Page 49 of True Abandon

“Let the hips glide, not wiggle.” Her words send my eyes to her hips, and I try to emulate her movements. “Let the spirit of Aloha flow through you. Feel the hula.”

I close my eyes and allow my body to feel the dance.

“Very good,” she praises. “Hawaiians believe the first hula was performed by the Laka as a form of worship.”

I open my eyes as she does the kaholo —one foot to the right and the other follows for two beats and then repeats the sequence to the left.

“May you have grace in your step, song in your hands, and Aloha in your heart,” Auli’l sings out with the rasp and wisdom from age.

The music has ended, and so has our dance.

Auli’i gives me a warm hug, and her kind eyes appraise me. While she takes me in, worry lines mar her forehead, but she doesn’t question me.

“I’m going to head out,” Lani calls from a nearby bench as she puts her shoes on.

“Where are you off to at this time of night?” Auli’i asks.

Lani’s face beams. “I have a date.”

“This wouldn’t be the same boy who dropped you off at two in the morning the other night, would it?” Auli’l may only be five foot two, but her power’s as great as someone seven feet tall.

The ever confident Lani wanes under her grandmother’s stare. “He’s a good man, Tutu. Besides, I am twenty-three-years-old. Who I spend my time with is my business.”

Auli’l grimaces. “Does he know how to respect a lady?”

“Yes, Tutu.” Lani puts her hand on her grandmother’s shoulder and leans in to kiss her cheek.

“Don’t soften up an old woman. I want to meet the man who tempts you.” She gives her granddaughter an inquisitive gaze.

Lani’s mouth twists to the side. “You make it sound so taboo. Jason makes me laugh.”

“So he has a name. I want to meet this Jason. He will come over for dinner so I can appraise him myself.”

“Yes, Tutu.” Lani gives her grandmother another kiss and then turns to me for a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I want to hear how Olivia Benson’s balls are.”

My eyes widen at her use of the term in front of her grandmother. Luckily, Auli’i hasn’t the slightest idea what Lani is talking about.”

“That girl has a mind for boys,” Auli’i says as soon as Lani is gone. “She thinks I don’t know what she’s up to, but I do. When her parents left, I knew raising that child would be a challenge.” She hooks her arm in mine and walks toward her house. “I just didn’t know how much I’d love it.” Her face is lit up with a wicked smile. She plays tough grandma in front of Lani. Behind the scenes, I believe she’s just as devious. “Come, we’ll have a cup of tea.”

“What about our lesson?”

She pats my hand. “We’ll still have it. Come.”

I follow her into her home and take a seat at the kitchen table while she turns the kettle on.

The white cabinets make Auli’s large kitchen appear more modest and warm. While waits for the water to heat on the stove, she moves about unhurried in her step. I can’t help but giggle from my seat at the table when she reaches for two cups and has to lean over the Elvis Presley cookie jar nestled in a corner atop the worn, wooden counters. She pours two cups of Passion Fruit tea and hands me one.

I thank her and inhale the citrus scent and savor the sweet flavor. Closing my eyes, I unwind my mind from the crazy day. The long, crazy day.

It feels like a million years ago I asked Isaiah to make Jax a Volcanorita. Pair that with the waxing of his balls and the knife throwing, and not only was today long, it feels so very wrong. Hurting people is not my style, yet one glimpse of Jax and I turn into a monster.

I open my eyes and sigh in disappointment.

“You have a wary look in your eye tonight. Tell me, what brings about this sadness?”

Her question doesn’t surprise me.

“I’m not sad.” Placing the mug on the table, I wrap my hands around it and feel the heat of the porcelain. It should be warm and calming, yet it feels like a reminder of sorts. Of the heat of something else, or shall I saw someone else.