Chapter 3
CHAPTER
THREE
MIA
Mia had never seen anything quite like Makalani Elementary School. The grounds were beautiful. The grass was a vibrant green, and shady trees lined every walkway.
But she was surprised to see that instead of all the classrooms being inside a large building, they were lined up alongside open-air walkways, with rows of louvered windows along two full sides of each classroom.
Mia wasn’t quite sure how she hadn’t known to expect that, and it did make sense that Hawaii’s schools were outdoors, but as she passed the open-air cafeteria to take the open walkway down to the main office, she couldn’t help the way she ate up the sights in front of her. They were fascinating.
The school itself was aging. The paint was peeling and the sidewalks were worn and cracked. But Mia couldn’t complain. Not when a giant banyan tree sat in the center of the lawn she was passing.
Mia got to the office and drew in a deep breath.
This was it. Her new school. The start of her new life.
Hopefully she could find some friends here?
If Hot Lifeguard was any indication, she wasn’t feeling optimistic.
Remembering the way he’d roasted her in front of his friends, Mia’s face flamed.
She knew she’d been stupid. She definitely should have seen the signs.
But couldn’t he have had some compassion?
He’d seen how flustered at herself she’d been.
As a lifeguard, he had to know how scary near-drowning could be. And yet he’d mocked her.
Mia shook her head. She would not let one bad, albeit incredibly good looking, egg ruin her perception of the whole island. She squared her shoulders and walked into the office with a smile on her face.
“Coming through,” a man pushing a wheeled trashcan said, and Mia stepped back against the wall to let him by.
“Mahalo,” he said with a shaka—Hawaii’s official “aloha spirit” hand gesture she was getting familiar with—as he passed her and went about his business.
The buzz of voices in the office spoke of camaraderie and efficiency.
Mia stood there for a moment taking it all in.
There were three women sitting behind the counter.
The one closest to Mia had black hair and a no-nonsense attitude as she looked at the computer before her.
The others, who both appeared older than the woman at the front, were laughing with a group that Mia would guess were teachers.
“Meeting starts in ten,” a voice Mia recognized called into the front office. That was the voice of the principal, Mrs. Takitaki, who’d interviewed her.
But the voice came in and out so fast that Mia didn’t get a chance to verify where it came from. There seemed to be some offices to the side—probably for the principal and vice principal? And she guessed there must be an adjoining back room where the faculty could meet together.
Mia had worked at two schools before this one, so she understood how things typically went. But seeing the outdoor environment and then never having been here before her first day of work was throwing her off a bit.
Her stomach growled, reminding her that she’d skipped breakfast out of nervousness.
She’d also been too upset to eat much of the fast food she’d ended up with last night after beating a hasty retreat from Puka’s Brewery.
When Mia had asked at the local grocery store the best place to grab some dinner, the cashier recommended Puka’s.
Mia had been wary about eating all alone but this move was about being adventurous.
She’d survived a perilous undercurrent, so why couldn’t she eat dinner alone?
Little did she know what she’d encounter when she got there.
Her blood still boiled when she thought about what Hot Lifeguard had said.
And the worst part was that he wasn’t wrong.
She had been foolish. It just annoyed her that he felt the need to blab her business to everyone.
And then let them all know that she looked like his ex so anyone who heard the story could pick her out of a crowd.
It was highly embarrassing. Especially on an island as small as this one.
“Ms. Goodman?”
Mia’s gaze went to the group of women who’d been chatting moments before. They were now looking at her with interest.
She should have said something before they noticed her lurking in the corner. So much for a good first impression.
“Mia,” Mia hurried around the counter to meet the women and began shaking hands with each of them.
Names were rattled off so quickly, Mia didn’t register them, especially because most of them sounded Hawaiian. Mia was embarrassed by how little she knew about the local language and culture and vowed to delve into that soon.
“You’re teaching first grade, yeah?” one of the younger women Mia assumed was a teacher asked.
Mia nodded. Her first choice had been fourth grade but the only open teaching position at Makalani had been in first grade.
