“You’re buying breakfast,” Mano quipped.

They headed back, and as Hilo appeared in the hazy morning light, the rising smoke from Mauna Loa was now in full view.

“Think it’s ever going to stop?” Mano asked.

“Pele can’t stay mad forever,” Wilson said.

“Yeah, she can,” Mano said. “Pele’s not like one of your girlfriends you can sweet-talk out of being mad at you.”

Daniel smiled, watching the two brothers banter back and forth when he heard a surge of water followed by a sudden violent blow to the port side of the boat that pitched him and Mano across the deck. They both slid and hit hard against the starboard side, hanging on as the Okawa & Sons tilted halfway onto its side and a rush of seawater drenched the deck. Wilson clung to the railing on the upended port side, dangling from the rail as Mano grabbed onto a rope and pulled himself up, throwing his weight toward his brother to help right the boat again. Daniel tried in vain to get up, but the slippery, lurching deck kept him holding on tight. He heard Wilson yelling just as the boat righted, slamming back down onto the water and rocking from side to side until it finally settled enough for Daniel to pull himself up.

“What the hell was that?” Wilson asked as the boat rocked from side to side and he found his footing again. “Look, there!” he then said, pointing toward the water.

They all hung over the side of the boat to see a kohola, a young humpback whale, swimming away from them. The whale must have lost his way and ventured farther into the bay than usual, clipping the boat as he turned and swam back out to sea.

Daniel rubbed his shoulder and made sure Wilson and Mano were both all right. They talked happily as they secured the deck. Their bumps and bruises were nothing compared to seeing a kohola up close. Growing up, Uncle Samuel had told them the whales were also known as aumakua, a family guardian of great respect. It was a story they would be telling until they were old men.

“Wait till we tell Dad,” Mano said.

“He’s not going to believe the boat was kissed by a kohola, yeah,” Wilson added.

They were boys again, standing together and laughing with disbelief at the once-in-a-lifetime event. Daniel let out a relieved breath. He could hardly believe he was a world away from Chicago and could leave the anguish behind. He and his brothers had been touched by a humpback whale, and Maile had returned. Daniel looked up. In the distance Pele continued to erupt, watching, reminding him that despite being kissed by a kohola, the fire goddess was still in charge.

16. Hide-and-Seek

16

Hide-and-Seek