24. Oakley
Oakley
The café was quiet with Akemi and Kaleo gone.
There was an auntie out in the back garden with a book and a glass of ice tea. One young dad came in after naptime, shared a bowl of soup with his son, and then chilled with him in the playroom.
Other than that, crickets.
Oakley liked the quiet of the midday lull.
She loved having her daughters there with her, making them healthy lunches and hot chocolate while they did their schoolwork. And they loved it too – playing with the babies who came in, chatting with customers.
Keiki Café was everything that she had hoped it would be.
Her days had a much easier flow and rhythm now than they’d ever had before. Their schedule was mellower than it had been in Waimea, and more enriching than the isolation of the dingy kitchen at their rental in Pualena.
She’d finally found a healthy balance.
“I’m done!” Hayden put her pencil down with a wooden clack and pushed her math workbook across the table.
“Already?” Oakley asked.
“I’m done too.” Harper held up her workbook, which was full of doodles in addition to her answers. “I was just waiting for Hayden.”
“Let me see.” Oakley walked over to review the pages they had done. “This looks good,” she said after a moment. “Good work, girls.”
“Can we go next door to Auntie Laurie’s?” asked Harper. “Mia’s there, I saw her.”
“Sure, that’s fine. I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”
The girls raced out the door, and Oakley gathered up their bowls and dishes from lunch. Since she was always making something for the girls anyway, she’d started offering a daily lunch special. That day was tomato soup with sourdough, all organic and local.
A few more regulars came in for that. The day was so lovely that they all ate outside, either in the green backyard or out on the lanai.
There was no one left inside, so Oakley took the chance to make a quick call that she had been putting off. The phone rang only once, and Trent answered with real fear in his voice.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“What’s going on? Are the girls okay?”
She frowned, surprised by his panic. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
“Jeez, Oakley.” His office chair creaked as he sat back. “Don’t scare me like that. Just send a text message like a normal person.”
He mostly ignored her text messages, but she let the inane comment pass.
“I called to tell you that I’ve cut back to one day a week at the Pilates studio. I’ll just be working up there on Sundays now. So I can still pick the girls up every week, but you’ll need to drive down here to pick them up on Fridays.”
He let out a breath of frustration, loud in her ear. “That’s a long way to drive every Friday. It’s a huge chunk of my day.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve been driving it twice a week for months.”
“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll figure it out. I’ll take calls in the car.”
“Great.”
“Anything else?”
“That’s it.” She was about to hang up when he spoke again.
“Actually, while we’re talking…” He trailed off.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been meaning to tell you… I mean, you should probably hear it from me, instead of the kids…”
“Spit it out, Trent.”
“We’re getting married,” he said in a rush. “Next month. Just a small wedding, but her parents are flying out. The girls will be there. I just… thought you should know.”
Oakley was quiet for a moment, grinding her teeth together. Finally she said, “Okay, thanks for letting me know.”
“And, uh…”
“What?” She said it in a clipped voice, ready to be done with the call.
“The, um… the girls are going to have a little brother.”
A sudden wave of vertigo sent the room spinning.
“Oakley? Hello? Are you there?”
“Congratulations,” she managed to say. “Do they know yet?”
“No, not yet. Jen wants to tell them this week.”
She swallowed hard. “Okay. Thanks. Text me and let me know what time you plan to pick them up this Friday.”
“Sure. See you then.”
Oakley set her phone down carefully. Suddenly she missed the satisfaction of slamming down a landline.
For the past decade, Trent had told her that he didn’t want more kids.
He didn’t want to adopt again. He didn’t want to foster. He was done.
But he wasn’t done having kids.
He was just done with her.
She took a deep breath and dredged up some gratitude for the small mercy of hearing the news from him instead of the girls. Now she would be able to focus on supporting them; she wouldn’t betray the shock or disgust that she felt in that moment.
Jennifer was the same age as Zoe.
The age gap between Trent and his new bride was generational. It was the same as the age difference between Zoe and her parents – or Oakley and her parents.
The whole thing made her want to hurl.
“It’s none of my business,” Oakley said aloud.
She took another deep breath, trying to master the sinking feeling that threatened to pull her under.
“He’s getting on with his life. I need to get on with mine.”
Oakley grabbed her phone and walked around the counter. Then she sank into the nearest chair.
She pulled up a rental listing that she had been drooling over since it was posted the day before. A gorgeous house right there in Pualena, and for a reasonable price too.
Or it would be, for a family of six.
It was much too big for her and the girls. She couldn’t justify the cost, not with her income so low. At least, that’s what she had been telling herself.
She copied the link and sent it to Anne. Then she called her.
“Hey sis. That house is gorgeous. Is that your new place?”
“It might be,” Oakley said. “Still want to get out of Mom’s house?”
“Very much so, yes.”
“And you’re sure you don’t want to move in with Noah?”
“Not yet. Not with all the teens.”
“So move in with me.” There was a beat of silence, and she pushed forward. “That place is too big for me and the girls, but if we moved in together–”
“I’m in.”
“I could put a bunk bed in the master bedroom and share it with the girls, and then you and your kids could have the other rooms.”
“Sounds great.”
“It would cost a lot less than us each renting our own place.”
“Oakley, I said yes!”
“And then you can take time to figure out what you want to do next.”
“Let’s do it.” Anne sounded excited now.
“You mean it?”
“I do.”
Oakley let out a huge sigh. Suddenly her anger was gone, and she was left holding back tears.
“Oakley? What is it? Are you okay?”
“It’s been a day. I’ll tell you when I see you.”
“Come over for dinner. I’ve got a huge pot of chili on the stove.”
“That sounds perfect, thank you.”
“See you soon.”
Tears rolled down Oakley’s face as she stood and pocketed her phone. She had a lot to work through, but in that moment she felt relief more than anything. And gratitude. She was so deeply grateful for her family.
She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.
Her husband had abandoned her, but her sisters never would.
She had Akemi in the café and Laurie right next door. Halia was a rock, not just for them but for all of Pualena. And she had Anne, always.
With her sisters by her side, Oakley knew that she could handle whatever surprises life threw her way.