Bamboo & Lace

by Lori Wick

  And at the moment it seemed everyone in the van felt that way. The remainder of the ride was finished rather quietly. Lily's thoughts roamed to many places until the resort house came into view. Then she smiled. It had just been a few days, but now it was familiar and dear. The sight of it also brought about questions. Had Gabe lived there all his life? Lily thought he had but suddenly wasn't certain.

  "I need a nap," Ashton proclaimed as he climbed from the back of the van.

  "And you don't even have CeCe here to use as an excuse," Evan teased him.

  "True enough. I guess I'll just have to lie on the sofa and watch television."

  "Behind your eyelids," Gabe remarked dryly.

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  The five of them trooped into the house, luggage in hand, and disappeared in various directions, lily was going to take her bag to her room, but Gabe stopped her at the bottom of the stairs.

  "If you want to call Jeff, the numbers on Baileys desk."

  "Okay. Thank you."

  Lily then looked at him, and because no one was close by, decided to ask what was on her mind.

  "Do you want me to call him, Gabe? Is there some reason you're concerned?"

  "I'm only thinking about your needs. There might be things on your mind that you need to bounce off someone. I don't want you to hesitate to call Jeff and do that."

  Lily nodded and looked thoughtful. Gabe found her so appealing that he smiled.

  "Are there things on your mind?" he dipped his head a little to ask, liking it when he could look directly into her face.

  Lily smiled. "Just a few."

  "Want to share?"

  "What I would tell Jeff, you mean?"

  Gabe shook his head. "I was just teasing you. If I drag everything out of you, I will have spoiled your time to share private thoughts with your brother."

  "But I do want to ask your opinion on something," Lily continued.

  "Okay."

  "Can love develop out of liking someone?" "I certainly think so. What do you think?" "I don't honestly know."

  "Where did that question come from?" Gabe asked, just as Evan came down the stairs. He sailed right past them, but Gabe still took Lily's arm and led her to the sitting area of the living room. When they had sat side by side on one of the love seats, Gabe repeated his question.

  "Do I have to look at you when I answer?" Lily needed to know.

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  "No."

  Lily's eyes dropped to her lap. "I realized this morning, when I was talking to the Lord about all of this, that I like you more than anyone I've ever known." Lily glanced at him but looked down again. "I think that's where the question must have come from."

  "I like you too," Gabe said softly, not really afraid of being overheard but wanting to go slow and easy with these new feelings. "I've liked you for a long time, even before we met."

  "Did Jeff talk about me that much?"

  "Not constantly, but enough that I knew you were special."

  "Gabe," Lily said, having just remembered his earlier comments, "I need to tell you that I have also been thinking about the adoption issue. I've realized how special it is that Bailey is expecting right now."

  Gabe waited, not sure where she was headed.

  "However, I'm not jealous, Gabe, not in the least. My mind has also been on my friend Ling. She was seven months along in her pregnancy when I left. I'm not jealous of her either, but if I had the chance and was needed, I would take her children and raise them as my own. Bailey's too. In a heartbeat I would gladly become a mother to Peter and Celia, or to my friend Ling's children, Faith, Hope, and Charity, and love them with all my heart. I think its wise that this subject stays open between us, but this is the way I feel right now."

  "Thank you for telling me. I've had more time to accept the situation, but at times I've struggled terribly. Never having considered foreign adoption, I now have a whole new direction in which to think. I thought I would have to content myself with being an uncle, but you've helped me to see that there might be challenges in whole new ways."

  "I don't think I know what you mean."

  I'm not borrowing trouble, Lily, but I am trying to be practical. The first obstacle in the path is that I can't father children myself. The second frustration is that I would probably never qualify for

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  a U.S. adoption. I would be foolish to think that all will be smooth sailing now that you've suggested foreign adoption. Some complication could easily come up on that road as well.

  "All that to say I've got to keep trusting and not holding on too tightly to what I think would be the ideal. I've got to let God, in His time, introduce me to all of the options. Have you heard of foster child care?"

