It was guilt that gave her the worried look. She’d had the answer all along to Chappy coming home, but hadn’t shared that solution.

‘My husband,’ she said.

There was a letting out of breath from Aki deflating and from Chappy’s lips untucking.

‘Remarry. And take him home.’

Aki crashed, laughing, onto a wicker chair, which broke and deposited him on the floor. Big men that you read about in books have big laughter, according to Oriwia. They boom like waterfalls in canyons. Aki’s laughter was high pitched and it flopped him all over the place.

Ela pushed the crashed chair aside with her foot.

‘Here,’ Oriwia said, ‘in Honolulu and –’

‘My sister … my sister …’ Aki said, getting up from down there, shoving his big head sideways at her and explaining to the others what he knew she was trying to say. Chappy, who also understood, was trying to make himself heard. ‘Whenever do I get to make my own marriage proposal?’ was what he wanted to know.

The Hawaiians were up dancing. Malia gave Oriwia a crack with her hip.

‘You have to watch these Hawaiians, Grandson,’ Oriwia said. ‘They can cut you in half with their hips.’

There was clatter and shrieking. Aki opened another bottle of something, and they stayed up all night singing and laughing. They made breakfast. Ishy and Malia went home. Chappy went to work, and later so did Aki.

Ela and her sister arranged the wedding, which took place in Ishy and Malia’s garden three weeks later. Oriwia, who for so long had resisted the idea of another wedding, put herself in their hands.

‘The Hawaiians do nothing by halves, Grandson. It was a wonderful celebration, with singing and dancing, gift-giving, lei exchange and beautiful food. We all wore colourful clothes. Though I hadn’t wanted a second wedding, it now felt right to me. I knew it was right. I became Mrs Chappy Star over again.’

Chapter 29

Aki

We were the last family to move from the land. While most had gone to live in the outer suburbs, I wanted to take the family into Honolulu, close to Chappy, Ishy and Malia, and near to the harbour. In our new lives we needed money and I was the only one with employment. As well as Ela, her mother and me, there were three of Lili and Puna’s grandchildren living with us – two granddaughters and a grandson whom the old couple had brought up. They were now in their late teens and early twenties.