Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
MIA
Dinner or bed, dinner or bed, Mia considered both options as she stood in the kitchen looking longingly through the doorway into her bedroom at her comfortable bed.
She’d thought that the first day with students would be the hardest day she’d have to survive the whole school year.
But then came today… which happened to be the same day she’d found out that their classroom’s assigned firefighter was none other than Hot Lifeguard. Guess that’s his side hustle. Maybe she needed to start thinking of him as Hot Firefighter, which sounded more appropriate.
She leaned against the counter behind her, remembering the way she’d had to run in between two fifth graders who had started fighting during recess.
They were both throwing very adult like punches, and Mia hadn’t even had time to worry for her own safety as she ran across the lawn and broke the two up.
Thankfully, some other student had the foresight to call for Johnny, because both boys had been taller than Mia’s five-two.
She’d been able to calm down the bigger boy when the other one had muttered something that had set him off once more.
If Johnny hadn’t been there to pull the bigger boy away, Mia didn’t want to consider what would have happened.
During lunch, she thought she’d have a group of sympathetic colleagues to relate her story to but they’d all just laughed, telling Mia at least she hadn’t had to teach either of them.
Aunty Gertrude—Mia still found it strange to call a fellow teacher aunty—had even gone so far as to say it was good for Mia that she’d experienced what she had.
A taste of local life was what Aunty Gertrude had called it.
Well, if this was local life, Mia wanted no part of it. First, Hot Lifeguard/Firefighter’s retelling of her idiocy at the restaurant, and now this. In some ways Mia felt like she was still fighting that ocean current, and losing.
At least her own class was absolutely adorable.
Mia recalled how Koa had slipped her the money so that cute Angel wouldn’t go hungry.
Mia wasn’t sure how to reconcile that firefighter with the lifeguard who’d mocked her.
She guessed she wouldn’t have to. What were the chances she’d have to interact with him again?
The island was small but not that small. Right?
When Mia had gone to check, she’d found out Angel hadn’t had any money in her lunch account. The cafeteria manager had said that was a common occurrence for Angel and her sister. Mia couldn’t believe it. To allow children to go hungry?
Mia wasn’t sure how she was going to make it happen, but she would somehow get Angel’s guardians to fill out the paperwork so that Angel and her sister could get free lunch.
The cafeteria manager told Mia the application process was fairly simple in Hawaii, many of the students used the program, so there wasn’t any shame associated with it.
Mia wiped under her eyes, not even realizing tears had sprung up.
She wasn’t that sad…okay, maybe she was.
She missed Nat. If she’d been back in Washington and had a day like this one, Nat would have been with her, making her dinner so she didn’t have to decide bed or dinner.
She knew she could call Nat, but that wouldn’t be the same.
Selfishly, she wanted her here, with her.
But even more than that, Mia missed her mom and dad.
If only she could call them, retell them her day. She knew they’d have been properly distressed by the fight. Her mom would have told her everything would look better in the light of morning, and her dad would have volunteered to get on a plane that night.
She bit her lip, knowing a torrent of tears was about to release.
With that, bed won, and Mia left the kitchen to climb under her covers and hug a pillow tight.
It wasn’t fair that they were gone. It wasn’t fair that she was all alone.
She thought about little Angel and knew life wasn’t fair, but why did it have to be especially hard for some people?
After crying for long enough that she knew she’d be plagued with a headache the next day, Mia wiped under her eyes once more and climbed out of bed. Her mom was right. Everything would look better in the light of day. And after a good meal.
Opting for a grilled cheese once more, Mia made her meal, ate, and was starting to tidy the kitchen when a knock sounded on her screen door.
Like most homes in Hawaii, Mia’s didn’t have air conditioning, so locals took the cool outside air inside any way they could, including using their screen doors all year round.
Mia had thought about closing the main door to get more privacy, but these August evenings were toasty, and Mia didn’t feel like sweating like a pig on top of the day she’d had.
“Mia?” a voice called through the screen.
Mia set down the dish she’d been washing, then rinsed and dried her hands before going to the door.
“I’m Victor, your landlord,” the unsmiling man at the door explained.
