15. Oakley
Oakley
Not long after celebrating the first birthday of their youngest member, the Kalama family came together again for a day at Honoli‘i, the black-sand beach that had been a cornerstone of their childhood. Oakley loved that beach, with its oversaturated hues and wide-open spaces. They all did.
One end of the beach was all bright green grass and deep black sand. At the other, dark green vegetation gave way to a deep sapphire sea. A bridge soared high above the river, which paused in a huge, clear pool behind the beach before continuing on to the sea.
They weren’t all there – Halia had to work, and Zoe was covering for Laurie at the bookshop – but near enough.
All of the grandkids were together, splashing and playing in the water, gathering driftwood for a fire.
It was exactly the sort of day that Oakley had dreamed of when she imagined moving to Pualena and homeschooling her girls.
This was the quality family time that she had wanted to create more of while they were still young, and she had succeeded.
Transitioning to life in Pualena had been more difficult than she had expected. She didn’t like the house that they were renting, and waking up in a musty room that didn’t feel like home made it hard to start the day off right.
Then there were their homeschool lessons… more often than not, both of her daughters reacted to her carefully chosen lesson plans in roughly the same way that they would approach a trip to the dentist.
But as soon as they got outside, they could all breathe again.
Daily stressors melted away beneath clear blue skies and strong Hawaiian sunshine. Oakley made sure to spend time outside as a family every day, even if it was just a walk along the cliffs at dusk.
More often than not, though, she carved out real time for play with cousins or a family swim – and in those moments, she knew that all of her hard work, and all of the trauma of uprooting their life and moving back to her hometown, had been worth it.
These were the days that would shape their childhood, the people and places that they would remember all their lives.
Oakley dove into the river with her daughters, letting the cold water wash away the rest of the week.
Sometimes, sitting at the kitchen table in their dim little house, she worried that the past year had taken a toll on her relationship with the girls.
Then she got in the water with them, and everything felt okay again.
Parenting as they grew felt increasingly complicated. She couldn’t reset their day with a walk to the playground the way she had when they were little. But wild water still worked to restore everyone’s spirits, and thank goodness for that.
The river, so tranquil beneath the bridge and behind the beach, picked up a sudden burst of speed where it funneled along the northern edge of the sand just below the cliffs.
Hayden and Harper loved to jump in and ride the rapids, then clamber out onto the beach and run back to the start to do it again.
Claire and Pete and Mia all joined in, and they had a whole crew rafting down the river (minus the raft).
Oakley joined them about ten times in a row before she finally called a time out for everyone to catch their breath.
The kids went hunting for sea glass around the water’s edge, and Oakley retreated into the shade of the umbrellas beside her mom and sisters.
“Hungry?” Anne offered her a box of homemade onigiri.
“Starved.” Oakley pulled out one of the seaweed-wrapped rice balls. “Thanks.”
“I have sandwiches for the kids too.”
“Remember that beach-day hunger as a growing kid?” Akemi asked. “Coming out of the water absolutely starving. There’s nothing quite like it.”
“I can go a whole day without food and still not feel that ravenous,” Oakley agreed.
“You shouldn’t go a whole day without food,” Dawn remarked.
“Yes, Mother.” Oakley bit into her rice; there was tuna at the center.
“Laurie?” Anne looked around to find their sister behind them.
She was stretched out on a beach towel, soaking up the midday sunshine. Years of computer work and long days inside had left her pale, but now there was a healthy color to her skin. She had been getting out more lately, both with her family and with Kekoa.
It was a relief to see her looking so well, after all she had been through – and it helped Oakley to hope that her own post-divorce glow-up was just around the corner.
“Laurie!” Anne tapped her shoulder to get her attention and then signed, You hungry?
No. Thanks. Laurie’s motions were lazy and languid, relaxed from the sunshine.
Oakley moved out of the shade and stretched out on the hot sand, letting it melt some of the tension out of her back and shoulders.
She scooted back so that just her head was on a blanket in the shade next to Anne, with the rest of her basking in the healing heat of the sun.
A summer outdoors had given her a healthy base tan too, and she was able to soak up the autumn rays without burning.
“There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about,” Akemi said from somewhere above her.
Oakley popped one eye open to peep at her baby sister.
Akemi was addressing all of them, but mostly she was focused on Dawn.
“I’ve decided to open my own café,” she announced.
“A café?” Oakley turned over and propped herself up on her arms, cobra-pose style. “Like a coffee shop?”
“Right. Coffee, tea, some pastries.”
“Here?” Dawn made no effort to disguise the surprise in her voice.
“Yes, here in Hawaii. Pualena, in fact.”
“We’re going to be neighbors.” Laurie came closer and grabbed a bottle of sugarcane juice from the cooler. “She’s renting the house next door.”
“Next to the Madeira place?” Dawn asked, looking confused.
“No, Mother,” Akemi said. “Next to Paradise Books.”
“Oh, I see. Well that does make more sense. But…”
“What?”
“This means that you’re planning to stay? Permanently?”
“Nothing is forever. But yeah, I want to stay a while.”
“What’s a while?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Akemi, you can’t just start a business and then drop it.”
“I know that.”
“It’s a huge investment of time and money.”
“Mom, it’s just a little coffee shop.”
“If that’s your attitude, I’m not sure this is the best idea for you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a can-do attitude,” Oakley said.
Thank you! Akemi signed with frustration.
Oakley winked at her. I got you.
