The Ohana Part 39

At least the children were okay. Susan and Steve had a wonderful marriage. The demons from the Vietnam War were finally exorcised.

Someone once told Mary life was like embroidery. When you looked at a piece of embroidery from one side, the colored threads formed a chaotic mess. That was how people often saw their lives. But when the cloth was turned over, the jumbled threads became a beautiful picture. That was how G.o.d saw our lives. There was no confusion from G.o.d's perspective.

Funny how G.o.d put the pieces of their lives together in such a way that what appeared to be inconsequential and coincidental worked to change one's life and perspective. Susan told her mother how Steve was freed from the torment and guilt his memories kept him in bondage to by her Vietnamese manicurist, Cong.

When Susan told Cong her husband had fought in the war and because of it they both became anti-war demonstrators, the normally talkative and jovial Cong became unnaturally serious. Lifting sad eyes from her nails to her face, he told her how the Communist had confiscated their family home and refused Cong and his brother higher education because their father was considered an American sympathizer.

"I know a lot of people back in America were against the war. But we didn't expect the United States to pull out so suddenly. Because of the Americans, I was able to grow up in freedom. Americans don't know what it's like to live under communism. I want you to thank your husband for making it possible for me to live in freedom as a child."

Susan told her mother it was a sobering moment for both of them. They had been caught up in the horror and for the first time they realized freedom came with a price. Sometimes it was ugly and terrible things happened because people didn't always do the right thing. But even the Vietnam War produced some beautiful pictures created by chaos. This revelation set Steve free.

Susan and Steve kept their home in Hana as a retreat. But they wanted their son and daughter to attend school in Honolulu so they bought a place in Kahala where they now lived most of the time. Mary was happy because she got to see them more often.

Ashley grew up to become a children's advocacy lawyer like her cousin Megan who she had gotten to know and admire when she went to college in Boston. Ashley's parents, Jackie and her husband Gerry, divorced years ago. According to Jackie, the pressure of Ashley's illness forced them to re-evaluate their lives. The divorce was the inevitable conclusion of a relations.h.i.+p not strong enough to withstand trials and tribulations.

"I want to be happy and feel pa.s.sion once more before I die," Jackie admitted during lunch at the Kahala Mandarin, once the Kahala Hilton. "I want to feel again the way I felt about Stefano."

Conflicting feelings ran through Mary. She understood the yearning in Jackie but she also felt family came first. "Life isn't all about romance and pa.s.sion."

Jackie lifted her eyebrow. "I can't believe you, of all people, would say that. I mean, who gets divorced and re-married at your age?"

"Our relations.h.i.+p isn't only about romance and pa.s.sion," Mary said. It had been fifteen years since her second marriage. How different it was from her first.

"What was it about, then?" Jackie asked.

"At our age, it's more about respect and companions.h.i.+p. In a way, it was like we both finally came home."

"What about love?"

Mary considered the question carefully before answering. "We love each other with the kind of deep commitment a marriage demands." She put her hand on Jackie's. "I won't lie to you. We do have pa.s.sion, as old as we are. But it's not the roller-coaster kind of pa.s.sion you had with Stefano. It's steady and deep because it comes from understanding and accepting one another just as we are. Yes, there are times when we are like giddy teenagers. But the love we have for each other is powerful because we know who and what we are. We have no false expectations of one another and we appreciate each other. Above all, we're best friends."

Jackie shook her head. "Maybe I don't understand, but maybe you don't either. Let me put it this way; I want what Steve and Susan have."

Mary didn't disagree or agree. She wanted to tell her not everybody gets lucky. She didn't want Jackie to throw away a good man who wors.h.i.+pped her because it was hard to find love like that. She was certain if Jackie hung in there, the marriage would mellow into the kind of relations.h.i.+p both Danny and Meg enjoyed. Meg tried to tell Jackie exactly that, but Jackie was stubborn. The j.a.panese invasion of the islands drove Gerry's fortune so by the time their divorce was final, Jackie settlement amounted to twenty million dollars.

