do I get to kiss you at the top?”
I giggle and shrug. “Sure, if we make it that far. I’ve climbed both Koko and Diamond Head… and our thighs will be feeling it tomorrow. Tomorrow might be a good day to hang around the rental house and enjoy the hot tub.”
Luca makes a grand gesture as we reach the dirt path that leads to the lowest of the railroad ties. It’s funny that this legitimately used to be a cable car railroad back during the era of World Wars, and now, locals and tourists alike use the railroad ties to scale the dormant volcano. I unhook my sandals and kick them off to the side, and Luca blinks at me with surprise. “You’re hiking barefoot?”
I nod, smiling. “I wouldn’t recommend it for the two of you, though. It can get dicey at times, but I used to hike these trails frequently. It’s been a long time since I’ve paid my respects to the mountain, but I’m hoping hiking up the trails of Hawai’i is like riding a bike. Hopefully, it comes back easily.”
I laugh and begin to climb up the manmade steps one at a time, glancing over my shoulder occasionally to make sure Luca and Mike are still behind me. Thirty minutes and over six hundred steps into the climb up the side of Koko Crater, Luca reaches out and pats the middle of my back gently. I slow to a stop and move to the side to let a group pass by us on their way down. He takes the opportunity to steal a kiss and fold me into his arms as Mike catches up, huffing slightly as he slows to a stop behind us. “I’m not as young as I used to be. How much further?”
I glance up, then back at Mike and shrug. “Well, we’re over halfway there, but it gets steeper from here. I don’t think any bad guys are going to be up here, trying to assassinate Luca if you want to stay here and take a breather.”
Mike shakes his head vehemently. “Not a chance in hell am I missing this promised view. Besides, I’m not that old. I’m just not as nimble as someone who get regular exercise nightly in the arms of their lover.”
Luca’s eyes widen as I open my mouth to make a comment, but it’s out of my mouth before Luca can muffle my voice with his hand. “You could be if you’d just say something--”
Luca shakes his head, chuckling nervously. “Let’s keep moving, shall we?”
Mike shakes his head quickly. “I want to know what Emily was going to say.”
I lick Luca’s palm, and as he snatches his hand away, I use the moment to refocus my question and ask him quickly, “How long have you been in love with Bianca?”
Mike coughs nervously as his eyes widen. Luca’s gaze snaps to Mike when Mike doesn’t immediately deny my accusation. The man I’ve come to think of as my father stands there in complete silence as he stares out across the island of O’ahu. From this elevation, we can already see glimpses of Hanauma Bay, one of the three craters left behind in ancient times from volcanic eruptions at the smaller of the two volcanoes on this part of the island. Mike sighs heavily and turns his gaze back to me, then up at Luca.
He chews his bottom lip for what seems like forever before he inhales sharply, then exhales slowly and admits, “Since the day I first laid eyes on her. When I saw her sitting on that porch swing with Matteo and baby Luca swaddled in her arms. She was… is… the most radiant, ethereal creature I’ve ever encountered, and I can only be thankful to God to have allowed me to lay eyes upon her in my lifetime, even if that’s all that I shall ever be allowed.”
Luca coughs, but doesn’t say a word. I blink in surprise at Mike’s earnest honesty. I clear my throat and nod. “That must have been hard. To have unrequited feelings for someone for more than half your life.”
Mike looks at me, guilt on his face as he replies, “Unrequited? No, but both of us made vows to Matteo that neither of us ever even considered breaking. Your mother and I have remained loyal to Matteo and even to his memory, though he’s now only a ghost.”
I look at Luca, my eyes wide. My mouth drops open slightly, and I smack Luca’s arm… hard. Luca shakes his head quickly. He seems distracted but not angry. Was he only joking earlier about Mike and his mother dating? Shit, I may have just opened a can of worms that I don’t know how to close. I stretch my feet and motion up to the top of the incline, changing the subject as the tension becomes unbearable. “We’ve still got a way to go yet.”
We climb the rest of the steep steps carefully and slowly, finally reaching our destination another half hour later. By now, the sun is directly overhead, beating down on us angrily as its rays lick at our skin. My thighs are screaming at me, but I pull myself up onto the metal grating left behind by the US military some seventy-five years ago and stand on top of the world. I feel a slight shift of the metal beneath my bare feet and moments later, strong arms encircle my waist. I smile and close my eyes, inhaling Luca’s scent mixed with the calming smell of nature on the wind that whips around us.
“Wow,” he mutters into my ear as he holds me tightly against his body.
I nod, glancing up at him with a smile. “Totally worth it, right?”
Luca nods. “Yeah, what’s that one over there?”
I follow where he’s pointing and sigh softly. “That’s Hanauma Bay… and Diamond Head. It’s a tuff cone like Koko, but shorter and wider. Legend says Pele was in a rage when she created Diamond Head. She tore apart the Earth so completely down there that it couldn’t be repaired, so Kanaloa filled in the deepest of the craters with the ocean and created Hanauma Bay, which… if you’re up for it… is said to be one of the most beautiful places in all of Hawai’i to snorkel. But before we go from up here, there’s something I need to do.”
Luca nods and raises one eyebrow. “I don’t think sneaking off the path to pee is the best idea. You could lose your footing easily…”
I bust into laughter at Luca’s assumption, and I’m relieved to hear that even Mike chuckles from underneath us. I shake my head quickly. “I need to do something I haven’t done in a very, very long time…”
I pull the small bottle of gin out of my purse, thankful for the twist-off top. I drop the lid into my bag and walk to the edge of the metal grating, then tump the bottle of gin over, dumping it out over the ground beneath me. As the liquor absorbs into the ground below me, I murmur an ancient prayer to the goddess of fire, Pele. Hope
fully, she’s in the mood for alcohol since gin is said to be her favorite. When I’ve muttered the final words, I hold my hand out behind me and call out to Luca, “I need your knife.”
Luca sounds more than a little worried, but within moments, I can feel the cold steel of his pocketknife in my hand. I gather up the strands of silky blonde hair that now reach the middle of my back in my hand. I glance over my shoulder at Luca and sigh, “Forgive me, Luca.”
I slice the knife through my hair just above my shoulders, wincing as it pulls and tugs while the steel slices through its length. I hear both Mike and Luca gasp, followed by a small scuffle and Mike’s hushed voice, “Don’t, Luca… let her pray…”
I inhale sharply and hold my hand out over the lush greenery below me and let go of the strands of hair. I watch as they flutter in the wind and whisper softly so that nobody else but Pele can hear me, “As Kamehameha once did, I give you this offering so I may ask for your blessings… that as you’ve given birth to my islands, so too will I someday bring life into this world…”