The Hawaiian Quilt (21 page)

They would be going with Ken to his parents’ home after church for a meal and a tour of their poultry farm. It would be interesting, and another opportunity to do something fun. At times, Ellen felt as if she were intruding, but she was glad he’d invited both of them, and not Mandy alone. It would give her a chance to keep an eye on things and make sure a serious relationship wasn’t developing between Ken and Mandy.

“Thank you for a delicious meal, Mrs. Williams.” Mandy leaned back in her chair after they’d finished eating dinner.

“Yes, thank you.” Ellen placed her napkin on the plate.

Ken’s mother smiled. “You’re welcome. Oh, and please call me Vickie.”

“And I’m Charles, but you can call me Chuck.” Ken’s father reached over and affectionately patted his wife’s arm. “We don’t stand on formalities around here. I’m only sorry you didn’t get to meet our youngest son. He’s having dinner at a friend’s house today.”

“No worries. You can meet Dan some other time.” Ken pushed away from the table. “Are you two ready for a tour of our poultry farm?”

“You can show it to us after we help your mother with the dishes.” Ellen stood, reaching for her plate.

Vickie waved her hand. “It’s okay. Charles will help me. He’s always been good about doing the dishes.”

He smiled and nodded. “Go ahead, Son. Show your guests around the place.”

Ken escorted Mandy and Ellen outside and immediately began to explain about poultry farming. “You’re probably aware of this already, but the chickens we raise for eggs are called ‘layer chickens,’ and the chickens which are raised for their meat production are called ‘broiler chickens.’ Literally billions of chickens are being raised throughout the world as a good source of food from their eggs and meat.” He gestured to the chickens roaming about their acreage. “Here, we grow our chickens organically, using the free-range method. Commercial hens generally start laying eggs at the age of twelve to twenty weeks. By the time they are twenty-five weeks, they are laying eggs regularly.”

Fascinated, Mandy watched the chickens run around, squawking and pecking at the ground. “Do they stay out all night?”

“Nope. Only during the day. At night, they’re kept inside our chicken houses to keep them safe from predators and unfavorable weather. Our indoor facilities need to have an adequate drainage system, good ventilation, and appropriate protection from winds, all types of predators, and excessive cold, heat, or dampness. This system also requires less feed than cage and barn systems.” Ken pointed to the buildings they housed the chickens in. “The poultry manure from the free-range chickens is used as fertilizer for our garden and fruit trees.”

“Is there something specific that sets organic poultry growing and traditional growing apart?” Ellen questioned.

“Yes. The main differences between the traditional free-range poultry farming and organic farming is that with the organic method, a certain species of poultry bird are raised in small groups with low stocking density. The organic system also has some restrictions in the use of synthetic yolk colorants, water, feed, medications, and other feed additives. We feed our chickens high quality, fresh, and nutritious food to ensure their good health, proper growth, and high production.”

“In addition to providing Luana and Makaio’s B&B with eggs and poultry, who else buys what you raise?” Mandy lifted her head to meet Ken’s gaze.

“We sell to the local farmers’ markets, and also some of the bigger supermarkets on the island.” He smiled. “People are always looking for locally raised, organic eggs and poultry.”

“Thanks for explaining everything, Ken.” Mandy wiped her forehead. The day had turned out to be quite warm.

“We’d better go back inside where it’s cooler,” Ken suggested. “But before we go, would you like to see our swimming pool?”

“With the ocean so near, I’m surprised you have a pool,” Ellen stated.

“I actually prefer to swim in the ocean, but Mom likes the pool because there’s no sand.” Ken led them to the pool on the other side of the house. “You two are welcome to come use it any time.”

“The water looks inviting, but I’d rather not.”

“Really? How come?”

“Mandy doesn’t know how to swim,” Ellen interjected.

Mandy’s heart beat rapidly as she turned to Ellen. She couldn’t believe her friend had blurted that out. “Ellen…”

“No problem there. I’d be more than happy to give you a swimming lesson. I’m not bragging, but if anyone can teach you how to swim, it’s me.” Ken pointed to himself. “I’ve had lifeguard training, so I promise I won’t let you drown. Oh, and if either of you needs a swimsuit, I’d be happy to take you shopping.” As if the matter was settled, he started walking toward the house.

Mandy swallowed a couple of times as she scanned the outlying areas of the pool. It was stunningly landscaped with a different array of flowers, thick with blossoms. They formed a private border, cut off from the rest of the Williames’s property. There was no grass in this section of the yard. Instead, large pieces of slate in different shapes and sizes covered the entire area, right up to the water’s edge. A table and chairs sat in the far corner, and in the other was an open fire-pit, surrounded by several more chairs. The kidney-shaped pool and its aqua-blue color looked inviting, with the sparkling water so clear, she could see the bottom. On the end where the water was a deeper blue, a diving board jutted out. Even as nice as it was, Mandy wasn’t sure she had the nerve to let Ken teach her how to swim. Just thinking about being in the water, especially over her head, sent a chill up her spine.