She took a deep breath and looked back at Dawn.
“I’ve planned it all out, and I’m going to stay long enough to get it off the ground. I want to stay put for a while, anyway, while Kekoa’s little.”
She got more animated as she talked, her enthusiasm for the project shining through.
“I want to create a coffee shop that’s tailored to new parents.
There will be a dedicated play space for toddlers – a soft play room with a gate, so that moms can actually sit down and drink a cup of coffee while it’s still hot.
There’s room for a second play space in the back too, and a patio area with tables and chairs. ”
“That sounds brilliant,” Anne approved. “And right next to the bookshop, too! It’s a perfect match.”
Dawn still wore a pinched, worried expression. “Do you know how long it takes for most businesses to see any profit at all?”
“I’ll still be working online. I have some brand deals lined up, and ideas for Hawaii content. My viewers liked all the local stuff I was posting last year. Anyway, it’s not just about the money. It’s about building something, connecting with community here, giving local families a place to go.”
“They have plenty of places already.” Dawn gestured at the gorgeous nature surrounding them.
“A place for toddlers,” Akemi emphasized. “I have to watch Kaleo every second at the beach, the parks, everywhere. I wouldn’t even be able to sit and have a conversation if Lorenzo wasn’t here today.”
Down by the river, Kaleo’s father was stacking towers of river rocks for him to knock down.
“It’s a very good idea,” Dawn said – not entirely convincingly. “I’m just asking if you’re willing to stay put long enough to see it through.”
“I am. I want to do this.”
“Well then. I wish you the best of luck. We would certainly like to see more of you.” Dawn patted her knee. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go cool off.”
Akemi watched her go, looking forlorn.
“It’s a great idea,” Anne encouraged her.
“Dad would have been all in,” Oakley said sadly.
“I thought Mom would be more excited,” Akemi said, still looking at Dawn. “Since when is she so…”
“Uptight?” Anne suggested.
“Yeah!” Akemi turned to look at her. “Exactly! What happened to our hippie, can-do, tackle-anything mom?”
“We lost her along with Dad,” Anne said softly.
Akemi looked stricken. “I thought she was doing better.”
“She is!” Oakley said. “So much better.”
“But she’s still not her old self,” Anne said.
“I’m not sure she ever will be her old self again.”
“Well that’s grim.” Akemi pushed at the sand with her feet, mounding it into a little wall in front of them. “I thought she might have some ideas for investors.”
“Do you need investors?” Oakley asked.
“I might be able to swing it on my own. I have enough money to cover the basics. I can fix the place up, buy an espresso machine and some basic furniture. My savings will cover that. I’ve priced it all out.”
“So what do you need an investor for?”
“I want to build something really amazing. A play room that will actually keep toddlers occupied. I want to pay someone to watch them so the moms can really relax. It could be a single mom who wants to make some money without leaving her baby, or even a teenager – I mean the moms will still be right there, it’s just to give them some support, you know?
But I don’t think I could afford to hire somebody right away. ”
“And you wanted to ask Mom?” Anne said doubtfully.
“She knows everyone in Pualena! I thought she might know some retirees who want to invest in the community. It doesn’t need to be a millionaire or anything, just somebody who might want to invest a bit of money in a local business.”
Anne pursed her lips in an expression that mirrored their mother’s dismay. “We can’t just go around asking people for money, Akemi.”
Oakley snorted a laugh. “You do a spooky-good Mom impression.”
“Whatever,” Akemi said. “It’s fine. I can do it myself. I’ll start simple.”
“You can do it,” Anne said, squeezing her hand. “I know you can.”
Akemi nodded, chewing on her lip.
“I’m going to get some food in those kids.” She put a sunhat over her bright red hair, picked up a paper bag, and picked her way across the river stones to where the kids were trying to start a fire.
Oakley looked at her baby sister, thinking.
Akemi might not stay forever, but Oakley wasn’t going anywhere. She wanted to put roots down, and she was sick of working two days a week up in Waimea.
Starting her own business could give her the freedom that she needed to juggle her life as a single mom while still being there for her girls. She saw no reason they couldn’t bring their workbooks to the coffee shop, and they would love playing with babies on their breaks.
She sat up and looked Akemi in the eye.
“I’ll partner with you.”
“Really?” Akemi rocked back in surprise. “You want to invest?”
“Not just invest. Full partners. Between the two of us, we could run the place ourselves. You and Kaleo can hang with the babies. I can take orders and pull espresso. And once we’re turning enough of a profit, we can hire some help.”
“You’re serious,” Akemi said, wide-eyed.
“Are you?”
“I am. I really am. I have a business plan and everything. I already have a contract with Auntie Kua.”
Oakley grinned. “Full speed ahead, then.”
Akemi threw her arms around her and squeezed. “Thank you.”
“We love having you home. Mom too, even if she’s not always good at showing it. If you want to go all in and put some roots down here, I’m all for it.”
“I do. I’m ready.”
“And what does Lorenzo say?”
“He wants to spend more time here too. It’s where both of his children are.”
Oakley nodded. She had her doubts – she knew as well as anyone how wide the gap could be between a man’s words and his willingness to follow through – but when she looked down the beach at Lorenzo and saw the incandescent joy on his face as he played with his son, she felt cautiously optimistic for her sister.
Maybe Akemi’s unusual attachment would be more successful than Oakley’s more traditional marriage had been. She could only hope for the best.
Either way, she – and the rest of their sisters – would be there to support her.