Thankfully, the path leveled out and sidled by a stream fenced with tall, pale grass that sprouted white, tropical flowers. We had climbed high enough that we were looking down at an arc of beaches, the water clear and blue, sparkling like a meadow of diamonds. In the distance, hundreds of white gulls circled a lighthouse and roosted on the cliffs of the rocky shore. I had never seen a sight so beautiful. I felt as if this must be heaven’s prototype.

It couldn’t be the real heaven because my mother was here.

After about twenty minutes, the path descended. The stream split off in another direction, and dark, leafy shrubs replaced the tall grass. We headed away from the beaches toward the mountains. The sun was directly overhead, so I pulled a baseball cap out from my pack and pulled it on. My mother took a few quick steps to catch up to me and offered a lit joint.

“Thank you, no,” I said, miming the glare my smoking had received.

“Suit yourself,” she croaked, holding the toke deep in her lungs.

The path narrowed and a breeze cut through the trees. A cloud passed before the sun and cast a dark, purple shadow. Earlier, I had asked about the possibility of a storm, but Merilee assured me that good weather was in the forecast.

“I hear the falls, Mom,” Mirabelle called out.

“I’m getting bitten up. Did anyone think to bring bug spray?” I asked accusingly.

“You won’t need it once you jump in,” my mother reassured me.

“How big is this waterfall, anyway?” I asked. “I hope it’s worth it.” I knew my mother wanted me to be impressed but I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction.

“You just wait and see,” she said.

“Oh, they’re a good size,” Bea chimed in from behind. She was always “chiming in,” like she was my mother’s backup singer or something.

“Not as big as Niagara Falls, though,” Mirabelle said.

I could have sworn she was defending me. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

“Have you been there, Jackie?” she asked.

“Nope. Have you?”

Mirabelle sighed. “I’ve never even been to the mainland.”

“But you’ve been to lots of other places,” Merilee said.

I wanted to tell her not to butt in on our private conversation, but I kept quiet.

“Yeah, but they were all in Hawaii. I want to go to California. Can we go and visit Jackie?” Mirabelle was treading on hazardous territory. My mother and Bea turned to me expectantly like I should say something. I didn’t.

Finally, my mother spoke. “Maybe when you’re older.”

“You mean when I’m sixteen?” Mirabelle asked.

“Maybe you can go see Jackie like she came to see you,” Bea added.