As they sat at the stoplight, Ellen tightened her scarf. “Are we almost there, Rob?”
“Our turn is at the next light, and it’s coming up in a couple of miles.” Rob glanced back to look at her.
Before long, he sped down a hill and into a dirt parking lot. Rob found a spot to park the scooter near some other vehicles. Then they headed toward a thatched hut to inquire about the kayak rentals. After Rob paid, he suggested they watch a few people go out ahead of them. “It’ll give you a better understanding of what to expect.”
“That’s a good idea.” Ellen stood next to Rob, watching as a man and woman came down from the hut to pick out lifejackets. They each found a vest, adjusted the dangling straps, and clipped them on.
“The water looks inviting,” Ellen commented.
Rob nodded. “It’s a nice way to cool off on a warm day like this.”
The couple walked onto the dock. The man climbed in first. When he was settled in his seat, the attendant and his helper held the kayak with a firm grasp against the dock, while the woman stepped in.
“That looks easy enough.” Ellen smiled at Rob. “I don’t think I’ll have a problem getting in when it’s our turn.”
Soon the other couple left the dock. Ellen enjoyed watching them use their paddles at the same time. They took a few tries to get in sync and moved with smooth strokes along the water. In no time they were heading out to the main part of the river and had started on their trip.
“Are you ready to see some nice scenery?” Rob asked.
“Sure, and it will be good to get some exercise like those people ahead of us are doing.”
Ellen and Rob put on their life vests and waited for the attendant to bring the kayak around. Once it was close enough, Rob climbed in. Then Ellen did the same.
“The Fern Grotto tour boats have the right of way on the river,” the young man who’d brought the kayak to them stated. “So stay close to the edge of the river when you encounter them.”
“No problem. We’ll be sure to watch out,” Rob replied.
Ellen sat still, eager to start the trip.
When the attendant asked if they were ready for a push off from the dock, Rob and Ellen responded with nods.
Once they were free and floating along, Rob suggested Ellen paddle on the right, and he’d take over the left. They moved along at a nice pace. It seemed a bit intimidating at first, but once Ellen got the hang of things, she found it fun to paddle the kayak.
“There are quite a few people out here today.” Ellen pointed to the boats ahead of them.
“I bet a lot of them are tourists.” Rob turned his head to look at her. “I’ll try to take some pictures of whatever you’d like on my cell phone—just let me know. I’m sure Vickie wouldn’t mind if I download the photos to her computer and print them for you.”
“Thanks. It would be nice to have a few pictures to show my friends and family back home.” Ellen slowed her paddling.
Despite the warmth of the day, the tree branches hanging over the water in places created some nice places to get a reprieve from the heat.
Rob looked over the side of the kayak. “Look how crystal clear the water is, Ellen.”
She couldn’t agree more. “The scenery is beautiful from this view on the river.”
Rob rested the paddle he held. “Yep. We couldn’t experience this kind of view on my scooter, that’s for sure.”
Ellen nodded. She almost felt guilty for having such a good time, when poor Mandy had been going through so much with Ken. But when she’d told her friend about this trip Rob had planned for them, Mandy had encouraged Ellen to go, saying she deserved to have some fun.
Ellen’s thoughts turned to the injured bird they’d found the other day. “I’m glad you were able to track down the owner of the pigeon.”
“Yeah, it was pretty easy after I found the website of a local pigeon club. When I emailed the man in charge, he was able to tell me who the bird belonged to by the identification number on the tag. After I called the owner, he came right away to get his bird. He was grateful and explained that he lived three miles away. So the pigeon almost made it home by itself.”
As they paddled along, Ellen smelled a wonderful fragrance. “Where is that nice aroma coming from?”
Rob pointed to a group of light yellow flowers growing above the river bank. “I’m almost sure those are from the plumeria plants. They have a pleasant odor.”
Traveling farther up the river, Ellen noticed some fish jumping. They reached a place where they could beach their kayak and walk along a path. Rob said the trail led to a waterfall, but they’d have to wade through waist-high river water first, in order to get to the falls. Deciding against that option, they walked farther up the river before turning around.