The principal had said something about fourth grade being the year the kids learned Hawaiian studies and it might be best for Mia to get a few years of experience under her belt before tackling that.
“I am too,” the woman responded and Mia really wished she’d concentrated better when names were being exchanged. Hopefully the principal would have them introduce themselves in their morning meeting.
“Did you just move to Maui?” one of the women sitting in a chair asked.
Mia nodded once more and then pushed herself to say something, because at this rate, these coworkers of hers would wonder if she’d been rendered mute. At least she’d said her name earlier.
“Yesterday,” Mia said with what she hoped was a warm smile. She was so nervous, a grimace on her face was more likely.
“Oh, wow,” the woman replied kindly so Mia nodded again.
“I guess we’d better get in there?” Another woman Mia was assuming was a teacher pointed toward the doorway behind her. Sure enough, there was the teacher’s lounge Mia had known had to be somewhere close.
Most of the group headed toward the door, and Mia fell into step behind them.
Mia noticed that the women began to joke with one another, the contrast to how they’d spoken with her evident.
She knew it wasn’t fair or even realistic to think that they’d treat her the way they treated one another, but Mia hoped one day they would.
Loneliness pricked at her heart. Losing her parents the year before had been devastating and life altering. That’s when she’d known she had to leave her ex. She’d slowly but surely lost everyone important to her—besides Natalie, thank heaven for Natalie—and Mia wasn’t used to being alone.
But she’d make friends. Or she’d figure out a way to feel less lonely even while she was alone. It would all work out. Because she had no other option.
“Hello…aloha…welcome back,” Mrs. Takitaki greeted each of them as they entered the room. Mia was grateful there was at least one familiar voice.
“And you must be Ms. Goodman,” the principal said as Mia entered the room reaching out her hand for Mia to shake.
Mia smiled, shaking Mrs. Takitaki’s hand and then said, “I am. But please call me Mia.”
“Sounds good, Mia,” Mrs. Takitaki said as women took seats around the room. Mia noticed there wasn’t a single male present.
It wasn’t odd for schools to have fewer males on staff than females but no males at all?
Mia hadn’t seen that before. She had to wonder if it was because of Hawaii’s high cost of living.
Her paycheck had barely covered her expenses in Washington and teachers made even less here.
Plus everything was so much more expensive on the island.
Mia had nearly choked on her gum when she’d seen the price of milk.
She’d decided dairy wasn’t worth giving up her right arm.
So maybe men didn’t become teachers here because they couldn’t make much money?
Soon the room was full, and Mia began to count the teachers.
Twenty two, including herself. That was about the number at her last school as well.
Though that one went up to grade six, and she knew Makalani only went to fifth.
She’d also been told from Mrs. Takitaki that class sizes in Hawaii were typically quite small, which Mia couldn’t love more.
She estimated she’d probably have around seventeen students.
That was about the size of her class the year before, but she’d been worried Maui would have more students per class.
“Aloha and welcome back to our new school year,” Mrs. Takitaki said, standing at the front of the room. “Most of you are returning, and we are so happy to have you back, but we do have one new teacher in our midst. Mia, would you mind standing to introduce yourself?”
Mia’s palms went sweaty. She’d known she’d probably have to introduce herself, but she’d assumed they’d all be doing so. She was apparently on her own.
She could do this. Even if her social anxiety screamed that she couldn’t.
“Hi,” Mia gave a small wave. “I’m Mia Goodman. I was born and raised in Washington state. I graduated from U-Dub,” Mia realized people in Hawaii might not recognize the nickname, “or University of Washington…”
“Go Huskies!” a woman to Mia’s left cheered.
Mia’s smile felt a little more real after that.
“...five years ago.”
“Oh, you’re just a baby,” another teacher exclaimed.
“A beautiful baby,” came yet another response.
Mia bit her lip to keep from laughing and then composed herself for a second before continuing. “I’m an only child, and my parents died in a car wreck last year.”
Gasps sounded around the room.
Mia had not meant to tell everyone about her parents’ passing in her small intro. But nerves had gotten the best of her, and those wonderful people who’d left the earth too soon were the foundation of who she was.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”