“You coming in, or are you going to bake in your truck all afternoon?” Maile called out, a smile on her face.

Koji sat up and ignored her teasing. He pulled the key out of the ignition, but instead of getting out of the truck, he leaned out of the window and said, “Good to see you, Maile girl, do you think I can borrow Daniel for a short time?”

“Just as long as you promise to return for dinner,” she said, not missing a beat.

“It’s a deal,” Koji said. He was glad Maile was home and happy to see them together again. It was what Daniel needed—grounding. Koji turned his gaze toward him and said, “Let’s go for a ride, yeah.”

“Where to?” Daniel asked.

“You’ll see.”

* * *

They were back together in Koji’s old gray truck for the first time since Daniel had returned to the mainland. They both remained quiet, the air thick with uneasiness as he drove slowly back out to the main road, the squeaking springs of the front seat loud and insistent. Koji grimaced, never having noticed it when he was by himself. The old woolen blanket covering the front seat did little to hide the coils that sprang through the worn leather and pressed against the back of his thighs. Once they were back out on the main road, Koji turned right and away from town. He wasn’t certain where he was going until that very moment. The truck bucked and the gears ground as he shifted and headed uphill toward Saddle Road and the lava flow.

“Let’s go see what all the fuss is about,” he said.

Daniel cleared his throat and relaxed back in his seat. “The other morning Wilson and Mano were talking about driving up to the flow.”

Koji heard the relief in his voice. They weren’t quite back to normal but they were heading in that direction.

“We’ll beat them to it, eh,” he said.

Daniel nodded and turned to him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry for running out on you last week.”

He glanced at Daniel and glimpsed a slight twitching under his left eye. It was something he’d brought back from Chicago.

“I wanted to tell you about your father. I should have,” Koji said, staring straight ahead, the truck bouncing along the uneven road. “And then time slipped by, yeah. You were in high school studying so hard, and then you left for college and medical school in Chicago. By the time you returned, your mother was sick.” He turned onto a smaller road and remained quiet in thought, finally adding, “You were right, too, yeah. I didn’t want to lose you both.”

Daniel inhaled and let out a quick breath. “You took care of us, you could never lose us.”

Koji stayed quiet. It was always his greatest fear. They were all he ever had.