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“Okay. You tell me when you want some assistance. I have chairs ready for us out back where the festivities are.”
“Come as soon as you can, son. Don’t leave me alone.”
“I just have to park and then I’m there. And hello, Leilani!”
She leans over and we lock eyes.
“Evening, Alek. You look very handsome.”
“And you look beautiful. As usual.”
“Thank you,” she giggles.
I can’t see, but imagine my mother is rolling her eyes.
“Don’t forget the gifts,” she orders.
They head for the back of the house, walking slowly toward my mother’s nightmare. It is going to be good though. Better than she thinks. I hope. She just has to remember the fun of what has become unfamiliar. I want her to come back to life and back to her old joyous self. Maybe after Alana and I go home, she will have these friends to socialize with. I don’t even want to think about how quickly that day will arrive. She might need me to stay longer.Stop thinking about it. There’s no way.
Passing the young guy directing traffic, we nod and I pull into the closest space available. The Ford just fits between the new Honda and an old Chevy Blazer with surf decals covering every available inch. There are all kinds of vehicles lining the road that passes on either side of the house. Not to mention the handful of motorcycles and bikes. Looks like Paula’s house is party central. Some guests sit on the stairs and some in chairs in front of the house. More than one person is laughing. An older man plays his ukulele. Should be fun. Think I can just walk straight around to the back from here.
Grabbing the bottle of tequila from the backseat, and the orange bromeliad Mom is bringing for Paula, I exit the car. Before heading back, I give one last check in the car window and straighten my collar. That’s as good as it gets. I check my teeth in the side mirror for anything that should not be there.
Hope I don’t find Leilani out of her comfort zone with mom’s anxiousness. That would suck. Getting along with each other is the goal I am aiming for. There’s no reason the women in my life can’t see what is so special about each one. Mom, Alana, and Leilani. She has taken a place in my heart.
As I round the house, music sets the stage. Right now, some rapper I don’t recognize is singing. Could be Hawaiian. At least it’s not some monotonous repeat of the same lyrics. Good beat.
Couples and a few singles dance on a large concrete patio, under an open overhang lit with twinkling lights. They are strung amongst the flowering plumerias that wind over and under the wood beams. Outdoor lanterns cast beautiful shadows. Beyond the overhead covering, an open field leads to a grouping of old banana trees and thick foliage.
The older couples look unhappy with the choice of songs. Hope it isn’t going to be strictly twenty something music. I am turning into an old fart and it reminds me of every generation before mine. We all have music that speaks to us, and even if you like other music, nothing connects quite as much as the artists who are your own age. No one hears the music in the same way. For me it is the nineties. For Mom the sixties. I guess for Leilani it’s the two thousands. That seems like yesterday.
Leilani and Mom sit next to each other in comfortable folding chairs at the edge of the dance floor. Okay. That will help. Each hold a red cup and they talk with Aunt Marie. There is a smile on Mom’s face which is encouraging.
They spot my arrival and wave me over.
“Hello, ladies,” I say, touching her silky shoulder. Leilani puts her hand on mine.
Marie gets this happy look on her face and points at me.
“There’s the man!”
“Evening, Marie.”
“Do you remember her?” Mom asks.
Marie answers for me.
“We met at one of Leilani’s shows. He had to be reminded I was the woman with the red, white, and blue bikini, nineteen ninety five. Big star on my ass.”
Mom laughs. It is good to see her laugh again.
“Those boys were too far ahead of their years.”
“Just as handsome as you were as a teenager, Alekenekelo.”
“Were you checking us surf-rats out, Marie? Back in the day?”
“No more than you all were checking out every woman on the beach.”
