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“My sister. Her husband and daughter.”
Kai thought about when his mother had died. If Aunt Kaimana had shipped him off to his biological father on the mainland, his life would’ve been completely different. He never would’ve learned to surf. He’d never have this bond he had with Hawaii, a place like nowhere on earth.
“When my mother died, my aunt asked me if I wanted to go live with my father on the mainland or with her. I picked her, and I would again.” Kai remembered his father and the new family he so lovingly protected. He couldn’t imagine being raised by him, in the Midwest, being reminded every day that he was a mistake, an afterthought. And without his surfboard to help him cope, he would’ve been a delinquent in jail or worse.
“Your mother died? When?” Jun looked at him with surprise.
“When I was eight,” he said.
“Eight! That’s...horrible.” Jun shook her head. “Mine died when I was twenty. When Po was just a baby.”
“It’s hard to lose your mother at any age.” Kai held Jun’s hand and squeezed it. She sent him a weak smile. He knew it was true. It was impossible to explain what it was like to lose a parent to anyone who hadn’t lost one.
“She was...disappointed with me that I got pregnant so young. Sometimes I feel like she’s still disappointed with me. That she’d think I’m a bad mom.” Jun shook her head, biting her lip, her face flushed with emotion as she looked at the floor.
They were standing so close now. Every inch of her body seemed to scream out to him to be comforted. He wanted so badly to do it, to wrap her in his arms and make all the worry go away. The desire to do so was so intense he had a hard time fighting it.
Kai shook his head. “Hey,” he said, tucking his finger under her chin to raise it. “You’re the best mom I know. Po is lucky to have you. You’re strong and smart and you’ll figure this stuff with him out.”
Jun blinked back tears, and Kai could see a grateful look pass across her eyes. Her shoulders relaxed a little. “You really think so?” Her vulnerability, her doubt, shook him. Made him see her in an entirely different light. She wasn’t someone with all the answers, a know-it-all. She was just like him: struggling with problems she wasn’t sure she could solve.
“Yes, I do. And it will be easier for you to do with ’ohana,” he added, using the Hawaiian word for family. “Not just ’ohana by blood, but...” He realized he’d been about to say something about him. It had dawned on him just today when he’d carried that boy across the beach how he’d started to feel as if Jun and Po were ’ohana, his ’ohana. But that was wrong. They weren’t his.
He took a step back from her and dropped her hands. “...but, you know, Hawaii is a special place. Locals look after one another.”
It was true and always had been. The island might have tsunamis, but the locals lived in a special kind of tribe, doing favors for one another, making sure they all got by during difficult times. The spirit of Hawaii radiated through smiles and nods, the ushering of locals to the head of the luau line, and the delivery of fruit baskets to grieving families. Kai also remembered how the entire island had come together after the tsunami to help rebuild what the ocean had taken away. He glanced up and realized that by stepping back, he’d broken whatever moment they’d been sharing. She nodded, recovering her composure, the wall protecting her vulnerability once again going up.
“You’re right.” Jun smiled bravely, her can-do spirit back again.
“I think Po can learn to overcome his fear,” Kai said.
“I should be spending more time with him, but with two jobs...” Jun abruptly buttoned up. It was obvious she wasn’t going to ask him for what he owed her from the contract, even though it was clear she desperately needed it.
“I owe you your severance,” he said, opening the wrapper of the bandage.
Jun shook her head, tilting up her chin in subtle defiance. “I’m not going to take that.”
“You need it.”
“I didn’t earn it.” Her dark eyes flashed, and Kai had to admire the fire in them. Most people he met, especially all the tourists, were happy to let him foot the bill for everything. None of them had second thoughts about spending his money. And here was Jun, who’d signed a contract that said he owed her, and she wasn’t going to take it! Inwardly, he shook his head, appreciating her stubborn independence as he stuck the bandage on. Then he knew what he’d have to do. He really didn’t have a choice.
