The argument between Anita and Dan calmed down, and Dan marched into the living room mumbling something to Teri about women being irrational. He plopped in front of the TV and turned on a competition volleyball game.
Teri wondered if she should try to talk to Anita or leave her alone. She finally decided that if she were in Annie’s place, she would want her sister to comfort her.
“It’s me,” Teri said, tapping on the bedroom door and ignoring Dan’s glare. “May I come in?”
“Sure,” came the calm voice behind the door.
Teri went in and sat on the edge of the bed. Anita was curled up under a sheet. Her short hair stuck out, and her eyes looked red from crying.
“You okay?” Teri asked.
Anita nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Is there anything I can do?” Teri asked, reaching over and giving her sister an assuring pat on the shoulder. “Do you want anything to eat?”
“No, I’m fine. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I wanted you and me to go places and do things together.”
“I know. And we will. You need to get over this bug you’ve caught. We have lots of time.”
Anita readjusted her position. “Danny thinks the bug is a baby. Did you know he bought a test?”
Teri nodded. “I was with him.”
“I’m not going to take the stupid thing. Do you know how many of these I’ve taken in my life? Too many! When, or if, I’m ever pregnant again, I’ll know.”
“Danny was probably trying to help in his own bizarre, masculine way. If it makes any difference, it wasn’t his idea. This man at church, Gordo, suggested it. Can you believe people call him Gordo?”
Anita’s face lit up. “Danny didn’t tell me Gordo was home. How is he?”
“Fine, I guess. He sure is an odd one, isn’t he?”
“He’s unique, all right. Part maverick, part pioneer, and part saint. He’s a fantastic person. Did you know he’s a pastor?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Really, he is. He’s going to school on the mainland. Texas, I think. When he graduates, he wants to come back here and start a church on Maui,” Anita said.
“Then why did he come to your door on Friday night delivering pizza?”
“Money is tight for almost everyone who lives here,” Anita said. “Gordo is just like the rest of us. He works hard to make a living and trusts God to make up the difference somewhere along the way.”
“I can’t get used to hearing you call a grown man ‘Gordo,’ ” Teri said. “I actually first met him at the luau. Remember when I told you some jerk spilled Coke on me? It was he.”
Anita smiled. “That is his one fault. Gordo is the clumsiest person I’ve ever met. One time he was helping to serve communion at church, and he stumbled with a tray of bread in one hand and a tray of juice in the other hand. Crumbs and sticky grape juice were on the front pews for months!”
Teri could never picture their father tripping when he served communion. “Was it a total disaster or what?”
Anita started to laugh. “Not with Gordo. He broke into that laugh of his, and the whole congregation busted up. He said his guardian angel must have tripped him because the church geckos weren’t getting enough to eat lately.”
“Church geckos?”
“You know how people talk about starving church mice? On the islands we have church geckos. They’re little green lizards with tiny suction cups on their feet. Gordo said we should leave the spilled communion for them to lick up. It was really funny at the time.”
“I guess that’s one way to break the mood in the middle of a serious sacrament,” Teri said.
“It was actually the best communion I’ve ever participated in. Certainly the most meaningful. Since Gordo had dumped the bread and juice, he asked if anyone had anything with them that we could use instead. He passed the tray around and collected everything from restaurant-wrapped soda crackers to Life Savers. Someone had half a bottle of orange juice to contribute,and the communion was back on. When he gave thanks and broke the crackers and Life Savers, he talked about how God is a creative, unstoppable God who provides for our needs. He said we should learn to live in the unforced rhythms of grace. I’ll never forget it.”
Teri checked the clock on the bed stand. “I probably should get ready. Scott called and is coming to pick me up in a few minutes. If Mark phones, tell him I really want to talk to him.”
Just then the phone rang, and Anita picked up the extension next to the bed. “You can tell him yourself,” she said, handing Teri the phone. “It’s Mark.”
“Hi.”
“Hi,” he said. “I received a message that you called.”
“Well, I wanted to see if we could get together some time to talk. I know you’re busy going out with the whales and everything …”
Anita slapped Teri’s leg, and Teri bit her lip. “I don’t mean, going out with the whales, I mean going out to sea to see the whales.” She rolled her eyes at Anita. This was not going well.
“Actually,” Mark said, “the whales are only around during the winter months. I’m putting together all the research information I collected this past winter.”
“Well, I’m just saying whenever it’s convenient for you, I’d like to get together.”
“How about tonight?” Mark said.
“Tonight?” Teri gave Anita a panicked look. Anita shrugged her shoulders and offered no suggestions. “I kind of have something going on tonight. How about tomorrow or Tuesday sometime?”
“As long as it’s in the morning.”
“Sure,” Teri said quickly. “What time? Is ten good?”
“I meant morning,” Mark said. “Like six or seven o’clock.”
“Oh! Okay. Six or seven o’clock. Should we meet for breakfast somewhere?”
“Do you want to come to Lahaina?” Mark asked.
“I could probably borrow the car,” Teri said, looking at Anita, who was holding up nine fingers. “I’d have to be back before nine so Dan could take it to work.”
