The Hawaiian Quilt (20 page)

“Do you have a problem with me staying over at the B&B awhile and joining them for supper?” Ken asked when his mother handed him a box of food she’d prepared for him to take over. “No doubt, they’ll ask me to stay.”

With hands on her hips, the small wrinkles around her eyes deepened. “Really, Ken? I thought we talked the other day about you spending so much time over there.”

“I’m not a kid, Mom.” Ken raised his voice slightly, to make a point. “In case you forgot, I’m twenty-three years old.”

“No, I haven’t forgotten.”

“And it’s not like I’ll be shirking my duties here, ‘cause I’m done for the day. It’s Dan’s turn to feed and water the chickens this evening.” He shifted the box in his arms.

“I’m well aware of that. I just think—”

“Go ahead and say it, Mom; you think I’m spending too much time at the B&B.”

“Is it about those Amish girls? Are you interested in one of them?”

“I’ve gotta go, Mom. This food will be getting cold if I don’t head out now.”

“All right. We can discuss this some other time.” Mom reached out and touched Ken’s hair. “When are you planning to get a haircut? You’re starting to look like a shaggy dog.”

“I like my hair this way.” Ken swung his head side to side, hoping to make a point. “See you later.” He turned and hurried out the door.

The sun felt intense on his shoulders as he headed to his vehicle.
I shouldn’t have gotten defensive with Mom. I’ll apologize when I get home. Are my feelings for Mandy so obvious? If I had admitted the way I’ve begun to feel about her, what would Mom have said?

Ken’s parents had only spoken to Mandy and Ellen a few times at church. Maybe it was time they got to know them better.

“This chicken casserole your
makuahine
made for us sure hits the spot.” Makaio licked his lips. “Be sure to tell her mahalo.”

“I will.” Ken reached for a piece of bread and spread some guava jelly over it.

Having learned a few Hawaiian words, Mandy understood
makuahine
meant “mother,” and
mahalo
was the word for saying “Thank you.” Thanks to Luana, Makaio, and Ken’s teaching, she’d learned how to count to ten in Hawaiian, as well as say the days of the week and months of the year. When she returned home, it would be fun to teach these words to her family.

“How’d the yard sale go today?” Ken asked Luana, before glancing briefly at Mandy.

“It went well. We made several hundred dollars and are hoping to do equally well tomorrow. I opened a hall closet a while ago and found a few more things to add to one of the tables for tomorrow’s sale. I might look around the house some more after dinner and see if there’s anything else I can get rid of.” Luana looked at Makaio. “How about selling some of the Hawaiian shirts you’ve outgrown?”

He shook his head. “No way! I’m not parting with any of my shirts. I can still wear most of them, you know.” Makaio stuffed a fork full of casserole in his mouth and winked at her.

“Back home, our yard sales draw a lot of folks, too.” Ellen reached for her glass of mango flavored lemonade. “It’s amazing what people will often buy.”

Mandy nodded. “Some folks’ unwanted stuff ends up becoming someone else’s treasure,” she added.

“Wish I could have been here to help, but I had deliveries to make and was gone most of the day.” Ken picked up his glass.

“We’re glad you’re here now and could join us for the evening meal.” Luana handed Ken the bowl of fruit salad Mandy and Ellen had made.

“Same here.” He grinned at Mandy, and she felt the heat of a blush cascade over her face.

Every time Ken looked at her, she felt something undeniable pass between them.
Maybe it’s my imagination or wishful thinking
. She glanced at Ellen, wondering why she’d been so quiet. Except for the comment about yard sales, she’d been rather silent since they’d sat down at the table.
Maybe she’s tired. We did have a pretty full day
.

Ken leaned closer to Mandy as he passed her the dish of purple sweet potatoes. “I was wondering if you and Ellen would like to take a tour of my parents’ chicken farm after church on Sunday. Afterward, you can stay for dinner.”

“Seeing how the chickens are raised would be interesting.” Mandy looked at Ellen. “Don’t you think so?”

“I suppose, but we might be needed here to help Luana with the Sunday meal.”

“It won’t be necessary,” Luana was quick to say. “You two have been working hard lately; you deserve to enjoy a meal at the Williamses’ place.” Luana fingered the yellow plumeria tucked in her hair. “I want you to go and have a good time. We’ll be fine on our own a few hours.”

“It’s settled then.” Ken took a drink. “I’ll look forward to seeing you both on Sunday.”

Mandy looked forward to it as well—more than she cared to admit.

“How’s your leg feeling, Makaio?” Ken asked.

“Not so bad, but I’ll be glad when the cast comes off.” His nose scrunched as he looked down at his leg. “I’m gettin’ awful tired of sitting around, doing nothin’ but watching TV all day.”

“You don’t have to watch TV.” Luana’s eyebrows raised.

“What else is there for me to do? I sure can’t do any work.”

“You could work on a word search or crossword puzzle.” Smiling, Luana squeezed his arm. “I read somewhere those are good for stimulating a person’s brain.”

“It’s my leg needing help, not my brain. And to make matters worse, my leg itches like crazy.”

