Page 93 of Hula Girl

“I know you can,mija. Enjoy yourself. Promise me.”

“That’s the plan.” I hesitate. “Um, and I wanted to ask you, well, whether you’ve ever thought about living in Maui? I mean, not that I know that I’ll be living there, but just in case that’s what ends up happening?” I close my eyes tightly.

“Oh, Ava,” Mama says. “I appreciate the thought, but you don’t need to worry about me. You have spent too many years taking care of me—or thinking you need to, in any case. But I want you to know that I am fine. I have been for a long time now. You don’t have to be that brave little thirteen year old who took on way too much anymore. You always want to take care of others. Me. Randall. Your clients. But Ford, he knows how to take care of you, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, I think he does.”

“Thatis a wonderful thing.”

I take in a breath, and when I let it out, it’s shaky. But I nod to myself, grateful for the sense of release I feel.

“Don’t think I wouldn’t be visiting all the time, though,” she continues, making me laugh. “And if grandbabies come into the picture, you’ll get sick of me.”

“Okay, let’s not go overboard.”

“I’m just warning you,mija.”

“Te quiero mucho, Mama.”

She tells me she loves me, too. I end the call with the promise to tell her how everything goes.

With my suitcase and carry-on bag now packed, I hesitate at the door of my loft. Looking around, I realize Ford was right. There’s no character here. No life. Not even a single potted plant. I never had time to invest in this as a home.

Now, I’m excited to make a different kind of life.

39

Ford

“Let’s call it a morning and go get breakfast, yeah?”

I look over at Pika. He and Hiro are straddling their boards in the water just like I am. We came out here to Honolua Bay this morning, hoping we’d get lucky with a big swell, but nothing has materialized. We knew it was a long shot, but when it comes to catching waves, we’re eternal optimists.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

After carefully extricating ourselves from the water byway of the rocky coastline, we follow each other up the dirt trail. Once in the parking lot, I can’t keep from thinking of Ava. I’ll never be able to disassociate her from this spot.

I figure I can text her in the car on the way over to one of the little dives we like to go to for a spam, sticky rice, and egg breakfast. I know she had a big day yesterday with Randall officially stepping down. We’ve kept in touch but just enough to know the broad strokes of each other’s lives. I assume with Randall leaving, she’ll be in line for a step up at her firm, something she’ll be thrilled about.

I’ve been thinking about the Inner-City Music Project I worked with in Los Angeles and their offer for me to be more directly involved as they start to implement the funds they’ll be receiving. It wouldn’t be a full-time job, but rather more of a consultant-type relationship. It would be the kind of meaningful work I crave. And it would give me good reason to be in L.A.

My offhand comment to my father that we’d split our time between L.A. and Maui when he asked how Ava and I would make things work is the most promising solution. It’s been weeks now since we parted ways, both of us thinking we were at an impasse. But now, as I load my surfboard into the back of my truck, I realize that was us being too cautious. We’re two intelligent people. Two people who love each other. We can work this out.

We have to.

In my truck, I send Ava a text on my fancy new smartphone.

Good morning. I want to hear all about how things went yesterday. But I also want to talk to you. Really talk. Let me know when you have time.

With that, I nod to myself before putting the truck into gear and driving on.

* * *

The breakfast placewe go to is a walk-up counter rather than a restaurant. It’s no more than a shack off the side of the road, but it offers tasty local options and outdoor picnic tables in the parking lot with a view of the ocean beyond the sporadic traffic going by. We’ve just sat down with our food, when out of nowhere, Hannah, Hiro’s stalker ex-girlfriend, sits down with us.

All three of us guys jump at her sudden appearance. The worst part is how casually she makes herself comfortable by leaning over and snatching one of Hiro’s spam musubis to take a bite.

“Hannah,” I say, “how are you?”

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