  "Yes, I've read about that."

  "It would be my goal for us to adopt so the children would be our own, but I need to hold that loosely because it might not be God's plan. Foster parenting might be the way God could use us best."

  "I hadn't thought of that. How does it work exactly?"

  Gabe told Lily what he knew, and as he was coming to expect from her, she had probing and insightful questions. He wasn't able to answer them all, but when she was through, he then questioned her about the adoption methods in Kashien.

  The family roamed in and out, and while the two were aware of them, they were not interrupted. They talked for a solid two hours before Lily realized she had needed to use the bathroom when she came in and never had. Excusing herself, she finally went on her way, her heart thinking once again that getting to know someone was nothing like she'd ever imagined.

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  Chapter 22

  Gabe was in the process of slowly changing his clothes his mind was too full of Lily to be rushed when someone knocked on his door. Even before Gabe could open his mouth, Ashton's head popped around the door.

  "You decent?"

  "Rarely."

  It was their standard joke, and Ashton came into the room as though he'd been invited. He flopped onto his brothers bed and lay on his side, head pillowed in his hand, staring at Gabe.

  "Come on in, Ash." Gabe said dryly.

  "Thanks. So tell me."

  "Tell you what?"

  "When you asked her."

  "When I asked who and what?"

  "When you asked Lily to marry you."

  "I haven't."

  The youngest Kapaia looked comically skeptical.

  "What are you up to, Ash?" Gabe questioned him, going back to folding his shirt and finding an old T-shirt to wear with his swimsuit.

  "What am I up to? I'm the guy on the sofa, dozing in and out, blissfully minding my own business when I wake to hear Lily say, We would get our baby from Capital City and be free to leave with her that day.'"

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  Gabe smiled but didn't say anything, and Ashton became very serious.

  "I take it you've talked about your cancer?" "Right."

  "And Lily thinks you can adopt from Kashien?"

  "She's sure of it."

  "How do you feel about that?"

  Gabe smiled. "Excited. I mean, Lily and I have a long way to go, but foreign adoption never occurred to me."

  "Am I wrong in thinking that Kashienese adoption would be even easier with Lily having dual citizenship?"

  "I think you must be right, but that didn't come up."

  "But you haven't asked Lily to marry you?"

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  Gabe laughed. "Its a little soon for that."

  "Its not too soon to talk about adoption, but it's too soon to talk about marriage?"

  Gabe threw a balled-up piece of paper at him.

  I'm not sure what you think you heard, but Lily was not being specific to the two of us. She was only explaining the process to me."

  "But you love her," Ashton stated. "I care for her very much."

  Ashton fell on his back, put his hands behind his head, and spoke to the ceiling.

  "That means you'll love her eventually, which is great." With
a huge sigh of satisfaction he added, "She doesn't ever have to leave."

  "She'll still go back to Kashien." Ashton rolled back to his side. "Why?"

  "She told her father that she would."

  "But just for a visit, right? I mean, she won't go away forever."

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  "Its hard to say what it will all look like. So much depends on her father."

  "Will she write him and tell him she's falling for you?"

  "I don't know. She was going to put a call in to Jeff. He's probably the best one to counsel her right now."

  The men fell silent for a moment. Gabe picked up a pair of socks, added it to his laundry basket, and then lifted the basket in his hands.

  "I'm going to start my wash and go surfing. Want to come?"

  Since surfing was a huge passion for the younger man, he didn't need to be asked twice. With a plan to meet on the veranda in ten minutes, the men went on their way.

  "Thank you for calling me back," Lily said into the phone. "Did I interrupt anything?"

  "No, but I'm headed out in a little while, so that's why I called back right away."

  "Will you be seeing Annika?"

  "As a matter of fact, I will. She leaves the middle of this next week, so we're trying to do the weekend up big." "Sounds fun."

  "Speaking of fun, how are you doing?"

