“You’re so sweet, Leia. But don’t worry about me.”
A request that would be hard to grant. Leia curled her fingers into her palms. Tony’s death and Candace’s plight was yet another reason to wonder why God acted the way he sometimes did. What was the use of all these trials? “Let’s go talk to my mother,” she said to Bane.
She simmered in silence as they drove to her parents’ house. Ingrid had to have been planning this when they talked last. A sale like that didn’t happen overnight. What could have possessed her mother to do it?
Ingrid met them at the door. “Leia, Bane, what a nice surprise.” Her smile vanished. “Is something wrong?”
“Why did you sell the Aloha Dive Shop building to Aberg Hans?” Leia’s voice vibrated with fury. “I didn’t even know you knew him.”
Her mother turned and went down the hall to the living room. Leia and Bane followed. A light floral scent from the candle on the hall table permeated the air, confirming how her mother was all about possessing the right image, not real substance. “How could you?” Leia demanded. “That was all Candace had.”
“It was a business decision. He offered me more than anyone else would pay. She can relocate to somewhere else.”
“Where? Mama, she’s pregnant, alone, and scared. This will crush her.”
“Always looking back and never forward, isn’t that right, Leia? You always think with your heart and not your head. My investments are what have paid for the boat you use and the car you drive. Before you question my judgment, remember that you all rely on me for food to eat and a roof over your heads.”
It was all Leia could do not to physically flinch. “You always extract a price for your generosity, don’t you? You give, then expect us all to kowtow to your demands.”
“What demands? Is it unreasonable to want you to live up to your potential?” Her mother spread out her hands with the palms up. “You could have been the best doctor in the country, Leia.”
“It’s not what I want, Mama! I can’t be the perfect daughter you always wanted.” Leia touched the scar on her lip. “I can’t control who I am inside. I don’t trust drugs, scalpels, and anesthetics. I want to help the body heal naturally. Why is it so wrong to pursue my own path?”
“It’s another way you look back, Leia, another way of not facing the future and the reality of modern life.” Her mother turned with a jerky movement. “I’m done, Leia. Do whatever you want, but don’t come crying to me to pick up the pieces.”
Leia flushed hot then went cold. Her auntie was right—her mother wasn’t capable of unconditional love. “Very well, Mama. Sell the building, stick the money in the bank. I don’t think it will make you happy. And certainly none of us can. We can’t live up to your expectations.” Her fingers were cold as she dug in the pocket of her shorts. “Here, you can have the keys to the car and the boat.”
Her mother waved away the keys. “The car was your graduation gift.”
“And the boat is my gift to you from this minute on.” Her father spoke from the doorway. “What’s going on here, Ingrid?”
“Just your daughter being unappreciative as usual.”
Leia had never been so happy to see her father. He stepped next to her and put his arm around her. She sagged against his bulk and wished she could disappear under his arm. “It’s fine, Makua. Mama and I have finally come to an understanding. I won’t expect her to love me, and she won’t expect me to be perfect.”
Akoni turned to his wife. “What have you been saying to Leia?” he demanded.
“Let’s end this discussion right now. I’m going to make some tea. Anyone want any? Bane?” Ingrid’s smile was brittle as she turned to Bane.
He shook his head. Leia’s gaze met his, and she looked away from the sympathy in his eyes.
The sun was just barely peeking over the edge of the horizon. Bane stepped outside while Ajax did his business. He watched the mist rise in the warmth of the morning. Ipo was clear-eyed this morning and was happily gathering orchids in the garden to make leis with Malia.
Leia slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Call me if you need me,” she told Malia.
Malia tried to hand her a cell phone, but Leia pushed it away. “It would be so much easier if you’d take my cell phone.”
“I can call on the ship-to-shore phone.”
Bane grinned. “Give it up, Malia. Call my cell if you need anything, and I’ll relay the message. We’ll leave Ajax with you.” He scribbled the number on a piece of paper and handed it to her. She stuffed it in her purse and waved them off.
“How are we going to do anything today if Ron tells us the court hasn’t intervened? OHA has forbidden us to excavate, and they’ll have boats out guarding the site by now. What if they have sonar to watch for underwater intrusion?”