The late afternoon sun was just beginning its descent behind the mountains when Elizabeth and Michelle returned home. After a few more hugs, Elizabeth went to find Larry so the two of them could get ready for the Festival of Legends. After all, they were in the parade and needed to get in costume and arrive early to get on their float. “I’ll see you at the festival,” said Elizabeth as she kissed Michelle on top of the head.
Michelle sat on the porch swing, looking out over the land. The cows looked like ink blots in the distance and the sound of Bella and her new colt echoed softly across the pasture. The porch door swung open and Michelle expected to see Kahili with a tray full of tea and cookies. But instead, Daniel walked outside and right past Michelle to the porch railing. The scent of his freshly showered body lingered in his path and wrapped around Michelle, sending a chill up her spine.
She opened her mouth to say something, to let him know that he was not alone, but then closed it. Instead, Michelle watched his lean, trim body cast a long shadow across the porch. His muscular arms were outstretched in front of him with his hands resting solidly on the railing. The sun hit his wet hair and made little mini rainbow bubbles on the drops of water in his thick locks. Michelle knew she shouldn’t be looking at Daniel as anything other than a friend, but she couldn’t help herself. He was so gentle, so kind, so understanding. The physical attraction had her heart doing flip-flops. But it was the strong emotional attraction she felt for him that scared her to death. Her track record with relationships wasn’t the best, and she was terrified of going down that road again.
“May I join you?” Daniel said as he turned around, his dark eyes piercing Michelle’s. He hadn’t known she was on the porch when he came outside, but he could hear her breathing over the silence of the ranch. His martial arts training had taught him how to gauge people’s distance by the sound of their breath, and he knew that she was not only there, but she was breathing heavily.
“Uh, um, yes,” Michelle laughed nervously, caught off guard. “Of course, please.”
Daniel walked over and sat down next to Michelle. “So, tonight’s the big festival, huh?”
“Yep, it’s the big festival alright.” Michelle was nervous sitting so close to Daniel. She knew they had sat here the night before, but something had changed. There was closeness she hadn’t felt before and heat that warmed her skin from the inside out. She hoped Daniel hadn’t felt her eyes on him when he was standing against the rail. Or maybe, she hoped he had felt her eyes. Oh, who was Michelle kidding? She didn’t know what she felt.
“Your grandfather says it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I can’t wait to go.” Daniel kept his eyes focused on the pasture instead of Michelle. “By the way, how’s your grandmother?” He didn’t shift his eyes but kept looking across the field. He knew by the look on Elizabeth’s face that the news about Lilo wasn’t good, and he didn’t want to make Michelle uncomfortable.
“Oh,” Michelle had almost forgotten about their visit. “Oh,” she said softer the second time. Her breath was heavy on his skin as she spoke. “She’s not doing well. They say she only has a couple of weeks left ...” her voice trailed off, and she shoved back the few tears she hadn’t already cried.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said, this time turning to look at Michelle. Her eyes made their way to his and rested there as she looked through him, her thoughts elsewhere. She returned momentarily and looked away quickly, getting nervous about her heart and her head again.
“Yes, thank you.” Thank you? Was that what you said when someone gave you condolences? She didn’t know. She was only a child when Lilo’s husband and George’s wife had passed. She didn’t remember the sting of death and the pain of the loss. And she certainly never experienced the anticipation of the loss like she was now with Lilo. Confusion swam in her head, and she closed her eyes, resting her head against the swing back.
“So, what’s the festival like?” Daniel sensed Michelle wasn’t ready to talk about Lilo anymore so he chose to change the subject to something lighter. “And what about this waterfall?
“The festival is wonderful,” Michelle said, ignoring the second part of Daniel’s question completely. “It’s full of color, life and the most amazing sights you’ve ever seen. It’s timed with the setting of the sun—” Michelle jumped up, yanked open the front door and ran in the house. She returned a moment later with a surprised expression. “And it starts in two hours! We’ve got to go!”