  "I'm doing fine," she smiled, not aware that her voice had grown very soft.

  "Is there something you want to tell me?"

  "Oh, Jeff, I don't know where to begin."

  "Do you love him?" Jeff guessed correctly.

  Lily sighed. "I didn't know you could feel this way about anyone, Jeff. What will Father say?"

  "I don't know, Lil." Jeff's voice was full of compassion and understanding. "Will you write him or just tell him when you get home?"

  It didn't escape Lily's notice that Jeff knew she would go home. She didn't say anything, but that meant a lot to her.

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  "I don't think I'll write. I'm not sure what I would say. We're going to keep exploring this until I have to leave, so I won't really know where things stand until then."

  "And will you keep your original go-home date?"

  "How are things looking on your end?"

  "Like I'll be a week late."

  "Okay," Lily said, and Jeff could tell she was thinking. "I'll probably wait until you let me know for certain, but then I'll ask Gabe to help me change my flight. After that, I'll write Father."

  "We'll have a good time, Lily."

  "Jeff," Lily said suddenly, almost cutting him off, "where did this new boldness come from? At one time I would never have dreamed to tell Father anything. Why am I able to do it now?"

  "It's probably tied into how safe and secure you feel in Hawaii with the Kapaias. Are you looking at the men?"

  "Yes."

  "Is it easy?"

  "It is with Gabe, Evan, and Ash. It's a little harder with others."

  "But you're doing it?"

  "Yes."

  "That's probably part of it too. You're feeling more confident all the way around. But don't be fooled, Lily. Father is the type of man who commands subservience from his children. One minute of being in his presence, especially in Kashien, and you'll be cowed under again."

  "Just hearing his voice on the phone did that."

  "And how did that make you feel?"

  "Tired. I understand that I need to show him respect when we're in the village, Jeff, but why can't I look at him when we're alone in our home?"

  "I don't know, Lil. It wasn't like this when Mom was alive. I still think you and I should sit down when I get back and decide what I should say to him in a letter. I think my representing you will help."

  "Okay, Jeff, we'll plan on that."

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  With a little more talk about relationships Jeff and Annika's, Lily and Gabe's, and both Walsh children to their father the two rang off. Something niggled in the back of Lily's mind, something she didn't like, but for right now she couldn't put her finger on it.

  At midmorning on Monday both Lily and Bailey were to be found at the bay, bamboo mats spread out as they lay under an umbrella and visited on the warm beach. Bailey was in a one-piece suit. Lily also had her suit on but had only gone so far as to remove her T-shirt, not her shorts. Atop her head was her bamboo hat, but her feet were bare so she could push her toes into the sand.

  "I love sand," Lily suddenly proclaimed.

  "That's a good thing to love when you live in Hawaii."

  "True."

  They were quiet for a moment, but Bailey had too much on her mind to let it last.

  "Did that one little word mean that you plan to live here?" Bailey asked, her head turned so that she was looking at Lily when she smiled.

  "I don't know," Lily said softly, her eyes on the bay.

  "I hope you realize that we've all been plotting against you for ages."

  Lily turned in confusion. "You have?" "Um-hm."

  "What kind of plotting?"

  "Oh, mostly praying, but also asking questions and trying to think of ways for the two of you to spend time together." "In hopes of what?" "That you would notice Gabe." "Why, Bailey?"

  Bailey laughed as she said, "Because you're perfect for each other. And since Gabe had already found you, we just needed you to notice him."

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  Lily looked at her, her face a picture of pleasure and bemusement.

  "I had no idea."

  "Well, we tried to be subtle, and in truth, Evan was the busiest one." "Evan?"

  Bailey laughed at the now surprised look on Lily's face, but before either one of them could comment further, they looked up to see Gabe headed their way.

  "Is this just girl talk?" he asked as he came to Lily's side.

  "No, you can join us," Bailey said, "especially if you're sharing some of what's in that cooler."

