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She is a light that’s been turned on to bright. Ziplining looks good on the girl. Really good.
After a minute, Meg is a dot on the map and it’s my turn to start down. The ride is beautiful—it never gets old. It’s the quickest ten minutes you’ll ever experience. Flowers, trees, and this land that I love so much whip by, the breeze stinging my cheeks in the best possible way. And then, I see Meg.
Standing on two legs now, hand shielding above her eyes, she watches for me. The men at the bottom have water bottles, and I can see one in her hand, already half downed. She waves with her free hand, her cheeks bright and her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She has sprigs falling free all around her face. She sets her waving hand to her hip and watches as my feet connect to the ground.
Before I’m even free of the harness, she’s clutching my arm with both of hers and shaking. “Let’s go again!”
I unclip my helmet and hand it off to the worker. “We have an hour hike back up to my jeep, and I’m guessing they’re sold out for the day. I was lucky to get these tickets last minute.” Okay—luck had nothing to do with it. Makani has connections. He likes me. And he apparently likes Meg. When I told him the tickets were for her, he quickly told me he’d make it happen.
“An hour hike?” she says, but she doesn’t seem unhappy about it. “Okay.”
“Grab a couple more waters,” the man spraying down my helmet says. “The trail is on your left.”
We stuff our pockets with water and start out.
We may be trekking upward, using a lot of energy, but Meg is talkative. I wonder if she’s always like this or if it’s the day that’s got her going.
“Your dad lives in the States?”
“He does,” I say without much feeling. My dad and I don’t get along. It’s a difficult relationship and one that I avoid talking about at all costs. But then I asked her all about Kyle this morning and she humored me. She answered everything I asked—and maybe I’m wrong—but she didn’t seem to hold back.
“But you never visit him?”
“I told you, I don’t leave the island. Why would I?”
“I don’t know…the Statue of Liberty?”
I give a thoughtful nod, but it’s not enough to tempt me. “Meh.”
“Niagara Falls?”
“Do you have any idea how many falls we have? In fact, Rainbow Falls is on our list.”
She smiles. And while she may be happy with the plan, she keeps tempting me with all the things I’ve yet to see. “The Golden Gate Bridge?”
“It’s a bridge. Is it really that impressive?”
Meg laughs, her breathing a little more strained than it was before. “New York City.”
I frown. “I’ve heard it smells like urine.”
“Mount Rushmore?”
“Old guys in rock.” I shrug.
“Okay, college professor, not just old guys.”
I chuckle. “I know. I know.”
She pulls in a breath through her nose, walking next to me on this trail just wide enough for the two of us. Her hand brushes mine, and while I feel it, like a flame to a wick, she doesn’t seem to notice. “What about Disneyland?”
“I’m certain we’re getting one someday. Who wouldn’t want to go to Disney Hawaii?”
Her brows raise, unconvinced and moving on. “The Grand Canyon.”
“Ooo, Waimea. If we had time, I’d take you. It’s a beautiful canyon.”
“Yellowstone? Come on, Yellowstone is pretty one of a kind.”