Michelle ran back in the house and upstairs, yelling out to each member of the household as she went. “Mave, get the car ready! Kahili, pack the coolers!” She rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and yelled over the banister, “Daniel, get your camera—you’ll want to take pictures!” Michelle burst into her mother’s room to find Larry and Elizabeth in full regalia, waiting to take their places of honor on the Paniolo Legend float. The sight of both her parents dressed in traditional Hawaiian clothing, looking regal and proud, took her breath away. At that moment, Michelle once again felt a surge of love and pride overflow her heart as she looked at her mother and father. And from the looks on their faces, they felt the same thing looking at her.
“Come on then!” Kahili’s voice rang up from the foyer. “We’ve been ready for hours!” Her giggle mingled with Mave’s as the two women stood at the bottom of the stairs with baskets and bags. Michelle walked down the stairs, her heart still warm from the sight of her parents. And then she saw Daniel standing behind Mave and Kahili, and her heart swelled again. There was something about Daniel. He seemed to fit in so well on the ranch, with the staff and with her family. It was as if he had always been here.
“Okay then, let’s move it!” Larry’s voice came rolling down the stairs behind Michelle. All three women and Daniel stood with mouths hanging wide when they saw Elizabeth and Larry together, the late afternoon light illuminating them like royalty.
“Woohoo!” yelled Kahili. “You two look better than my Sunday pork roast!” And that was a compliment. After the hoorays died down, George loaded up the SUV, and everyone piled in the back.
“Oh no, you ride up front with me, son.” Daniel assumed George was talking to Larry. But when George grabbed Daniel’s arm and led him to the passenger side, he realized he had meant him. Not wanting to step on Larry’s toes, Daniel looked to Elizabeth for approval and found that she had already taken her seat next to her husband in the middle row, leaving the other three girls in the back seat.
Daniel hopped in next to George, and they took off down the long dirt road. A few minutes later, they arrived at the main artery of Haleiwa, and the streets were packed. George drove them to the back of a restaurant where the floats were being set up. A volunteer ushered them into a reserved parking spot, and Elizabeth and Larry were escorted away by other volunteers. The rest of the Clemens group walked down the street to an old white building made of concrete and stone. Large chipped steps led up to the nondescript entrance. Mave and Kahili walked into the building and Michelle followed.
“Is this part of the festival?” asked Daniel, unsure where they were going.
Michelle turned and looked up at him. “No, this is the Keōpuolani Christian Church. We attend here. It was started by a husband and wife missionary team back in 1832 and has been our family’s church since it was established.” She pivoted back around and disappeared into the church with Daniel on her heels.
After the service, the group headed down to the main road and found a spot to view the parade. People lined the streets wearing clothing of all kinds. Locals wore festive attire while tourists dressed from causal to outrageous. Colorful banners and decorations adorned building fronts and street signs. As far as you could see, people were sitting and standing along the sides of the roads waiting for the festivities to begin. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was painted a purple orange haze.
“Wow,” Daniel said. “This is beautiful.”
Michelle looked up at Daniel. “Yeah, the festival never ceases to amaze me, I’m so glad I’m home to see it again.”
“Well, I was talking about the sky.” Daniel laughed. “But the festival is beautiful too.”
Before he could say another word, a row of burlap clad men held conch shells up to their mouths and began to blow. The sound was eerie but inviting. Everyone in the crowd hushed as they knew that the conch signaled the beginning of the parade.
As the shell blowers stopped, a loud voice came through the crowd. “Aloha! Welcome to the annual Festival of the Legends of Haleiwa! Let the parade begin!”
The crowd cheered and traditional Hawaiian music filled the air, mingling with smells that rivaled Kahili’s cooking. The floats started moving down the road and partiers applauded the colorful masterpieces adorned with fresh flowers, moving animation and live props. The floats celebrated Haleiwa’s surf culture and also paid homage to the Maoli, the native Hawaiians. Each island was represented by its own king, queen, prince, princess and attendants. Even though the Clemens were not natives, they had been part of the Haleiwa history for so long that they were asked to represent the island in this year’s Festival of the Legends.
“Oh, I think I see them,” said Kahili in her little girl squeal. “Yes, there they are!” Michelle stood taller to get a good look. Just past the Hula dance float was the Legends float. Her father and mother stood proudly at the center, wearing their ornate Hawaiian costumes and waving casually to the bystanders. Elizabeth glowed, and even staunch Larry looked like he was enjoying himself. The couple was being attended to by a row of ladies-in-waiting, all wearing beautiful skirts, bikini tops and flower leis on their heads.
