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Chapter Eleven - The Heart of the Matter

I didn't meant to fall in love with you
And baby there's a name for what you put me through
It isn't love, it's robbery

"It's not as fancy as last night's fish, but it tastes good after the walk, doesn't it?"

"No, it's excellent."

Kalani had insisted on making lunch (an extremely late lunch), and just as quickly, had insisted that she stay inside to eat at her small one-person table. Rosie and I had ventured outside. We were sitting side-by-side on a sand bar, the waves coming close to our feet. I held my sandwich aloft, surprised at just how good the sweet bread tasted with the chicken salad.

"You have a gorgeous smile," Rosie said. I glanced over at her. She was engrossed in the swell of the ocean.

"It's been awhile," I said roughly, taking another bite of the sandwich.

"It takes more muscles to frown than to smile," she said lightly.

"Not when you do it so much."

At that moment, Rosie fell back in the sand, her hair fanning out and reminding me of a sand dollar. "Laughter is the best medicine."

I turned towards her. "Going through the book of old sayings?" I chided. She laughed, bringing the sandwich to her lips.

"They wouldn't still be around today if there wasn't some truth in it," she sang. She took a bite bite, tilting her chin up as she ate.

We lapsed into silence. I watched a flock of seagulls play a few hundred yards away. Their wings beat excitedly as there beaks worked fast at their own lunch.

"Was she the first girl you ever loved?"

Rosie's voice pulled me back. I glanced down at her. Her big eyes looked up at me. My mouth went dry. I reached for my water bottle and tilted my head back as I filled my mouth. I sloshed it around a few times before finally swallowing.

"The first, the only, the last," I said.

"The last? How can you be so sure?" Rosie asked. She grabbed her water and sat up a little.

"I don't have a heart anymore," I replied quietly. I began to play with the sandwich crust, pulling off teeny crumbs and flaking them onto the sand. The seagulls would thank me lately.

"I don't believe that for a minute," Rosie argued. "Heartless people don't hurt like you're hurting."

"You have no idea," I snapped. My appetite and good mood faded in an instant.

"Yes, I do," she disagreed.

"Lauren has my heart. She took it with her." I stood up, dusting the sand off the back of my jeans. "I think we should head back."

Rosie didn't argue, but she got up slowly. We walked together back to Kalani's small shack. The old lady was back in her rocker, her eyes closed.

"It was nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand. Her eyes opened slightly. They widened as she took my hand in both of her wrinkled, frail ones.

"You don't have to go far," she croaked. "It's right in front of you."

I couldn't even force a smile. I was pretty sure that the lateness of the day had put the old lady in a state of confusion.

"Yeah," I said. She dropped my hand and nodded. I stepped back as Rosie stepped forward, kneeling beside her.

"Joshua will bring your groceries tomorrow," she said gently.

"I will pray for him," Kalani said. Rosie laughed.

"He needs a double dose of Jesus," Rosie said. She kissed Kalani's wrinkled cheek.

"Don't forget your ukulele, dear."

"Of course, not. We'll play again soon, okay?"

That made the woman smile brilliantly. "I look forward to it."

Rosie grabbed her ukulele and strummed it once more.

"Aloha, Kalani."

"Aloha, dears."

Rosie and I stepped back out of the hut. The sun was on its downward descent.

"Thanks for coming with me."

"It was nice," I said honestly.

Our conversation didn't pick back up until we had navigated the rocks. Rosie slid off her tennis shoes and swung them by their laces. She sighed.

"What's up?" I asked, even though I suspected I was opening a can of worms.

She didn't answer. Instead, she knelt down and her fingers dug into the sand.

"Rosie?"

"The poor things," she murmured.

My curiosity was heightened. I knelt down next to her.

Rosie's eyes swam with tears. Her fingers were close to, but not touching, a large turtle nest.

"Some animal's gotten to it," she said.

"There's some that aren't touched," I pointed out.

"They look like they're about ready to hatch. Look at the teeny tiny cracks," she whispered.

A large tear dripped down her cheek. I bit my lip and turned my head. The shoreline wasn't far off.

"That animal will come back," she said brokenly. "You go on ahead, I'm going to sit here."

"What do you mean you're going to sit here?" I asked in surprise.

"They're about ready to hatch. I'm going to make sure the surviving ones get to the water."

With that, she kerplunked right onto the sand, brushing the tears away with the back of her hand. I sighed and took a seat on the other side of the nest.

"What are you doing?" she asked. I took off my shoes and socks and pressed my bare feet into the sand.

"I'm sitting with you. In case you need help."

Rosie's smile was a much better sight than her tears. "This is so nice of you. It's like I stepped into The Last Song."

"The what?"

It was a question I wished I could take back. For the next thirty minutes, I was subjected to a synopsis of a romance story. Rosie seemed to realize where the ending was going because she faded off.

"I just meant the turtle rescue," she said quietly.

I rubbed my neck, ready to break past the awkwardness, but also succumbing to related memories of Lauren. Our slew of dogs, the oil-covered bird...

"It's nice to see someone else who cares about animals so much," I said aloud.

Rosie laughed. "That's an understatement. If I went to college, I would have done something like marine biology or veterinary science."

"Yeah, marine biology always interested me," I said. I was about ready to launch into a description of my charity, but I bit my tongue. Rosie didn't seem to recognize me, and I wasn't going to ruin that. Instead I yanked my arms into my t-shirt and hunched forward.

"Cold?" Rosie asked. I shook my head.

"No," I said. "It's just that something tells me it's going to be a long night."