“Then why don’t we meet at the Pioneer Inn for breakfast? They open at 6:30.”
“Okay, the Pioneer Inn at 6:30. Great! I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Mark said.
“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Anita asked as Teri hung up.
“He said he’s looking forward to it. What do you think that means?”
“I think it means you two need to talk, and he’s looking forward to it. Too bad you made plans with Scott for this afternoon. Mark has today off. You two could have spent the whole day together instead of a quick breakfast.”
“I think it’s better this way,” Teri said, rising from the bed and checking her reflection in the mirror above the dresser. “I’ll see how things go with Scott today and then evaluate it in light of how things go tomorrow morning with Mark.”
“If Scott doesn’t maul you in the process.”
Teri spun around. She was too mad at her sister’s comment to respond so she let her fiery eyes speak for her.
“Excuse me for having an opinion of the guy based on our last conversation!”
“Can you just let me be an equal with you, Anita? Just for a few short weeks, let me be an adult, like you, not a naive baby sister who can’t make any decisions for herself. Just treat me like a friend. Like a peer. Listen to me, respect me, encourage me. That’s all I’m asking. Is that too much?”
Anita looked down at the bed covers and didn’t move. When she lifted her eyes, she had a gentler expression. “I can do that.”
“I know you can. I need you to.”
“Okay.”
Teri glanced at the clock again. It had been well over an hour since Scott had called. He should be here any minute. Maybe he stopped by his house first. She could wait. What’s a little waiting? She was on Maui time. Time to slow down. Relax. Take it easy.
Teri waited for Scott until 9:30 that night. He didn’t come. He didn??
?t call.
Chapter Ten
At precisely 9:31 Teri heard a knock on the front door. Dan and Anita had gone to bed, and Teri was in her pajamas, an extra-large, yellow T-shirt. She stumbled to the door.
“Forgive me?” Scott asked, holding out a red rose in a white vase. Teri recognized the arrangement as the grocery-store variety.
She didn’t know how to respond. All her anger, hurt, and frustration had been used up during the past six hours.
“You could have called,” she said in a flat voice that bore neither condemnation nor self-pity.
“The pay phone at the emergency room was out of order.”
Teri involuntarily scanned Scott for signs of injury. “What happened?” she asked, her emotions thawing out.
“The nurse said some kids stuck a pog in the phone, and they couldn’t get a repairman to come out and fix it.”
“Not what happened to the phone! What happened to you?”
“Nothing.” A sly smile spread across his lips. “Are you going to invite me in?”
Teri opened the door and with a swooping hand gesture invited him in. His story was bound to be interesting.
“Where’s Dan and Annie?”
Teri pointed to the closed bedroom door.
“Why don’t we go out on the lanai?” Scott suggested.
Teri felt a little uncomfortable wandering around in her nightshirt. But she sat down on the patio chair, folded her arms across her middle, and raised an eyebrow, waiting for his explanation.
“One of the other bellhops pulled his back out on some movie star’s trunk. I drove him to the other side, and it took longer than I thought.”
“They don’t have hospitals on this side of the island?” Teri questioned.
“I’m sure they do, but this guy wanted to go to Wailuku because of his insurance coverage or something. So,” Scott said, clapping his hands together, “the night is still young. What do you say we go into town? Are you hungry?”
Teri wasn’t ready to forgive and forget. She couldn’t spring back instantly, especially when she had plans to meet Mark at 6:30 in the morning. “We can do something another time,” she suggested. “It’s getting late and—”
“Aw, come on. It’s not that late. If you want, we could rent a couple of movies and come back here. I know a great pizza place. We could give them a call, and by the time we picked up some videos, they would be here with the pizza. Sound good?”
“Scott,” Teri found it hard to say no to this handsome, blond, tanned man when he sat a few feet away, looking so enthusiastic about being with her. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea, since Dan and Anita are already asleep.”
“Then we can go over to my place. I’m sure Bob wouldn’t mind. He’s probably not even home. We don’t have to make it a double feature. We’ll just pick up one video. As a matter of fact, I probably have some lying around the place that we could watch. Kahana Pizza Company will deliver to my front door just as easily as to yours.”
Teri thought of Gordo arriving with a pizza at Scott’s door with her standing there in her nightshirt. Gordon would probably have a klutz attack and toss the pizza the way he had the communion trays.
“I don’t think so, Scott. Let’s pick another time and start all over.”
He looked like a kid who had just fumbled the winning touchdown.
“Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?” Teri felt responsible to bring things back into a win-win situation.
“I have plans.”
“How about Tuesday or Wednesday?”
“I’ll call you,” Scott said and rose to leave.
Teri felt like saying, “Oh, well, that would be a nice change” but instead said, “Okay. Think about it. Any night this week. I’ll make you my award-winning tamales. Old family recipe.” She was following Scott to the door and feeling ridiculous that she was attempting to lure him back with food.
Scott turned and smiled. “Tuesday,” he said. “I’ll be here around seven.”
“Okay,” Teri echoed the smile. “Tamales Teresa a las siete a Martes.”
