“I know. I’ve got you too.”
14
Akemi
Rain came down one inch after another on the night before Kaleo’s birthday. It roared against the metal roof overhead as Akemi watched the clock strike midnight. Kaleo was sound asleep, bathed in the hurricane-strength white noise of the storm.
By dawn, it slowed to a trickle.
Not long after that, the sky began to clear.
Akemi paced back and forth on the front lawn, trying to discharge some of the anxiety that was squeezing her lungs. Kaleo sat nearby, carefully stacking a set of wooden blocks that were older than his mother.
“Did his plane land yet?” Anne asked, coming down the front steps.
“Just did, yeah.” Akemi gave her a weak smile.
Lorenzo’s final flight had been canceled due to the storm, stranding him on the wrong island. He caught the first flight out that morning, which meant that he was due to arrive exactly when the birthday party was supposed to start.
They had deliberately scheduled it for the morning, bothto maximize their chances of a happy baby and to include Lorenzo’s family via video call, accounting for the twelve-hour time difference… but Lorenzo was supposed to arrive the night before, giving him at least a moment to settle in before launching into a party.
“The whole thing is a mess,” she said to her sister. “We should have allowed more wiggle room.”
“Why couldn’t he fly in a few days early?” asked Anne.
“Two of his employees were on vacation.”
“At the same time?”
“They were on vacationtogether,” Akemi clarified, “so he didn’t have enough people to run all of the tours with him gone until they got back.”
“He’s cutting it close. But if his plane landed already, he’ll be here any minute. Well in time for the party.”
Akemi nodded, looking down the road. Anne stepped closer and put an arm around her.
“Have you eaten today?”
“Not yet.”
“Kemi, you can’t skip meals. You’re still breastfeeding.”
She nodded, half paying attention, still looking down the road.
“I still have some ‘ulu waffles left from breakfast.”
“I should have picked him up myself,” Akemi muttered, nibbling at the nail of her thumb.
“He’ll be here.” Anne squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll go make you a plate.”
Kaleo lost interest in the blocks and wandered off, toddling barefoot across the gravely lawn. Akemi trailed him, her mind still far away.
It was his first birthday. The year had gone by in a blink, inspite of their many flights and sleepless nights.
She couldn’t believe how quickly he had grown. It seemed like just a moment ago she had been holding her newborn; now she was hurrying to keep up with a toddler.
It was his first birthday, and they hadn’t seen Lorenzo in six months.
Half of his life.
