She Wore Flowers in Her Hair

The surf curled around Leilani's feet and tickled her ankles.  Before her, the sun shone on the waves, the reflection dazzling her eyes and making her squint at the horizon.  Kali'i was out there somewhere.  Her toes curled down into the cold sand and she tucked her wild hair back behind one ear careful not to dislodge the flower tucked there.  For him.  For three weeks, Kali'l had brought her treasures from the sea.  A soft pink shell curled upon itself.  A thick ahi still gasping for breath.  A pupu'i shell decorated with small dark dots.  These he left quietly by her door.  Of course, everyone knew it was him.  The tutus tittered behind their wrinkled brown hands and smiled their knowing gap-tooth smiles at her when she awoke to find these gifts laid before her.  Her younger brothers and sisters teased her every time Kali'i walked by.  She fell the blush rise to her cheeks just thinking of him.  He was tall and broad shouldered.  His hair curled across his forehead and he wore a puka shell necklace across his dark throat given to him by his grandfather.  His smile was kind she thought.  And while they had never spoken directly to each other, Leilani was sure that his heart was too.  She had seen him playing with Manolo, her brother, in the waves and they way he listened respectfully to the elders.  Yes, Kali'i was kind.  The sun's rays seemed to brighten and then, rolling over the top of a wave, she saw his canoe headed toward shore.  With nervous, twitching fingers, she tried once again to rake her hair into place, touching gently the pikake flower nestled in her curls.   Its scent drifted about her, sweet and settling.  This morning she would not let Kali'i leave his gift in silence.   This morning she would speak to the man who would be her pilikua, her husband.  The thought brought a small smile to her face and a thrill to her heart.