Fifty-One
Saturday, May 28
Happy House, Moloka‘i
Romina stood at the stove, stirring rice that sizzled in oil. A pot of beans bubbled on the back burner. Koko stood at the counter, a comfortable distance away, slicing tomatoes and cucumbers for a salad. Romina wondered to herself if the academic could cook. They were preparing lunch for the others while waiting to hear back from Mel, Thomas, and Eva.
From outside, she heard Soledad and Luis Junior laughing as they climbed a surreally branched tree in the backyard—a monkeypod tree, Daniel had called it—and through the kitchen window with its ocean view, she saw Daniel and Laura sitting out on the lawn, he with his arm around her shoulders.
Romina tilted her head and pointed with her lips out the window. “Those two seem happy. I’m sure