Middlebury

Gideon wasn’t sure how he’d made it through church or the meal afterward. One thing he was certain of: he couldn’t wait to get home. For the last two days he’d felt fatigued and irritable, but figured it was due to missing Mandy. Today, however, he realized he might be coming down with something. His forehead felt unusually hot, and his throat had a twinge of soreness.

As soon as I get home, I’m going to take a nap, because I’ll bet I’ve got the flu
, he told himself as he climbed into his buggy and gathered up the reins.

Gideon was glad church had been held at a neighboring farm, so he didn’t have far to go. As crummy as he felt right now, he wasn’t sure he could go more than a mile.

His horse picked up speed as soon as they approached his folks’ house. Gideon didn’t have to direct the animal down the driveway, because Dash galloped there by himself.

Gideon unhitched the horse, using all the strength he could muster, and let him run free in the pasture. Since they hadn’t gone far, the horse hadn’t worked up a lather. He would put the buggy away later on.

Plodding through what snow was left in the yard, Gideon made his way to the house. He stopped and leaned against the porch post, listening to a woodpecker tapping nearby. After scanning the yard, he located the bird in a dead tree.

Gideon’s head pounded. Still, he remained where he was, watching the woodpecker at work. The red-headed bird skillfully tapped at the loose bark, searching for bugs underneath. As a chunk of the tree’s bark broke away, Gideon looked a little closer, realizing the bird must have worked on this particular tree before. Not only were there pieces of bark scattered all around, but small piles of wood particles covered the ground like sawdust on a lumberyard’s floor.

Gideon jumped when his mother’s voice startled him. “I’m surprised to see you back already.” Since Mom had stayed home with a cold this morning, she greeted him at the door. “Ach, Gideon, what’s on your face?”

“What is it?” He pressed his palms against his warm cheeks. “I’m not feeling well. I need to go lay down.”

She touched his forehead. “You’re running a
fiewer
, and from the looks of those little bumps on your face, I’m sure you have the
wasserpareble
.”

“The chicken pox? Oh, no! This is not what I need!”

Kapaa

A
fter all the rooms had been cleaned and the beds were made, Ellen took a walk outside to enjoy the sun for a bit. As she moved around the yard, breathing in the fragrance of the plumeria, with their pretty yellow petals, she smiled. The birds were happy, singing and fluttering overhead in the palms and other trees in the Palus’ yard.

Moving toward Luana’s vegetable garden, she watched the bees buzzing busily around the toppling cherry tomato plants. Ellen couldn’t help reaching out to pluck a perfectly ripe piece of fruit. She looked at it a few seconds, enjoying the feel of the sun-warmed tomato in her hand, before popping it in her mouth and savoring the fresh, rich flavor.
Nothing compares to homegrown food from the garden
, she thought, heading back to the house.

Ellen entered the kitchen and went to look at the wall calendar. It was hard to believe, but in eleven days it would be Christmas. Never had she felt so homesick. Being away from her family this time of the year made it even harder. She had to admit, though, Thanksgiving hadn’t turned out too bad.

She groaned inwardly, trying to convince herself to make the best of the situation.
Christmas will probably be nice, but it won’t seem like the holidays without snow. I’m sure back home they’ll have a beautiful white Christmas
.

Heaving a sigh, she moved away from the calendar and poured herself a cup of herbal tea. The delicious aroma of macadamia nut wafted up to her nose as she brought the mug to her lips.

I need to quit feeling sorry for myself and get busy on the Christmas cards I want to send to my friends and family back home
. Ellen set her teacup down. She had a few letters to write, as well.

Ken had invited them to see some sights on the island after he’d gotten off work this afternoon, but Ellen didn’t want to go. She’d promised to help Luana decorate the B&B for Christmas, which she planned on doing as soon as she finished her cards and letters.

Ellen went to her room and found the supplies she’d picked up at the craft store the other day. Mandy had bought some, too, and they’d decided to use the same colors and rubber stamps to create their cards.

At the kitchen table, Ellen set everything out. She began by cutting the different-sized colored papers to stamp and glue together.
I hope Mandy works on hers soon, or she won’t get them sent out in time. I know she enjoys seeing the sights with Ken, but she’s been shirking her duties lately
.

Ellen liked helping Luana and meeting the guests. It reminded her of being at the B&B where she’d worked at home. Plus, she had established a friendship with Luana and enjoyed their talks. It was the one thing she would miss the most when they returned to Indiana.

“I can’t wait for you to see Opaekaa Falls,” Ken said as he drove Mandy up Kuamoo Road. “From the overlook, you’ll have a spectacular view. The falls are at their best in full sunlight, so I’m glad you were free to go with me this afternoon.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing it.” Mandy didn’t know if her enthusiasm was for seeing the falls or even more of being with Ken. He sure loved the islands, and she was falling in love with Hawaii, too. Mandy felt energized here. Every morning when she awoke, she could hardly contain her eagerness to see what new discoveries awaited.