Without the girls pulling her in every direction, Mama took her time collecting only the best shells and flowers for stringing her special orders. Even when it rained, the beach was always her first stop. She walked out toward the water and stepped onto the damp, cool sand as the cold rush of waves dashed in and out, erasing her footprints and washing over her bare feet. Mama crouched down and began collecting shells that had been half buried in the wet sand. The sharp ping of the first shells dropping into the pail always brought her such joy. It wasn’t until she walked back up from the water toward the trees that she heard the raised voices.

The words were spit out harsh and angry, making Mama slow down and stop, surprised to recognize Koji Sanada’s voice. She wasn’t sure who the other man was at first, though he sounded familiar.

“You’ll never have them!”

“You abandoned them years ago.”

“They’re still my family!”

“Do you even know what the word ‘family’ means?”

The voices escalated above the waves, roaring and crashing into each other. Mama stayed hidden among the trees, conscious even then that something bad was about to happen. It didn’t take long for her to recognize that the other man’s voice belonged to Franklin Abe.

* * *

Mama opened her eyes when she heard the screen door spring open and clap shut. A clinking of glasses and Leia’s humming led her right back home again. Mama’s gaze wandered back to the monkey pod tree, where she saw Nestor leaning against its thick trunk, a sudden spark of energy making her sit up straight.

She blinked and he was gone.

27. Sugarcane

27

Sugarcane

Daniel hadn’t been to Puli Plantation in years. He drove up the mountain on the paved blacktop, which soon gave way to rutted, dirt roads. He slowed as the truck bounced over the uneven tracks, past dense foliage surrounded by ohi’a, hau, and hala trees, cooler and darker, until he reached the summit and turned onto a wide dirt road bordered by eucalyptus trees that soon opened up to acres and acres of sugarcane fields as far as he could see. It was late afternoon and Daniel hoped Uncle Koji had returned from his last sugar train run and was back at his cottage by now. He felt guilty not having seen his uncle since the community meeting at the market two weeks ago when the lava began pooling. He was chasing after Maile before he even had a chance to say a real hello.