“The trick to a perfect hamburger is in distributing the juices,” Uncle Eddie said to no one in particular.
Charlotte and the rest of the Kapono family were in the backyard, where Uncle Eddie was lovingly attending to the grill and Aunt Sheena was setting dishes on the picnic table.
“Nobody cares, Dad,” Emi said tersely. She was lying on a reclining lawn chair, her eyes shaded by sunglasses. She flipped rapidly through a fashion magazine without stopping to look at any of the pages.
Charlotte noticed that her cousin was more snappish than usual. Either it was typical end-of-summer blues or Emi was still peeved about yesterday’s fiasco with the car accident and the cliff jumping. Or possibly it was all those things combined.
Actually, all day, everyone had been ill at ease, and Charlotte knew she was to blame. It was like they were trying to ignore what had happened last night. They didn’t know how to deal with it.
The big confrontation and angry lecture Charlotte had been expecting never came. Uncle Eddie, who was usually the friendliest, locked himself into his studio for almost the entire day to work. Aunt Sheena barely acknowledged Charlotte’s existence, aside from when she asked if Charlotte had called her mother to explain about the accident. Charlotte had lied and said yes.
She knew her mother wouldn’t care. Her mom was in her own world now. Charlotte hadn’t been in contact with her since arriving in Honolulu.
Wincing, Charlotte realized that she’d been digging her fingernails so sharply into the palms of her hand that the skin was broken. Her hands were so pale and clammy that no blood appeared where the skin had burst. God, she was strung out. She would kill for a cigarette right now.
For the millionth time she considered leaving her aunt and uncle and going back east. She could easily get her job back at Dynamo’s, but she had no clue where she’d live. Not with her mom. Maybe Jackie, her old boss, would put her up for a while.
Her uncle brought a plate of hamburgers to the table. “I think that’s everything. Come on, let’s eat.”
The family converged at the table and began serving themselves burgers. Instead of eating it on a bun like normal people, the Kapono’s served theirs on white rice with gravy and fried eggs. Charlotte never failed to be impressed by the sheer quantity of food the family produced in a single day. They always made about three times as much as they could eat. It was a departure from her own household, where dinner was rarely served at the table and usually involved take out from Chick-Fil-A or Boston Market.
Aunt Sheena surveyed her table settings with a critical eye. “Ed, do you think we should set a place for Will? I can never tell if he wants to join us, or if he thinks we’re a big drag.”
“I haven’t seen him all day. The man’s a mystery to me, too,” Uncle Eddie said.
“Who’s Will?” Charlotte asked.
“Mr. Kerrigan,” he said. “Speaking of which, you talked with him this morning, right Charlotte? I never followed up with you on that. I hope he wasn’t too upset about the car.”
“He seemed fine,” Charlotte replied.
“Well, he’s a nice man, but we shouldn’t take advantage of his kindness,” Aunt Sheena said. “Emi, I want you over there apologizing the minute he gets back from…wherever he is.”
Emi slopped a huge spoonful of gravy on her plate and added two burgers, eliciting an eyebrow raise from Aunt Sheena.
“That’s an awful lot of food.”
As if in defiance, Emi added another fried egg to her plate along with three pickles. “Do we have ketchup? I want ketchup.”
“I thought you were on a diet,” Aunt Sheena said.
“Not anymore.” Emi’s mouth was full of hamburger, but she didn’t seem to be enjoying herself. In fact, she looked a little miserable each time she swallowed.
“But I thought you said Madame…”
Emi cut her off. “Mom, do you want me to be anorexic or what?”
Aunt Sheena was visibly hurt. “Of course not. How could you even suggest such a thing?”
“Well then shut it,” Emi said. “Because I’m not in the mood.”
“Don’t you speak to your mother that way,” Uncle Eddie warned, suddenly stern. “And I mean that, Emiko. You know full well we don’t abide by that kind of behavior.”
Charlotte shifted awkwardly in her seat, wishing she weren’t a witness to this conversation. To her dismay, her aunt suddenly turned to speak to her.
“Charlotte,” Aunt Sheena said, changing the timbre of her voice, as if sonically initiating a new direction for the conversation. “School starts on Monday. I was thinking I could show you around campus so you’ll know what to expect. Emi has dance practice after school on Monday, so she won’t be able to show you to the pick-up area after school.”
“Actually, I don’t have dance practice on Monday,” Emi said. “My schedule changed.”
Aunt Sheena lay her fork down. “Since when did your schedule change?”
“Since this morning when I quit ballet.”
A shocked silence settled over the table. Even Charlotte knew to be surprised.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Aunt Sheena gasped.
“I’m a work in progress.” Emi nonchalantly squirted ketchup on top of her hamburger. “I evolve. I develop new interests. Get over it.”
Uncle Eddie almost choked on a pickle and had to be slapped vigorously on the back. “What inspired this sudden change of heart?” he finally managed to ask.
“Is this a decision you’ve given any thought to whatsoever?” Aunt Sheena interjected before Emi could respond to her dad’s question. “It seems entirely of the blue.” Aunt Sheena’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t about Kainoa and Natalie, is it? Because, Emi, if you’re making a rash decision over something so utterly puerile…”
Emi settled her mother with a stony stare. “This has nothing to do with those two idiots. Do you honestly think I’m that immature?”
“I hope you realize that your college application will suffer as a consequence of this decision. Quitting dance after all these years indicates lack of commitment.”
Emi scoffed and practically threw her hamburger back onto the plate. “Is that really all you’re most worried about?” she asked hotly. “My college application? Mom, that’s three years away.”
“You know schools will be looking at the decisions you make now,” Aunt Sheena said. “I want you to take the long view.”
“Or else what? I won’t go to college and end up like Aunt Annie?” Emi said, jerking an arm towards Charlotte. “A single mom waiting tables and raising her child on welfare?”
Everybody’s eyes darted nervously to Charlotte to see how she would respond. She stared right back at them without blinking and they all sheepishly looked away.
“Emi, I think you need to cool down,” Uncle Eddie said stonily. “Why don’t you go up to your room?”
“Fine.” She pushed back the table with a jerk, causing all the glasses to sway, then slammed the screen door shut violently behind her.
“I think I should go up there and talk some sense into her,” Aunt Sheena said, pushing back her chair.
Uncle Eddie placed a hand on his wife’s wrist to stop her. “She’s too worked up right now.”
Aunt Sheena pulled back her hand and disappeared into the house. After a brief hesitation, Uncle Eddie fled after her, leaving Charlotte alone at the table.
She took her time finishing her burger. She was almost a little glad to be alone.
When she stood to bring her dishes into the kitchen, she noticed that the lights were on in Mr. Kerrigan’s guest house. The curtains were still drawn back from his windows, and she could see him standing alone in front of the easel.
He was perfectly still, looking at the canvas. He didn’t have a paintbrush in his hands.
Charlotte stopped, seized by an odd compulsion to watch him. She could see in, but he was less likely to detect her presence in the dark. But for some reason, a few seconds later, he looked up. Did
he sense her eyes on him?
He stepped closer to the window and Charlotte backed quickly away and disappeared into the house.