Kidnapping on Kaua'i (featured by Wattpad 2014)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

It's been five days since the hurricane now, and Auntie hasn't come out of her room since. Tutu goes in and out to feed her; otherwise, all is silent from her room. Tutu says we should leave Auntie alone, and let her rest and recover on her own time. This afternoon, however, the Frightening Four, Pano and I have decided intervene.

We cracked the door to Auntie's room and shuffled inside. "Mom?" Frank whispered. Auntie didn't move. The room was dark and hot, and it smelled like unwashed socks. An old fan rattled in the corner. Without the windows open, it was doing nothing but recirculating dead air.

We all approached the bed and Franny held out Auntie's wicker basket. "Come on, Ma, you've got to get up," she said, nudging her. "We want to show you something."

Auntie dragged her forearm over her eyes, refusing to look at us. "There's no place to go," she whispered. "My fields are ruined."

Tutu has already told Auntie a bunch of times that her fields could be replanted with a little work, but this fact never cheers her up. It looked like our mission was a failure. Before I turned to go, I decided to try a different tactic as a last ditch effort. "Sanbello's fields and labs are ruined too," I said.

One of her eyes cracked open. "What?"

Fred moved back to her side. "It was on the news today. The winds destroyed their crop, and the lab was destroyed in a fire."

Auntie sat up for the first time since she'd seen her ruined fields. She looked blankly at Franny. "You spoke English," she said. It was a question and a statement at the same time.

Franny nodded, and Faye and Frank came around her bed and stood on her other side. "I love you, mom," Faye said.

The stiffness in Auntie's muscles drained away. She sat up and shifted her feet to the floor, and I thought I saw a tiny spark of life reignite in her eyes.

"Here's your slippahs," Fred said. Both boys knelt down and slid them on her brown feet, then helped her stand.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. "I don't want to see the farm again."

Frank pulled on her hand. "Just c'mon. Be quiet, and don't ask any questions, okay?"

Tutu was in the hall, and Faye ran ahead to ask her to make a phone call and get the car keys. The rest of us talked to Auntie constantly, keeping her distracted while we got in the car and Tutu drove us to the fields. A screen of broken trees stacked up for a cleaning crew shielded our view of the farm when we pulled onto the access road. Once at the farm, it took a lot of effort to convince Auntie to get out of the car, but we finally got her to agree to walk at least a few feet down the road. She did so slowly, shuddering with grief at each broken leaf she passed. Finally, she turned the corner and saw what awaited her in front of the fields. Earl was there, the man with the long, brown dreadlocks from the Kalaulau Trail. He'd taken a shower and looked considerably less homeless. Actually, he looked good. He was wearing only shorts and sandals, revealing his solid chest and the parallel muscle lines on his abs. He'd knotted his dreads back, giving emphasis to his clear, aqua eyes and a face that was weathered enough to make it interesting. His smile was open and his manner gently serious. He was holding a wicker basket too.

"What's going on?" Auntie asked.

"I've been told that you are a caretaker of this island's land, a vibrant, ferocious earth warrior."

Auntie's lips went round; she had no clue how to respond. I was waiting for her to dismiss his words as nonsense, but instead, her eyes softened and she touched her hair like she was about to fix it, but she didn't.

Earl took her basket. "There's two of us here now," he said. "Do you remember when I started telling you the Family's motto: Wherever two are gathered...?"

Auntie nodded.

"The end of the motto is: 'more shall follow'." Earl swept his hand to the edge of the fields, where more Family members were emerging, fifty strong. "We're here to offer our help to replant these fields."

"Oh!" Auntie exclaimed. She just stood there for a moment, and then she hugged him. When I saw her running her hands from his shoulders to his waist, I realized just how okay she was going to be. Earl took her hand, and they headed together into the center of the gathering group to give instructions. For the first time, I could see they truly were warriors.

As we began work to restore the fields, we were thrilled by the formation of a rainbow in the untouchable distance.