  "We'll just have to see about that," he teased, and Lily smiled at how laden down he was. He had his own mat, the cooler, a basket, and several towels. Lily thought she could see a book and some magazines as well. Clearly he had come for the day.

  "How are you?" Gabe asked when his mat was next to Lily's and he'd passed bottles of juice to everyone.

  "I'm fine. How are you?"

  "Just dandy," he said, throwing in a wink for good measure.

  Lily smiled in pleasure and looked away in embarrassment. Bailey had been watching them but now picked up the book she'd brought along and began to read.

  Lily looked out over the water for a time, but she didn't want to read with Gabe next to her. She just wanted to look at him and talk. She glanced his way to find him watching her.

  "Will you go to dinner with me on Thursday night?" he asked quietly.

  "Oh, certainly. To the Little Bay?"

  "No, we're going to go someplace a little fancier."

  Lily hesitated. "Will I have something to wear?"

  "Yes, that teal and blue dress you have will be fine."

  Lily nodded, feeling very pleased. Their eyes locked for a moment, until both shifted their eyes away.

  "I learned to swim in this bay," Gabe said, his eyes on the water, his voice thoughtful.

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  "How old were you?"

  "Just a baby, I think. I don't remember it, but my mom talks about it now and again."

  "And when did you learn to surf?"

  "I think I started that when I was maybe four or five."

  "Were you at all timid or frightened?"

  "Not at that age. I was too young to realize how seriously I should take it. My dad knew the dangers and kept a tight rein on me, but I was raring to go at all times."

  "Were you ever hurt?"

  "Not seriously. I tumbled off my board enough times early on to learn respect for those waves, and that's all it took. I was still dying to go surfing every waking moment, but I knew my limits."

  Lily was silent with awe learning to surf at such a young age.

  "It's
all a matter of where you live," Gabe continued to voice his thoughts. "Kids who grow up in the mountains of Colorado learn to snow ski as babies. On a horse ranch, you're in the saddle before you can walk. On the beaches of Oahu, you learn to surf."

  "I think I'll learn to surf someday," Lily suddenly proclaimed.

  Gabe shifted to get a better view of her face.

  "Are you serious?" he asked.

  Lily's smile was nothing short of cheeky. "No."

  As Gabe laughed, Bailey commented that Evan was headed their way. Lily frantically reached for her T-shirt. Stopping her actions, Gabe put a hand on her arm and spoke quietly.

  "Your suit is very modest, Lily. You don't need to cover up."

  Lily looked into his eyes. "You're sure?"

  "Very sure. Jeff helped you buy this, remember?"

  Lily nodded.

  "He would not mislead you, and you can trust me that I would tell you if something was inappropriate."

  Lily nodded and set the shirt aside, but she kept her hand on it. Evan greeted everyone, put a mat next to his wife, and reached for Bailey's hand. Lily had no sense that he was looking at her, but still she felt bare. Her figure compared to Bailey's was very small,

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  but having her arms and neck so exposed and the suit fitting snug against her body was a whole new experience.

  Lily found, however, that it didn't last. In time they were all eating, visiting, and reading, and Evan's presence soon became a complete non-issue.

  The Tuesday night luau at the cove was for adults only this time. Deanne's parents, Hadden and Anita Talbot, were invited. Ashton was in attendance, as were Evan and Bailey, Harris and Barb Stringer, Wang, Zulu, who was one of the elders from church, and his wife, Aleka, Davis and Pam Merrill, plus Gabe and Lily. The group of 14 were in high spirits from the moment they arrived and enjoyed much laughter as they ate.

  The last time they had eaten together the conversation had turned to romance and how the couples met. Tonight's discussion focused on when folks came to Christ. The mood of the party grew a little more serious then, but no less enjoyable. Time was taken for everyone to tell how he or she had come to a saving knowledge of Christ, the stories so diverse they could have been in a book. The evening passed all too swiftly, and before anyone was ready, folks needed to head home.