As Mandy ate the rest of her meal, Luana and Makaio’s playful bickering caused her to think about her parents.
Dad can be stubborn and sometimes moody whenever he’s faced with a challenge or when Mom wants him to do something he doesn’t want to do. But they love each other, and as Dad sometimes says, “It’s okay to disagree.”

There’d been times when Gideon acted moody, like the last time they’d spoken on the phone.
He’s upset because I’m still in Hawaii
. Mandy’s gaze went from Makaio to Luana.
If he could meet these wonderful people, maybe he’d understand
.

L
ook at the glorious sunrise God has given us this beautiful Sunday morning!” Mandy exclaimed as she stood at the bedroom window. “You won’t see anything at home comparable to this.”

Ellen moved over to stand beside her. “It is lovely, but we have sunrises in Indiana, too.”

“Not rising from the ocean.” Mandy opened the window. “I wish we had a view of the water from here. But then, it might be hard to get anything done. I’d want to stay at the window and admire the ocean all day.” She drew a deep breath. “You can even smell the lovely fragrance of the flowers on the breeze. How much more
fehlerfrei
can it get?”

“You know, Mandy, not everything in Hawaii is perfect.” Ellen’s sharp tone was a surprise.

Raising her eyebrows, Mandy looked at her friend. “Course not, but it’s what I dreamed of, and even more. Ever since my cousin told me about her trip to Hawaii, I’ve wanted to come. I like it here on Kauai.” Hugging her arms around herself, Mandy moved away from the window and flopped down on her freshly made bed. “I’d love to live here, in fact.”

“You’re not serious, I hope.”

“Jah, I am.”

“Well, I hope your fancy for this island fades in the near future, because we’ll be heading back home as soon as Makaio is in good shape again.”

“I’m well aware.” Mandy pulled her long hair aside, but instead of securing it into a bun, she let it hang loosely across her back. “I wish I could wear my hair down sometimes.”

“You mean like when you’re going to bed?”

“Jah.”

Ellen stared. “Are you forgetting our Amish customs?”

“Of course not, but…” Mandy stood. “Never mind. I was only thinking out loud.” She quickly pulled her hair into a bun at the back of her head and set her head covering in place. “Guess we’d better help Luana with breakfast so we’ll be ready for church when Ken picks us up.”

Ellen followed Mandy across the room, stepping in front of her. “Before we go, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Mandy halted, nearly colliding with her friend. “What is it?”

“Is it the island you’ve fallen in love with, or is it Ken?”

“I’m not acquainted well enough with Ken to declare any love for him, but…” Mandy turned her head to the side, unable to look at Ellen. “In all honesty, I do enjoy being around him. And if he were Amish…” Her voice trailed off. “Never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand. But I do understand one thing. You’re not the same person who began this journey with me. You rarely talk about home or Gideon anymore. And now you’re wishing to live in some fantasy world, imagining what it would be like to live here on Kauai.” Ellen paused, “Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, I believe you have feelings for Ken, and they go beyond friendship.”

Mandy’s throat tightened as tears welled in her eyes. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about him, because once we leave here I’ll probably never see Ken again.”

“Too bad Luana and Makaio couldn’t join us for church,” Ellen whispered as she and Mandy took seats inside the sanctuary. “When Makaio said he wasn’t feeling up to going, one of us should have volunteered to stay with him so Luana could go.”

“Maybe, but he’d probably rather have his wife stay with him instead of one of us.” Mandy glanced at the platform at the front of the church, where Ken had gone to tune his ukulele. This morning he wore a pair of tan-colored slacks and a blue shirt with white palm trees on it.

Most of the men attending this church dressed casually, in light-weight clothes, such as shorts and Hawaiian-print shirts. Even some of the women wore shorts or capris. Mandy felt out of place in her Amish dress and white head covering. Of course, she would have been uncomfortable wearing a muumuu, since she’d never worn anything other than her traditional Amish dress while attending church at home. For some reason, though, here on Kauai, she felt like stepping out of her comfort zone.

When the musicians started playing at the front of the church, she focused on learning the new song the worship team sang. It still seemed strange not to sing traditional Amish hymns found in the
Ausbund
. However, she enjoyed many of the choruses she’d already learned at this church. A couple of times, Mandy tapped her foot in time with the music, until Ellen looked at her in disapproval.

Mandy had been away from home so long, she’d lost track of which weeks were off-Sundays for her home church district. On those days, her family usually visited a neighboring district, and on a few occasions stayed home and had private devotions.
I wonder what church district my family will attend today. If Mom and Dad were here right now, I bet they’d feel out of place—especially with the music and the casual way people dress
.

Ellen felt a bit uncomfortable with the loud music, but she enjoyed the message the pastor preached near the end of the church service. He mentioned how sometimes God provides for His people in surprising ways, as He did the Israelites when they were hungry. He sent them manna from heaven.

When the ship left without us, God provided for Mandy and me by guiding us to a place we could stay and giving us the privilege of helping Luana and Makaio in their time of need
. Ellen shifted on her seat.
I need to stop feeling sorry for myself because I’m so far from home and do whatever I can to make the best of my time here on Kauai
.