Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Lu
Standing at the top of the beach, I closed my eyes and breathed in the sand and sea as the blowing of the pū, the conch shell horns, announced the start of the Ho‘oma‘ema‘e, or the pre-vow ceremony.
I know it was not an official instrument of the modern world, but it had always been one of my favorites.
Aloiki’s sister, Kalea, and his niece, Pualani, were the only blood relations in attendance.
Since my parents refused to attend and his were dead, we didn’t have a lot of family to invite.
But friends? We had an abundance of those.
Between our club and the visiting club members, plus our local friends, we had close to a hundred guests.
Aloiki wasn’t too thrilled about the fanfare, and I was very grateful he was putting up with it for me.
The Kai Ho‘oma‘ema‘e was a cleansing ceremony, to wash away the bad and negative spirits and bring harmony to this day. More than that, it was centering, an announcement of love and peace. Many thought aloha meant hello, which it can and does, but the purest translation of the word was “love”.
A hand touched my elbow just as the blows of the pū died down.
I looked to my left to see Tangaloa standing beside me.
I smiled, as tears welled in the corner of my eyes.
I hadn’t seen him since the day he walked out of the mansion two weeks ago.
He didn’t look good, per se. The bags under his eyes were dark, and there was an unusual tension about him, but he was clean.
His tattoos shone in the afternoon sunlight against his dark skin, accentuated by the white patterns on the black pareo he wore.
The smile he offered me did not reach his dark eyes, but he still gave me a quick congratulatory hug. “Ho‘maika‘i ana,” he whispered in my ear.
“Mahalo.” I sniffled, trying to contain my tears. Aloiki would have never said anything, but I knew he wanted Tangaloa at his side while we got married. But as good as it was to see Tangaloa, it made Nishi’s absence even harder.
He stepped back from me. He was taller and broader than Aloiki, though he’d always been the calmer of the two. Carefully, he wiped under my eyes with the pads of his thumbs. “She’s here,” he told me gently, “and she’s as happy for you as I am.”
As comforting as his words were, they also made me tear up even more.
“None of that now,” he encouraged, cracking a smile. “I’d like to live to see another day. And if Aloiki thinks I’m the one who’s causing your tears, I won’t make it down the aisle with you.”
Despite my sorrow, I giggled at his words. “I’m pregnant and about to get married. Of course I’m crying.”
“Yeah, but does he know that?” Tangaloa made a face over his shoulder.
I peered around his wide body to where Aloiki waited for me at the end of the aisle. He looked positively murderous, and his target was definitely Tangaloa.
Smiling, I looked up at the big man who had been like an older brother to me for nearly a decade. “Let’s get me married.”
“That’s the spirit.” Turning, he offered me his arm. It was like wrapping my hand around a tree trunk.
Like him, I was in a traditional pareo skirt, though mine was white with gold trim.
Covering my top was a white twist bandeau.
My very pregnant belly was bare and practically leading the way down the aisle.
I had a simple bouquet of plumeria and greenery in my right hand and a single orchid decorating my hair above my right ear.
Traditionally, a bride would wear a haku lei, a flower crown, but I was pregnant. I would not risk bad luck or harm towards my baby by wearing a closed lei that symbolized an obstructed path.
Our guests stood as we started down the sandy aisle between their rows of chairs.
The front row was reserved for our club and Aloiki’s family.
I was surprised, and glad, to see Caroline and Samantha in attendance too.
They’d been invited, of course, but I hadn’t spent much time with either.
I really should do that, especially after learning something had happened between Tangaloa and Caroline, who was just seventeen.
The way Caroline stared at Tangaloa, the intense longing in her blue eyes, made me believe Tangaloa’s claim that whatever they’d done had been consensual. Aloiki had spoken with Caroline, but things got so busy with the wedding planning that I never followed up with her, as I’d meant to.
I peeked at Tangaloa, but he stared straight ahead.
I got the distinct feeling that he wasn’t letting himself look anywhere else.
I decided to look forward too, wanting to lay eyes on my man—but not before I caught sight of Kalea, Aloiki’s sister and Tangaloa’s ex-wife, glaring daggers at Caroline.
I definitely needed to investigate that further.
Later though. I had something more important to do at this exact moment.
The closer I got to Aloiki, the calmer he seemed. This made me smile, because like the drama with Kalea and Caroline, he and Tangaloa could have it out tomorrow.