Jackie bought a place in Aspen and spent most of her time there. Mary hoped Jackie would find what she was looking for.

Life was full of interesting twists. She and Meg were now good friends. Since losing the election to Diana Towle, Meg and Danny spent most of their time on their ranch in Kamuela. Meg and Christina were close and Amber and Tyler visited the Big Island ranch frequently. They also developed a wonderful, loving relations.h.i.+p with Sean and spent time with him in Honolulu. Christina's brood even got to know their Irish relatives in Boston. Ashley's illness had brought the family together in the most amazing way.

"Isn't it a gorgeous day?"

Mary looked up and saw Sean standing next to her beach chair. Easing himself down next to her, he leaned over and kissed her.

"Aren't we lucky?" Sean said.

"Could be we're the luckiest grandparents in the world." Mary rubbed his back with one hand.

"More than that," Sean winked. "We could be the two luckiest people in the world."

"Steve and Susan would have something to say about that," Mary said as she laughed.

"Then we're the two luckiest old people in the world."

Mary grabbed his hand. She was so lucky to have this man by her side for the rest of her life.

Sean stroked her cheek. "If only we had stayed together back then, how different our lives would have been."

Mary shook her head. "We were two different people who had to go down different roads in order to appreciate the happiness G.o.d gave us in our twilight years."

Sean frowned. "Why do you call it that? I prefer to think we're in our afternoon years."

"You're an eternal optimist," Mary looked at him in the bright sunlight. She loved every imperfect, aging part of him.

Thank you G.o.d for this wonderful gift you've given me, she prayed silently.

She touched his silver hair. "I changed my mind. I think maybe we could just be the two luckiest people in the world."

PAU.

Glossary of Foreign Terms.

Hawaiian.

ahui hou: Till we meet again alii: Royalty.

aloha: goodbye, h.e.l.lo, love, mercy, alas, kindness, regards auwe: Oh no!.

hanai: give up a child for adoption hapai: pregnant.

haole: white people hapa haole: half white.

Kamaaina: born and raised in Hawaii, or someone who has lived in Hawaii for a long time kanaka: Hawaiian kaukau: food.

keikis: children luna: overseer.

mahalo: Thank you mai pake: leprosy.

makei: die ohana: family okelehao: homemade booze, firewater okole: rear end.

pakalolo: marijuana, literally crazy (lolo) gra.s.s (paka) Pake: Chinese.

pau: finished pilau: dirty pupule: crazy.

pupus: appetizers wahine: woman j.a.panese bachi: karma bento: lunch.

furo: hot tub futons: quilts, comforters used as beds and/or blankets hakugene: white person hana fuda: j.a.panese cards.

issei: first generation j.a.panese in America kamikaze: suicide pilots. In Hawaii, a j.a.panese girl who committed social suicide by dating whites kami sama: G.o.d.

musubi: rice b.a.l.l.s nisei: second generation j.a.panese-Americans oba chan: old lady omiyaga: a gift in return for a gift given sama: used when someone of a lower cla.s.s addresses someone in the upper cla.s.ses, address of respect.

san: generic form of address, subst.i.tute for Miss, Mrs., Mr.

sansei: third generation.

Sayonara: goodbye sensei: teacher s.h.i.+mpai: arranged marriage.

tanomos.h.i.+: informal bank, pooled money used for investments zabutons: large cus.h.i.+ons Korean.

Abeoji: Father Dong-seng: Younger sister.

Eomeoni: Mother Kim chee: pickled vegetables Halmoni: grandmother Harabeoji: grandfather.

Jjimjilbang: hot tub Nam-Pyeon: husband Oppa: Older brother.

Yobo: Korean, Honey Chinese Joss: luck.

Pidgin English terms brah, bruddah: brother.

Website:.

www.cwschutter.com.

www.theohanabook.com.

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