“Oh,” Mia said. She’d forgotten that Randall had told her he’d drop off her lease that evening.
Since she’d accepted the apartment sight unseen while she’d still been in Washington, Randall had told her it would be fine for her to sign their lease agreement after she’d arrived.
He’d texted a couple days before that he’d be home from his trip that day and would bring it by her house that night.
She opened the screen door. “Come in,” she offered.
“Oh, no. I’m good,” Randall said taking a step back.
Mia surveyed the man. He was thin with wispy blonde hair and a nose that didn’t quite fit his face. His white skin was leathered from sun exposure and Mia wondered how long the man had lived on the island.
But the thing she wondered most of all was why Randall didn’t have a paper in his hand.
Mia had said she’d be happy to sign an e-lease. But Randall insisted that a paper trail was necessary. Mia hadn’t thought leaving it till after she’d moved here was a big deal, especially because she knew some of a certain generation appreciated doing things the old-fashioned way.
But where was the lease now?
Mia felt her eyes narrow.
“Maybe I should just text you,” Randall said, taking another step back.
“That wouldn’t make sense considering we’re both right here, right now. I’m happy to sign the lease,” Mia said, hoping the older man had just forgotten the lease and it was somewhere in his home on the other side of the property.
“About that…” Randall began.
Mia felt a pit in her stomach. She didn’t like his tone. In fact, she liked nothing about this.
“So I just found out that my property has qualified to be a short-term rental. I’ve been trying to get it approved for years…” his voice trailed off when he noticed Mia’s pinched face.
“Right. You wouldn’t care about that.”
That pit in her stomach turned into panicked flutters. This couldn’t be going anywhere good considering Victor’s nervousness and the words he’d spoken. But he wouldn’t…he couldn’t…Mia spoke before she freaked out completely.
“Will you be renting out your home, Victor?” Mia waved toward the house behind Victor. The one he currently occupied.
“I am. I’m moving back East, my kids have been asking me for years. That’s where I just was, you know,” Randall continued before swallowing.
“That’s good,” Mia managed. That had to be it.
Randall was worried she’d hate that people in the house so close to hers would be in and out all the time.
Short-term rentals were notorious for parties and the like.
And while that wouldn’t be ideal, Mia could live with it.
Because it meant she still had a place to live.
“I’ll also be renting out this unit. Of course, I’d give you the option to stay first,” Randall said quickly.
Mia blinked. Why would she need to be given the option to stay? Of course, she wanted to stay.
“I can make so much more from short-term rentals. You understand, right?”
Mia shook her head. She didn’t understand. They had an agreement. Maybe not by the law, but he’d said she could live here for a specific price. She was about to sign the lease. She’d already sent him her first and last months’ rent because he was such a nice old man.
“With short-term rentals I can charge by the night, but for you I’d give the weekly rate,” Randall spouted off a number that was more than double what they’d agreed upon.
Mia’s eyes went wide. She’d barely been able to afford the first amount on her teacher’s salary.
“I know you’re a teacher so that might be a bit much, but maybe you could consider finding a roommate?” Randall offered.
The unit was four-hundred-square-feet with one bedroom and the tiniest little bathroom Mia had ever seen. Where would a roommate go?
“I can’t do that,” Mia squeaked, not sure she should have eaten that grilled cheese, because now she felt like she was going to lose it.
Maui’s rental market was tough, that was another reason why she’d abided by Victor’s unconventional ways. Where would she find somewhere she could afford now?
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Randall said with a wide smile, knowing what he was doing but not caring. Had he known the short-term rental was a possibility and that was why he hadn’t signed a lease with Mia? Had he planned this whole thing?
“I do need you out by Monday if you decide you don’t want to stay….”
Decide she didn’t want to stay? As if she had a choice.
“So you’re going to kick me out? Just like that? You know what you’re doing is wrong, Victor,” Mia’s voice cracked as she spoke but she had to fight for her place to live.
“I’m doing what any business man would,” Randall said, raising his shoulders proudly.
Oh, no. He didn’t get to feel pride about what he was doing.
“You’re doing what any money-hungry…” Mia struggled to find the right word, “...haole would do!”