The Hawaiian Quilt (22 page)

“Oh, and if you’re wondering about the fall’s name,” Ken added, “
Opae
is the Hawaiian word for shrimp, and
ka’a
means ‘rolling’. It dates back to days when shrimp roamed the river and were seen rolling in the raging waters at the base of the falls. Also, across the road from the falls overlook is another lookout over the Wailua River Valley. From there you can get a good look at where
Raiders of the Lost Ark
was filmed.”

Mandy’s forehead wrinkled. “
Raiders of the Lost Ark
?”

“Yeah. It’s a movie. You do go to movies, right?”

She shook her head. “Some Amish young people go to movies during their
rumschpringe
, but—”

“What’s a rumschpringe?”

“It’s a time of running around, before we make a decision about whether we want to join the Amish church or not.”

Ken crossed his arms. “What if you don’t join the church? Would you be shunned?”

“No.” Ken’s question caught Mandy off guard. She couldn’t blame him for not knowing how shunning worked in the Amish community, but it was a bit unsettling to talk about because many English people had the wrong idea.

“Shunning is a form of church discipline,” she explained. “It’s meant to bring a wayward member back into fellowship with the church and body of believers.” She clasped her hands together, struggling with her own desires. “I have not yet joined the church. If I decide not to, I won’t be shunned.”

“How come you haven’t joined?” He glanced at her quickly, then back at the road ahead.

“I’m not sure it’s the right thing for me.” Mandy struggled for words, but as Ken pulled his rig into the fall’s parking lot, she spoke again. “My parents are expecting me to join, and they’ll be disappointed if I don’t, but in the end, the final decision is mine.”

“I see. Well, I hope you make the right decision.” Ken turned off the engine, hopped out, and came around to open the door for her. “When we leave here, I’ll drive you up to Wailua Falls. It’s a double-tiered waterfall, and if we’re lucky and the sun is at the right angle, we’ll see a beautiful rainbow extending from the base of the falls in the mist. Wailua Falls is about eighty-five feet high—although some people say it’s twice that height—and it drops into a thirty-foot-deep pool. During high flow, the falls often have a third tier.”

Mandy took a deep breath. “There’s so much I didn’t know about Kauai, but I’m excited to find out.”

She followed Ken over to where several others stood along a chain-link fence, and peered out toward the falling waters. “It’s so beautiful.” Mandy readied her camera to take some snapshots.

A lady next to them turned and asked if they’d like a picture together with the falls behind them. Before Mandy could reply, Ken spoke up. “Thanks. That’d be great.”

The woman took a few pictures, then handed the camera back to Mandy and moved aside.

I wonder how the photos will turn out
. Mandy gazed at the falls spilling over the ledge behind them.
Does that lady think Ken and I are a courting couple? Do I dare admit, even to myself, that I wish it were so?

“I appreciate you helping me with this.” Luana took another ornament from the box as Ellen helped her decorate the Christmas tree. “I’d meant to do it sooner, but with the yard sale and taking care of Makaio, there hasn’t been time.”

“Believe me, I’m enjoying myself.” Carefully, Ellen touched the needles of the tree. “What kind of tree is this, Luana?”

“It’s a Norfolk Island pine. In Hawaii, some people order trees from the mainland, but we’ve always gotten ours here on the island, where they grow.”

“Mandy doesn’t realize what she’s missing out on today.” Ellen frowned. “Too bad she didn’t stay and help us. But then, she hasn’t been acting herself lately.”

“It’s all right. Ken was anxious to show her some sights, and you could certainly have joined them if you’d wanted to.”

“Someone needed to stay and help with this.” Ellen picked up a shiny glass ornament and hung it on the tree. “I’ve never decorated for Christmas before, so this all seems a bit strange to me.”

Luana’s mouth opened slightly. “You don’t put out any decorations?”

“Only the Christmas cards we receive, and a few candles. Our focus at Christmas is on Jesus and how God sent His only Son to earth as a baby so He could later die on the cross to become our Savior.”

“It’s our focus, too, which is why I display this in a prominent place.” Luana gestured to the Nativity set she’d placed on one end of the check-in table.

Ellen touched the baby Jesus figurine, running her finger across the smooth porcelain surface. “It’s lovely.”

“Do you get together with family and friends to share a meal on Christmas Day?”

“Yes, but sometimes we have to choose other days, close to the holiday, to have our family meal. Since our families are large, we can’t always be together at the same time.”

Luana smiled, reaching for an antique star ornament to hang on the tree. “It doesn’t matter what day we celebrate, as long as we spend time with our
ohana
.”

“
Ohana
means ‘family,’ right?”

“That’s correct. Our family is important to us.”

“Mine is to me, as well.” Ellen stepped back to see how the tree looked. “I can smell the pine scent,” she murmured.

“I like putting the tree in here for our guests to enjoy. I imagine my husband will come in and check things out when we’re finished decorating. He’s like a big kid at Christmas.” Luana chuckled. “Normally, Makaio helps me decorate the B&B. He usually gets a new ornament for our tree every year, too. The reason he didn’t come into the living room while we’re doing this is because it’s hard for him to sit and watch when there’s work to be done. He’s quite comfortable sitting on the lanai this afternoon, drinking iced tea and reading the paper.” She plugged in the string of lights, then stood off to one side, no doubt to admire their work. “I love the pretty colors and how the lights play off the shiny ornaments.”

“It looks very nice, and the lights do make it stand out.” Ellen added another wooden ornament to the tree—this one had palm trees painted on it. “I’ve never had a broken bone, but I imagine it’s hard for Makaio to sit around when he was used to being so active.”