As they paddled toward the Fern Grotto, Ellen saw the tour boat come up behind them.
“Here comes the big boat; we’d better get out of their way.” Rob helped Ellen direct the kayak closer to the water’s edge.
“There’s a large group of people on that boat.” Ellen paddled more to keep them from drifting outward.
The tour boat moved fast through the water and passed them by. Ripples of small waves reached their kayak, causing them to bob up and down in the water.
As they traveled on, the river got narrower and shallower. For a few seconds, Ellen imagined being back home on their pond, floating in an inner tube, like she and her sisters had done when they were young girls. She was glad she was here, though, and wished the day never had to end. It was fun spending time with Rob.
“Would you like to pull over along here and drink some of the water we brought?” he asked.
“I could use a break, and rehydrating is a good idea.” Ellen followed his lead, paddling their way to the bank.
Once close enough, Rob grabbed a root and held on to it to keep them snubbed close.
They got out their waters and drank, while resting along the bank. Ellen watched another couple from the other direction and waved.
“This was a good idea. I’m glad we could come here today.” Rob took a long drink and wiped his mouth on his shirtsleeve.
“I’m enjoying the view, and I’ve been putting my hand in the water sometimes to cool off,” Ellen admitted.
“I’ve taken some scenic pictures for you along our route, and even one of the tour boat that went by us earlier.” Rob kept a hold on the root holding them close to the bank.
“I can’t wait to see the pictures you’ve taken.” Ellen put her water bottle away.
“Shall we continue our boat ride?” he asked.
“I’m ready to head on when you are,” Ellen replied.
They rowed until they reached a shallow bend in the river, making it difficult to go on. So they turned and headed back to the dock where they’d started almost two hours before.
Ellen sighed. She didn’t want this outing to end.
Middlebury
Ezra glanced at the clock on the store wall. It was four o’clock—almost quitting time. Let me think … What time would it be in Hawaii right now? As I recall, Nathan mentioned Hawaii is six hours behind us, so that would make it around ten in the morning. I wonder what Ellen’s doing right now.
Ezra stood with his back to the counter, continuing to stare at the clock. He hoped she had received his letter and would send him a response soon.
Ezra closed his eyes, visualizing Ellen’s pretty face. He could almost hear her calling his name. “Ezra … where are you? Ezra, can you hear me?”
Ezra was jolted out of his musings when Nathan thumped his arm. “Hey, what’s the matter with you? Didn’t you hear Lenore calling for you from the back room?”
“Oh, sorry. I’ll go see what she wants.” With his face feeling as warm as bread fresh from the oven, Ezra hurried off.
When he entered the back room, Lenore stood with her arms folded, frowning at him. “How come you didn’t answer when I called? Couldn’t ya hear me shouting your name?”
&nbs
p; “No, not at first. I mean … Well, I was deep in thought.” He gave Lenore his full attention. “What’d ya need?”
She pointed to some shoe boxes on a shelf overhead. “I can’t reach those and wondered if you’d get them down for me.”
“Oh, sure thing.” Ezra reached up and pulled down one box after another. “There you go, Lenore.”
She looked up at him with a sweet, dimpled smile. “Danki, Ezra. It must be nice to be so tall.”
“It does have some benefits. Is that all you needed?”
“Jah.”
“Okay. I’ll be heading for home soon. See you tomorrow, Lenore.” When Ezra glanced at his reflection in the mirror on the back wall, he noticed his hair needed a trim. Think I’d better see if my mamm will give me a haircut soon.
As he headed back to the front of the store, Ezra found himself wishing yet again that Lenore was Ellen. It was probably no more than wishful thinking, but in truth, he hoped Ellen would end up working here again.
Wailua
“We should head back to the farm soon, but before we go, it might be fun to take the self-guided tour of the reconstructed old Hawaiian village,” Rob said as he and Ellen left their kayaks.
Ellen smiled up at him. “From what I read on the brochure I picked up, it sounds quite interesting.”
