At 12:15 the group took off in two red Jeeps and headed for the other side of the island with their picnic lunch. Lauren rode in the back of Kyle and Jessica’s Jeep with her sunglasses hiding her red and swollen eyes. She felt cleansed inside and eager to contact KC to try to make things right. Yet at the same time, she felt open and willing to accept whatever God had planned for her future.
The bumpy road and constant wind didn’t allow for much conversation below a shout. Lauren was content to take in the scenery and enjoy the experience. The dirt road took them through an open-field cattle ranch where the herd had the right of way crossing the road. The terrain grew more rough, and they came into an area that resembled a lost planet of prehistoric nomads.
“Are we in Bedrock?” Lauren asked as Kyle slowed down, driving more cautiously over the curves and bumps. “Isn’t that Fred and Wilma’s rock house over there?”
“Isn’t this place eerie?” Jessica asked, holding her stomach. “They call it the Garden of the Gods.”
As far as the eye could see, they were surrounded by nothing but dirt and thousands of boulders, which were all shapes, sizes, and configurations. All along the road were piles of stones stacked three or more high. The colors in this volcanic junkyard were all the same: burnt sienna. The road went on and on. All they could see was what appeared to be the ruins of a lost civilization.
“What do all these stacked rocks mean?” Lauren asked.
“That this area is ‘kapu.’ Off limits. No trespassing. Sacred places are on all the islands where the piled rocks indicate sacred ground.”
“Why would this be sacred?”
“I think this was an ancient battleground, wasn’t it Kyle?”
“I don’t remember. I also don’t remember the road being this long before,” Kyle said.
“Or this bumpy,” Jessica chimed in.
“Of course, you weren’t pregnant last time. How are you doing?”
“Okay. Not great. Lauren, can you reach the drinks back there? If you can, I’d like one of the bottles of water.”
Lauren found the drinks and joined Jessica in quenching her thirst.
Trees and a clearing were up ahead. For the last mile or so they had been traveling downhill. Now the ocean was in view, with a beach loaded with sugar-white sand between them and the churning blue waves. It was a welcome sight and a vivid contrast to the desolation.
Gordo was the first one in the water. With a warrior’s whoop he threw himself into the salty playground and rode the first wave that came to him like a carefree dolphin. Lauren felt that free inside. She gave into her childlike joy and joined Teri, running hand in hand into the water, laughing and splashing. As far as they could see up and down the beach, no one was in view for miles. The warm water, the warm sun, the warm friendships, and the warm Cokes all added up to Lauren knowing she would never forget this day. It couldn’t get any better.
Several fishermen showed up in the late afternoon, casting their lines into the water and anchoring their long poles in the packed sand. Lauren filled her shorts pockets with exquisite shells of all shapes and colors. She walked along the beach with Teri and Jessica and told them about her intimate encounter with God in the gazebo that morning. Both women smiled their affirmation.
They drove back in the early evening. This time Lauren rode with Gordon and Teri. They were nearly to the hotel, tired, sunburned, wind-blown, and content, when Lauren decided to ask Teri something that had been driving her in loony little circles ever since she had arrived in Hawaii.
“May I ask one question?” she said. “Who’s paying for all this?”
“Kyle and Jessica,” Teri answered.
“I don’t understand. Where did the money come from to vacation like this? And their home is incredible. Did they win the Oregon lottery or something?”
Teri and Gordon exchanged glances.
“Just tell her,” Teri said. “It makes it easier.”
“I’m not sure that’s what Jessica wants,” Gordon said. They had arrived back at the lodge, and Gordon pulled up behind Kyle and Jessica’s Jeep and cut the motor.
“I’ll tell her,” Teri spouted. “Jessica is a multimillionaire. There.”
Lauren glanced over Teri’s head and caught Jessica’s gaze. She had heard what Teri said, and her cheeks were turning deep red. Before Kyle or Jessica could respond, the attendant opened Teri’s door, and she climbed out with Lauren right behind her.
What should I say? Lauren thought. This is so awkward.
Before she could think of a reasonable response, her eyes caught sight of a green backpack with a leather base. It was slung over the arm of a man who stood at the lodge’s front entrance. He emerged from the shadow of the grand veranda and came down the steps. “Hey!” he called out. “It took you long enough, you big hairy gorilla!”
The world seemed to stop for Lauren. It was KC. Her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes stopped blinking.
“Kenton!” Jessica called out. “I thought you weren’t coming.”
Kenton? Kenton is KC? KC is Kenton?
With no warning, all the blood in Lauren’s body seemed to flush through a hole in the bottom of her feet, and she passed out, dead cold, in front of the five-star hotel.