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Exiting the car, I come around and hold the door open for her approach. As she passes in front of me, I talk through my teeth.
“Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Meadows?”
Pausing, pale green eyes look into mine. She answers without hesitation. “Is it working?”
We are highly amused by whatever passes between us. Like two baby monkeys in a tree, hearing their voices for the first time.
As she slides in, I hear her hello, sent to the backseat, and Mom’s response. By the time I get back inside, they are talking. Women. They have the conversation thing mastered.
“I’m very happy to meet you, Auntie Nani. I have watched clips of you dancing many, many times. Respect.”
I pull away from the curb. But I do not interject.
“How lovely. I have watched you from my balcony. I’m glad to finally have the chance to meet.”
Okay. That was smoother than I thought it would go. Leilani looks as pleasantly surprised as I am.
“Alekanekelo said you are friends with the family that owns the Taro farm.”
“Yes. They have devoted their lives to preserving Hawaiian culture. This place we are going to, they consider sacred.”
I am watching my mother’s face in the rearview mirror. She is liking what she hears. Since we were children, she has pressed the importance of preserving the unique details that make us who we are.
“Taro has grown there for thousands of years. Lani has been the guardian of the Valley of Kings since he was a young man. He’s a hoot, too. I think both of you will like him.”
“Leilani has known him since she was a child.”
“True. And he’s Paula’s uncle by marriage. You know her, Auntie Nani?”
“Yes. She’s the surf instructor.”
“Yes. We are all connected in some way. Her dad and mine were friends with Lani since they were teenagers. My father bailed him out of jail once! It’s a funny story. He will tell it, I’m sure. It was a hundred years ago, before I was born.”
I see my mother’s eye roll.
“Sounds like he has led an interesting life,” she lies.
“One thing,” Leilani adds. “We’ll be riding in his 4x4 to get back to the fields. Don’t be surprised if he goes fast.”
“Oh, gosh. Really? I don’t need to see the fields.”
“If you can, it would really show him how serious you are. He doesn’t just sell to any restaurant. And my opinion holds no weight when it comes to his business. He wants to be associated with the best, and people who aim as high as he does.”
I like that she speaks openly and says what she thinks. Even when talking to my mother whose friendship she wants.
“That’s what you’re looking for, Mom. We need to establish the quality. Using the best locally sourced goods.”
“His Taro fields are holy to him.”
I see Mom’s back stretch taller as she sits up and sees the vision. It could be the first time she is believing.
“I agree.”
For the next forty miles it is mostly them doing the talking, but I weigh in wherever I see an opening. It is more interesting to listen, anyway. What happened to the quiet that had descended on my mother earlier? Haven’t heard her talk this much in years. I’d have to go back to when she was in her forties and still dancing. She and Dad had a lot of friends then. Suddenly, I am aware of how much has changed in her life.
Maybe the conversation’s flow is because of Leilani’s ease with people. Or because both women are a little nervous and they choose hiding it with words. By the time we turn onto the access road, and Leilani texts Lani our arrival, all signs of discomfort have evaporated. The nervousness and the leg pains, both made more bearable because I think they might like each other.
I take the winding road in, past rows of old Queen palms and lush ferns. We go deeper into the Valley. Blossoming hibiscuses begin to show. Red, yellow, and white greeters to the farm.