“Great! Let’s go.” Rob grabbed Ellen’s hand and was pleased when she didn’t pull it away. I’m glad she likes being in my company because I sure enjoy having her close to me.
As they walked through the thatched-roof structures, including a canoe house, birthing house, the chief’s assembly house, and doctor’s house, Rob enjoyed seeing Ellen’s reaction. Based on the almost continuous smile on her face, he felt sure she was having a good time. Artifacts and storyboards explained each structure’s purpose, and lush green gardens grew in and around the village, yielding traditional Hawaiian fruits and flowers.
Rob looked up as some heavy gray clouds moved in overhead, shadowing the sun.
He bent down to pick up a deep coral-colored Hibiscus that had dropped on the ground. Then, without so much as a thought, he tucked it behind Ellen’s right ear, in front of her white head covering. “You look beautiful,” he murmured. “Pretty as the flower behind your ear.”
Ellen’s cheeks colored, and she gave a slight dip of her head. “Thank you, Rob.”
It began to rain, but they continued on. Rob wouldn’t allow anything to interfere with their wonderful day.
As they finished their tour, he found himself thinking: This day has been wonderful. I’ll remember it long after Ellen is gone.
CHAPTER 29
Kapaa
On the last Monday of August, Ken finally came home. As he sat on the couch, he remembered how nice it had been to roll out of the hospital into the sunshine after being cooped up for weeks. Even though he had emerged from the hospital in a wheelchair, he didn’t care. Mandy and Mom were attentive, getting him into the car and making sure he was comfortable as could be.
Now as Ken reclined on the couch with his injured leg propped on a pillow, frustrations piled up. He’d been lying here, feeling useless for the past hour, watching his wife and mother scurry about trying to make everything just right for him. Well, nothing was right, and if he didn’t gain full use of his left arm and leg, things might never be.
From what the doctor had said, Ken might always have a limp and be forced to use a cane. He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed. Adjusting to it was grueling. Ken wondered how long it would take him to be somewhat normal again, and he couldn’t stop thinking about all the problems he faced.
His jaw clenched as he looked at the twirling ceiling fan. Mandy and I agreed to remain on Kauai to help Mom run the farm. If I’m not able to do the things I used to, then what good am I?
Ken pulled himself to a sitting position and stared at his cast. Sure can’t sit back and watch Mom and Mandy do all the work. And watching Rob do everything will make me feel like even less of a man. It’s my job to provide for my family, not some stranger I don’t know well. Should have never gone surfing with Taavi and Rob that day. My place was here, taking care of things on the farm.
Ken wasn’t one to give in to self-pity, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. The shark attack had changed everything—including Ken’s outlook on life. He kept asking himself why God had allowed this to happen. Was it punishment for being selfish and running off to do something fun when he should have stayed home to help Mandy that day?
Grimacing, Ken ran his fingers through his hair. To make matters worse, he still dealt with pain and had to take medication to keep it under control. Ken didn’t like taking pills, and except for an occasional ibuprofen for a rare headache, he had never been on any medications. But the shark attack had altered that. Now he had no choice but to do everything the doctor instructed—including taking pills for the pain. I could use some good news about now. Ken drummed his fingers on the sofa cushion.
Mandy came over and knelt on the floor in front of the couch. Smiling, she reached up and took hold of his hand. “There’s something I need to tell you, Ken.”
“Oh?” He hoped it wasn’t anything negative. They’d already dealt with enough bad news.
She sat up and leaned close to his ear. “We’re going to be parents.”
Ken blinked several times, wondering if he’d heard her right. “Would you please repeat that?”
“I’m expecting a baby. It’ll be born in late January or early February.”
“Now doesn’t that lift your spirits, Son?” Mom asked when she entered the room.
“How long have you known about this?” Ken directed his question to Mandy.
“Several weeks.” She continued holding his hand.
“Why are you just now telling me this? Didn’t you think I had the right to know I was going to be a father?”
“Of course you have the right, but I didn’t want you to worry about me when you were going through so much yourself.”
He let go of her hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “You’re my wife. I’m always going to worry about you.”