“Wow, they look amazing!” Michelle said, still surprised to see her father involved in anything resembling fun, let alone enjoying himself.
“Yeah,” said Daniel, in awe of the colors, the sounds and the scents of food and flowers. “They look like they’re having a really good time, too!”
Michelle chuckled, thinking how true those words were. It was amazing to her that in a matter of only days this man had come to know her parents better than Justin ever knew them and certainly better than Luke, who had only talked to Elizabeth twice. Thoughts of the men evaporated as the music got louder and people began to dance. Michelle looked around and heard familiar voices shouting her name. “Michelle! Michelle!”
She scanned the crowd and saw Kaiko across the street, waving her arms wildly. Kana was standing next to her with a group of his friends. Michelle loved Kaiko, but didn’t want to have to deflect Kana’s advances again, not now, not tonight, not at this moment. She was having too much fun letting all her worries go and letting herself feel the joy of being with people she loved ... and someone she had come to love. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought about that, and she waved briefly to Kaiko and then turned to face Daniel.
“Wanna dance?” she grabbed his hands and pulled him out of his festival-induced trance.
“What? Dance?” He felt shivers up his spine at the warmth of her hands on his. Did he want to dance? Oh, yes, he wanted to dance. He wanted to hold Michelle in his arms and dance slowly with her till the sun came up. He immediately thought of Kimberly and her last words to him. He hadn’t landed yet, so he didn’t have to call.
“Dance! Yes, dance! You know what that is, right?” asked Michelle, jokingly, pulling Daniel into a thinner part of the crowd where they could move better. To his disappointment, Michelle dropped Daniel’s hands as they started dancing. The music started to fade as the Legend float continued past them, but new music filled the air and they, together with most of the bystanders, continued to dance and have a great time.
“Hi Daniel!” Kaiko’s chipper voice interrupted the music.
Daniel and Michelle spun around to see Kaiko and a friend dancing wildly next to them. “Uh, hi?” Daniel looked at Kaiko but didn’t recognize her out of her Hula Surf uniform.
“You two know each other?” asked Michelle, unsure of what was going on. Sudden memories of Kaiko telling her family about Michelle and Justin came creeping back. Fear caused the hairs on the back of Michelle’s neck to rise. She loved Kaiko and wanted to trust her. But she wasn’t sure if she could. After everything with Justin and then Luke, Michelle wasn’t sure she could trust anyone ever again.
“Yeah, we met the other day, at the restaurant,” Kaiko said, smiling widely at Daniel. “I was his escort to the ranch.”
Daniel blinked, trying to place Kaiko. Then he remembered. He had been so tired after the long bus ride to Haleiwa that he forgot all about meeting Kaiko at the restaurant. “That’s right,” Daniel said, hoping he didn’t sound rude. “I’m sorry, I completely forgot. Nice to see you again ...”
“Kaiko!” she said back, swinging in front of him with her partner. “I guess the tickets are still mixed up?” Kaiko laughed, teasing Daniel and Michelle. She could see that there was something between them and didn’t want to cause friction. But she had said just enough to rile Michelle.
“How do you know about the tickets?” Michelle asked over the loud music. “What did you tell her?” Michelle questioned Daniel now, not sure if he had revealed more than the ticket mix-up to Kaiko. Wait, Michelle thought. She had shared her personal story with him after he met Kaiko. Or was it before? She felt the nausea creep up and decided she had had enough dancing. The last thing she needed was for Kaiko and Kana to find out about her pregnancy.
“Excuse me, I don’t feel so well,” Michelle said, leaving the crowd and heading back over to the table where George, Mave and Kahili sat. She grabbed a seat and caught her breath as Daniel stood in shock, unsure what to do.
“Well,” Kaiko said, “I hope she’s okay.”
Daniel looked concerned. “I better go check on her,” he said, waving good-bye to Kaiko.
Daniel arrived at the table right after Michelle. “Are you alright?” he asked.
Michelle opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak, Kana interrupted.