Today was our day.
Lucifer stood next to Aloiki. He was our kahu, our officiant, today.
Though he was no longer a priest, he still wore his clerical collar most days.
I didn’t know why he’d left the priesthood.
I’d never asked Aloiki. Since we were not having a religious ceremony, he only had to get ordained online to perform our wedding.
As Tangaloa offered my hand to Aloiki, I caught Lucifer’s eye. He winked before reaching into the front pocket of his shirt and producing a handkerchief. I gratefully took it, dabbing at my eyes. I had a feeling it was going to be useless, though.
I finally looked up at Aloiki, who patiently stood there as I tried to collect myself. I couldn’t help the self-deprecating laugh. “I’m a mess,” I told him, tears still streaming down my cheeks. “You sure you want to do this?”
Letting go of my hand, he raised it to grip my chin, and with the other, took the handkerchief Lucifer had just offered me.
“You’re fucking beautiful, Hōkūpa?a.” He carefully wiped away my tears.
“Fuck yeah, I want to do this.” Tucking the handkerchief into the waistband of his all-black pareo, he bent to kiss my nose.
“Cry all you want. It won’t stop me from marrying you. ”
Happiness filled me, and I beamed up at him. “Keep saying nice things like that and I’ll worry you’ve been body snatched.”
Aloiki waggled his eyebrows. “Knew you only wanted me for my body.”
I laughed. The distraction worked, calming me. Turning, I nodded to Lucifer that I was ready.
We stood at the water’s edge, the tide not quite reaching our feet as it prepared to go out for the night.
Aloiki and I stood in the sand rather than on a platform or a dais.
Hundreds of little candles were lit around us.
Lucifer stood with his back to the sea, a small table of supplies next to him.
Taking a deep, almost nervous breath, Lucifer started to chant:
Onaona ka hala me ka lehua, He hale lehua no ia na ka noe,
`O ka’u no ia e 'ano’i nei,
E li‘a nei ho‘i o ka hiki mai,
A hiki mai no ka kou,
A hiki pu no me ke aloha…
Aloha e! Aloha e! Aloha e!
Though Lucifer was performing the ceremony, he was not Hawai‘ian. He’d practiced for months to perform the Oli Aloha chant. I was surprised by his voice, and despite the nervousness he showed at the beginning, he did a wonderful job.
Silence fell as he finished, and I peeked a glance at our audience to see their reaction.
Many of them had their noses in the pamphlets we provided them with the translations and breakdown of our customs. It was Holly’s suggestion, as she’d never been to a traditional Hawai‘ian wedding before either.
She stepped forward now to take my bouquet as Lucifer grabbed a bowl made of Koa wood off the table.
Water sloshed as he picked it up. “I appreciate you putting up with my voice,” he announced to the crowd.
“The last time I sang like that, it was in a very different setting. The words intrigued me when I first heard them, and I did a lot of research on their origins. ‘This is the sight for which I have longed. Now that you have come, love has come with you.’ That’s what that chant means, and it could not be truer than it is today.
” He looked between Aloiki and me. “I’ve married a lot of people in my time.
I have to say, the two of you are the most unique.
And also,” he added when Aloiki frowned, “the most pure.” Aloiki squared his shoulders, relaxing slightly.
“There’s a connection between the two of you that is rare, going above and beyond the fairytale of ‘true love’.
It’s been an honor to witness it, and a privilege to be the one to officially bring the two of you together. ”
He raised the water bowl. “Do you have your rings?”
Aloiki let go of my hands to reach up to a leather strap around his throat. Untying it, he released our rings that we’d picked out months ago. I held out my hand, palm up. He placed his ring in my hand and held mine up on his.
Lucifer reached over to the table for a small cup of salt.
He combined the salt with the fresh water inside the wood bowl.
Taking the rings, he dipped them into the bowl before returning them to our palms. Careful not to spill the water, Lucifer grabbed the ti leaf from the table.
As he sprinkled the water over the rings three times, he chanted the wedding blessing.
Ei-Ah Eha-No. Ka Malohia Oh-Na-Lani. Mea A-Ku A-Pau.
Then he quickly added the English translation for our guests.
“May peace from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever.” The ti leaf symbolized prosperity and good health while the Koa wood represented strength and integrity.
The salt and water offered us a new beginning as a married couple.
Putting the bowl down, he instructed us, “You may now exchange the rings.”