Page 29 of Try Easy

Lou was sure that someone as good looking as Kimo didn’t have any trouble with the opposite sex. But where he was headed, he wouldn’t be seeing any girls for a while. The letters she’d gotten from John all complained of the absence of females.

“My brother joined the army after high school. Now he’s in Vietnam,” Lou said.

“Oh,” Kimo said. Understanding dawned on his face. “That explains it. My family is proud of me, but they don’t get it, eh? They think I’m crazy.”

“Just be careful, okay?”

Kimo smiled. “Of course.”

Lou could tell by the look on Kimo’s face that he thought he was invincible. John had looked the same the last time she’d seen him. He’d been handsome in his uniform with his cap covering his short hair.

“Maybe my brother doesn’t dig you as much as I thought he did,” Kimo said, turning to look back at the house. “We’ve been out here for what? Thirty seconds? And he hasn’t busted out here yet to see what we are doing.”

A moment later the door opened, and Keoni peered out onto the porch.

Kimo burst out laughing. Keoni stood ramrod straight, looking down his nose at his brother.

“What’s so funny?” Keoni asked.

“Nothing,” Kimo stood up, and both brothers looked down at Lou.

She was struck by how much they looked alike. Keoni was a bit taller, but they both had the same lean build and larger-than-life presence. They had the same jawline, full mouth, and deep-set eyes.

The porch felt incredibly small all of a sudden as the tension radiated like waves off Keoni’s body.

“You okay?” he asked Lou. When she nodded, Keoni turned on his brother. “What did you say to her?” he asked.

“I’ll let her tell you,” Kimo said. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and he leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Don’t worry, eh?” he said.

Lou bit her lip, watching Kimo edge past Keoni to go back inside the house. A murderous expression crossed Keoni’s face as he watched his brother.

“What?” Kimo said over his shoulder. “It might be a long time before I get to kiss a pretty girl.”

Kimo hurried back into the house before Keoni could say another word. His laugh sounded, and the door banged shut behind him.

Keoni turned back to Lou, shaking his head. “Everything is always a joke to that one,” he said.

Lou’s heart broke for Kimo and his family, and for the families of every boy sent to fight in the jungle a world away.

“What happened, Lou?” Keoni asked, seeing the haunted look in her eyes.

She shook her head, but she couldn’t stop the tears. She worried about John all the time. It made her feel helpless to know there was nothing she could do to save him.

“Is that why everyone’s here?” she asked Keoni. “They’re saying goodbye to Kimo?”

“Yes,” Keoni said. “He dropped by, and word spread that he was here. It’s not usually so crowded,” he said.

“My brother…” Lou started, but she couldn’t find the words. She swallowed, and more tears slid down her cheeks. “My little brother…” She closed her eyes and shook her head.

Keoni took Lou by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. “Tell me,” he said.

“My brother enlisted, too. I haven’t heard from him since Christmas,” she said, her voice breaking. “He’s all I have.”

“Your parents?” Keoni asked. “Are they dead?”

Lou shook her head. “No. My parents aren’t dead,” she said with bitterness. “They are absent. They are distant and selfish.” She gestured to the house where Keoni had been raised by a loving family. “It’s nothing like what you have here. I was more of a mother to John than our own mother ever was. And now he’s gone.”

Keoni’s grip tightened on her shoulders. “He isn’t gone,” he said. “Don’t think like that.”

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