“Yes. Makaio is not a patient man when it comes to being idle.”

They continued to visit as the room was transformed. “You may have noticed,” Luana said, “there are poinsettias blooming in many yards in our area. They’re not potted, but grow quite large and bloom around this time of the year.”

“Actually, I haven’t noticed.” Ellen smiled. “But I did observe the red-and-green leis you’ve put around the candles.”

After they finished decorating, Luana suggested they go to the kitchen and bake some special Christmas cookies her mother used to make when she was a girl.

Mandy’s heartbeat picked up speed when she and Ken climbed aboard the small boat that would take them up the Wailua River to see Fern Grotto. She had worn her lavender muumuu. It blended well with the tropical flowers she’d seen near one of the waterfalls.

“I think you’re gonna enjoy the ride up to the grotto,” Ken said as they sat on one of the wooden benches on the right side of the boat. “The scenery is beautiful.”

“I can already see that,” she responded as the boat pulled away from the dock.

“This is the only navigable river in Hawaii. It’s fed by Mt. Waialeale, one of the wettest spots in the world. During the two-mile trip upstream, we’ll be entertained with songs and stories of old Hawaii.” He raised his eyebrows playfully. “You can even participate in a hula lesson if you like.”

Mandy’s face heated. “I don’t think so. It’s not something I’d be comfortable doing.”

“It’s okay. I was only teasing.”

As they started up the river, Mandy was amazed at the beautiful mangrove trees lining the river’s banks, as well as the colorful foliage.
If only we had something like this back home
.

When the boat reached the Fern Grotto landing, they took a short nature walk through a lovely rainforest. As they approached a fern-covered lava cave, the highlight of their tour, Mandy’s breath caught in her throat. Colorful tropical plants grew in and around the cave. Their tour guide explained the grotto was one of Kauai’s geological wonders and had formed millions of years ago. At one time the cave was open to the public, but it was no longer accessible.

They stood admiring the grotto for several minutes as the musicians who’d also ridden on the boat sang a few songs. Mandy felt as though she was in the middle of a fairytale.

As they began the walk back to the boat, Ken halted and leaned close to her ear. “You look nice in that dress, but there’s something missing.”

“Oh? What’s missing?”

Mandy’s heart beat a little faster, and her face warmed when he picked a Hibiscus flower and stuck it behind her right ear.

“Wearing it this way means you’re not married.” Unexpectedly, he reached out and took hold of her hand.

At a loss for words, all she could do was manage a smile. She’d had a fantastic time and wished the day didn’t have to end.
Does Ken have feelings for me? Does he suspect how I’ve begun to feel about him? It would be wrong for us to become involved when we live so far apart—not to mention, he’s English and I’m Amish. Besides, I don’t think Mom and Dad would approve. Then there’s Gideon—how would he feel if I broke up with him and didn’t join the church? Oh, so many questions
.

Middlebury

E
xcept for a few remaining scabs on his arms, Gideon was pretty much over the chicken pox. He’d hated being sick and missing time from work, but at least he didn’t have to deal with the itching anymore. When the pox had flared, he’d given in to the temptation to scratch on more than one occasion. Remembering the ordeal made his skin crawl.
I’ll probably be left with some scars
. He let out a snort as he sat at a table in the back of the upholstery shop to eat his lunch.

“It’s good to see you working again.” Jim Nicolson sat beside Gideon and opened his lunch pail. He was the only English man working at the shop.

Gideon nodded. “The morning went by fast. Can’t believe it’s time for lunch already.”

“So you’re feeling all right now?”

“Physically, I’m fine, but emotionally, I’m a wreck.”

“What’s the problem?” Jim took out a sandwich and pulled off the cellophane wrap.

“My girlfriend, Mandy. She’s still in Hawaii.” Gideon grunted, slowly shaking his head.

“Is that so? Figured she’d be back by now.”

Gideon poured coffee from his thermos into a cup. “She and her friend Ellen got stranded on the island of Kauai, so now they’re helping out at a bed-and-breakfast there.”

“To earn some money for their trip home?”

“No. The man who owns the B&B fell off the roof and broke his leg. Mandy and Ellen are helping the man’s wife run the place while he’s laid up.” Gideon finished his coffee then dug into his lunch container and removed his tuna sandwich. Not one of his favorites, but busy as she was, Mom had taken time to make lunch for him this morning, so he would eat it without complaint.

“Sounds like a charitable thing they’re doing.”

“Yes, and I can’t fault her for it. But she won’t be here for the holidays, and it won’t seem like Christmas without her.”

“Any idea when she’ll come home?”

“Nope. It’s hard enough I haven’t seen Mandy in a long time, not to mention we missed being together at Thanksgiving. But there’s something else that’s been nagging me even more.”

“Oh?” Jim bit into his bologna sandwich.

Gideon poured another cup of coffee. “Mandy rarely ever calls me.”

“Why don’t you call her? Do you have the number there?”

“I have called, but she’s usually too busy to say more than a few words. Sometimes she’s not there at all.” He frowned, rubbing his arm where a few scabs remained. “Once when I called, I was told she was out with someone named Ken, who was showing her around. Do you think she’s avoiding me?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Gideon. Your girlfriend probably wants to enjoy the beautiful island.” Jim stared off for a moment. “Years ago, I was on Oahu for a short while. I’m sure it’s changed a lot since then. It was a nice place to visit, but the cost of living is high—at least, compared to what we’re used to here in Middlebury.” He leaned back in his chair, sipping from his can of soda. “When do you expect your girlfriend to come home?”