“Teri’s tamales at seven on Tuesday,” Scott decoded. “Bueno. And don’t make me remember any more Spanish than that!”
“I’ll see you Tuesday,” Teri said as she opened the door for him. “Thanks for the flower.”
Scott lingered by the open door, only a few inches from her. He gazed into her eyes and said, “So all is forgiven?”
Teri nodded.
“Bueno.” He leaned down as if he were about to kiss her. Instead he whispered, “Tuesday.” Then he touched her cheek lightly and left.
Teri felt mesmerized. A swirl of fireworks ignited the instant he bent close to her. She closed the door and slipped back into bed beneath the whirling ceiling fan. Everything was quiet and calm. Everything except the hissing sparklers inside her head.
How did Scott do that to her? Why had she never felt that way with Luis? Teri could tell herself why Scott was not the right guy for her, starting with all of Anita’s concerns about his not being serious in his commitment to Christ. If Scott hadn’t kept his high school promises to God, why should he keep dinner date promises with Teri?
Still, Scott made her feel emotions she had felt before, but never all together in one relationship. He melted her. And whenever he touched her, there were fireworks.
Now Teri had an even tougher question for herself. Had she really felt those same fireworks with Mark last summer? If so, why had they fizzled out? Was it some sort of enchantment that came with this island paradise? She fell asleep wondering.
The next morning at 6:10, Teri was even more convinced she was in paradise as she drove to Lahaina. The sun had already made its debut over the west Maui mountains and was racing with her down the highway. She passed the Ka’anapali Resort and thought of her first night on the island when they had eaten at Lelani’s Restaurant. Mark had told her a whale’s skeleton was on display in Whalers Village. They hadn’t seen it that night, and now she wondered if he would offer to show it to her another time.
What am I doing? I’m hoping Mark will set up future dates with me. That’s crazy! There’s nothing between us anymore. Is there? Why is it I go for months—no, years—without any prospective relationships, and now, here I am developing something with Scott and maintaining this unresolved thing with Mark? Weird. Weird, weird, weird.
Teri parked in front of the huge banyan tree and walked over to the Pioneer Inn. For such an early hour, a number of people were out and about. A woman in a weathered straw hat was hosing down the sidewalk in front of the shops behind the Pioneer Inn. She wore a baggy green mu’umu’u, and a stubby cigarette jutted from her lips. Teri guessed this leather-skinned woman had seen plenty over the years here at the Lahaina harbor.
Directly in front of the Pioneer Inn was a dock full of boats of all shapes and sizes. Some of them were filling with passengers already, headed out for all-day sails to neighboring Lana’i and a favorite diving spot, Molokini.
She found the outdoor restaurant at the front of the Pioneer Inn, facing the harbor and the inviting Pacific. Teri had eaten breakfast here with Mark last summer. She remembered his telling her that until the late 1950s this two-story inn was the only visitors’ accommodations on that side of the island. It seemed hard to believe that in less than fifty years so much development had taken place in west Maui.
The building looked authentically aged with deep green walls, red roof, and bright white trim, which might well have been its original colors. She knew Lahaina had been an important whaling port during the mid-1800s. If she had been meeting a man here 150 years ago, he probably would have hunted and skinned whales for a living instead of studying how to preserve them.
“I’m meeting someone,” Teri said, as the hostess reached for a menu by the front cash register. She was wearing a mu’umu’u and had her thick black hair wound up in a bun with several white and pink plumerias stuck in the side.
“You want wait or sit?
” the young woman asked in the choppy pidgin Teri had heard other locals use last summer.
“I’ll sit,” Teri said, scanning the few early diners and not finding Mark among them. She was escorted to a booth at the back of the small eating area where she slid onto a thick wooden seat with a high back rest.
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Teri looked over the menu while the woman returned with a fresh pot of Kona coffee. Closing her eyes, Teri drew in all the smells and sounds of this morning in Lahaina: the rich aroma of the coffee; the melodic clinking of the ships’ bells as they rocked in the harbor; and the mixed chirping and screeching of hundreds of birds who called the banyan tree across the street their home. Another scent drifted her way, the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen right behind her.
Glancing at her watch, Teri decided to order since Mark seemed to be running late. She asked for eggs, bacon, and a short stack of macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup. The food arrived before Mark did, and she dove right in. Everything tasted perfect.
She watched a short Japanese man stop along the sidewalk and lean over the wooden railing into the eating area to greet a friend. With no windows, everything was open, warm, and friendly.
A tattered bamboo shade hung over one section of the opening to block the fierce morning sun. Teri remembered Mark telling her last year that lahaina meant “cruel sun.” Already, at a little past seven, the sun was hot.
Mark finally arrived out of breath and slid into the seat across from her. “I’m sorry. I was hung up on a phone call.” He glanced at her breakfast plate. “Did you try their macadamia nut pancakes?”
“Yes, with coconut syrup. They’re so good!”
Mark’s face softened in one of his close-lipped smiles as he looked at Teri. “Do you remember when we came here for breakfast last summer?”
Teri nodded.
“That was the first time I’d ever tried their mac cakes. I’ve been hooked ever since. And every time I order them, I think of you.”