Mandy smiled. “Well, you needn’t worry. I’m doing fine.”
Ken’s jaw clenched. “I’m also concerned because I don’t know if I’ll be capable of providing for my family now. It’s obvious I’m not going to be able to do all the things I used to do around here.”
“It’s okay, Son.” Mom moved across the room. “Rob is working here full-time, and Ellen has also been helping out.”
“That’s fine for now. But what’s going to happen when Ellen goes back to Indiana? Rob can’t manage things on his own, and Mandy sure won’t be able to help.”
“When Ellen leaves, I’ll look for another person to assist Rob with his chores on the farm.” Mom placed her hand on Ken’s uninjured shoulder. “Let’s not worry about all of that right now. You need to rest and concentrate on getting well. We have to trust God to work out the details for everyone involved.”
Ellen came into the house to get something cold to drink for her and Rob, when a knock sounded on the back door. Makaio and Luana stood at the door.
“Aloha!” Grinning, Makaio gave a nod. “We heard Ken came home today, so we wanted to come by and say hello.”
“He’s in the living room with Mandy and Vickie. I am sure he’ll be glad to see you.” Ellen led the way.
When they entered the room, Ellen held back, while Luana and Makaio greeted Ken.
“It’s good to see you’re back where you belong.” Makaio gave Ken’s good shoulder a squeeze. “And I’ll bet you’re tired of eating hospital food and lookin’ forward to some of your mom’s home cooking.”
Ken nodded.
“How are you feeling?” Luana stood in front of the couch.
“About as good as can be expected, I guess.” Ken looked over at Mandy. “Have you told them the news?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“What news?” Luana and Makaio aske
d at the same time.
“We’re expecting our first baby.” Mandy smiled, looking over at Ellen. “And my best friend has promised to stay until after the little one is born.”
“Oh, my … Now, that is good news.” Luana clapped her hands, before giving Mandy a hug.
Makaio also hugged Mandy. “Yes, it sure is good news. Congratulations, you two.”
“Thank you.” Mandy gestured for Luana and Makaio to take seats, and Ellen offered to get them something to drink.
“No, thanks. We just had lunch.” Luana fingered her lei. “We have some news of our own to share.”
“What is it?” Vickie asked.
“Our daughter and son-in-law are for sure moving to the Big Island, so …” Luana paused and looked over at Makaio. “Why don’t you tell them?”
“Okay. After much prayer and consideration, Luana and I have made plans to sell our bed-and-breakfast and move to the Big Island too.”
“We want to be near our ohana,” Luana put in.
Ellen stood near Mandy, too stunned to say a word. She never expected Makaio and Luana would sell their B&B, much less leave Kauai. She couldn’t imagine the possibility of visiting this island again and not seeing the Palus.
Vickie sat in her room that evening, staring at the pile of bills that had accumulated this past month. While sipping on warm hibiscus tea, she wondered what her next move should be. In addition to debts of her own that had to do with the organic farm, Ken’s hospital bills kept coming in. Even though he was out of the hospital, he’d still have to go to therapy sessions, and those wouldn’t be cheap. Even with the help they’d gotten from their church, as well as the Amish community in Middlebury, Mandy and Ken were financially overextended. Truth be told, so was she. With a baby on the way, her son and daughter-in-law would need all the help they could get.
“So many memories,” Vickie murmured. Looking around the bedroom, her gaze fell upon the picture hanging above her husband’s dresser. Oh, how I remember the day Charles gave me that painting. It was an anniversary gift he had surprised her with many years ago—one he’d seen her admiring when they’d visited an art store. Charles told Vickie the beautiful colors of the Hawaiian sunset were a reminder of all the times they had walked hand-in-hand along the beach, watching the sun descend into the horizon as if the ocean had swallowed it whole. The painter had captured the sky’s vivid colors, which reflected on calm ocean waves. Over the water, big beautiful clouds, darkened by impending dusk, hung in the sky. A palm tree stood in the foreground, and Vickie could almost see it swaying.
The Hawaiian Discovery Page 17