“Maybe. I have an appointment there in the morning anyway.”
“Evan?”
“Yeah.”
She opened the door to the house. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’ll try to get the day off. After your appointment, we can start making the rounds to all Leilani’s friends.”
“Hey, I’ll make sure you get to Gina’s.” He followed her into the house.
Relief flooded her. “Mahalo,” she said softly. She went inside and told her father they were going to stay with Gina. He grumbled about it, but she realized he was more frightened than he wanted her to know. They packed an overnight bag, she grabbed Wilson, and they went to her Nissan.
Mano waved at her and started his car. Once his lights came on, she pulled onto the road and drove toward Gina’s home. She wasn’t totally alone with Mano behind her. If only they were together in the way she dreamed.
Twelve
Mano rubbed his burning eyes. He hadn’t closed his eyelids more than fifteen minutes at a stretch all night long. Though Annie had insisted she’d be okay, he had parked outside Gina’s house just to be sure.
He grabbed the cooler from the backseat, took out his insulin, and prepared his shot. Everything in his life now revolved around this syringe and vials of medicine. It seemed so unfair, and he had begun to question why God had allowed this to happen. Had he not prayed enough, not served enough? He was thirty-two, and he didn’t want to have to come up with a new plan for his life.
He got out and stretched the soreness out of his muscles. A movement caught his eye, and he saw Annie wave to him from the window of Gina’s house. She motioned him to come to the door. The stubble on his chin was scratchy. He rubbed it with a self-conscious hand as he walked across the yard to the front door. A stranger might think he was a bum.
Annie met him at the door. “Want some breakfast?”
“Yeah, I’d better eat, or I’ll be collapsing.” He saw her puzzled frown and knew he should explain. He started to tell her but hesitated. He still didn’t want her to know. Maybe because she’d always regarded him as strong and heroic. He missed that hero worship in her eyes. She’d never get it back if she knew he was a weakling now, dependent upon the power of insulin to keep him whole.
Wilson sniffed his boots and followed him to the kitchen. He trod terra-cotta tile floors. A faded version of the same color covered the walls, and he paused to admire several paintings of Greece and an arrangement of Greek figurines.
He stepped into the kitchen. The same warm color scheme welcomed the sunshine spilling through the large windows over the sink. The aroma of poi hashbrowns and Spam made his mouth water. When he was away from the islands, it was hard to find Spam on any menu, but it was a favorite here. The protein in it would balance the carbs in the poi.
A tiger cat under the table hissed when it saw Wilson. Wilson barked and started to move toward the cat. “No, you don’t.” Annie scooped up the mongoose. “You’ve terrorized poor Baxter enough. Behave yourself.” Wilson draped himself over her arm and rested his head on her forearm.
“Have a seat.” Her tone cheerful, Gina pointed to the table. She ladled food from the skillet onto three plates.
“Where’s your dad?” he asked Annie.
“Still in bed. He and Gina were up late last night talking. Yesterday rattled him more than he wanted to let on, and they really hit it off. You hungry?”
“Starved. It smells good.” He pulled out a chair and sat. Annie handed him a plate of food. He bowed his head for a silent prayer and opened his eyes to see Gina wearing a bemused smile.
“I didn’t take you for a religious man,” Gina said.
“God’s been good to me.” A stock answer—Mano hadn’t been focusing on God’s goodness lately.
“You don’t seem the type to swallow all that mythology.”
“The God I serve is still alive. He’s no myth.”
Gina lowered herself onto a chair. “So you are waiting for the pie-in-the-sky someday. What about enjoying this life today? Good food, friends, a job you enjoy. I think it says somewhere in your Bible to eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die.”
“A proverb based on Ecclesiastes and Isaiah.” Mano smiled and picked up his fork. “If you read the whole book, you’ll see that it says there is nothing worth having under the sun except a relationship with God. That fun, food, and drink don’t satisfy. And as for pie in the sky, even if there were no heaven, what God has given me in this life is enough of a reward.”
“What’s he given you that you couldn’t have gotten on your own?” Gina’s voice was beginning to get testy. “You seem a very bright man, one who could go far. I’d hate to see you waste your life by not focusing on your career.”
Mano was conscious of Annie’s interested stare. “Peace, contentment, a family I love.”