The Hawaiian Quilt (38 page)

Holding the covering close, Mandy’s heart swelled. She’d replaced her digital camera a few months ago, so when she went home this evening, she would take a picture of this outstanding quilt and send it to Luana. If, by some miracle, it turned out to be her and Makaio’s quilt, Mandy would make sure it was returned to them, even if it meant taking it there herself.

Mandy smiled.
Now wouldn’t it be something if I got to go back to Kauai and could present something so special to Luana and Makaio? I hope and pray this is truly the lost quilt they received on their wedding day
.

B
undled in a heavy jacket, thick brown scarf, and matching gloves, Mandy stepped outdoors, where a strong wind continued blowing from overnight. Hopefully it would ease up soon, like it was supposed to. Making her way down the slippery driveway, she pulled her scarf up to the bridge of her nose.

Shivering against the cold, she opened the mailbox and pulled out a stack of mail. Thanks to the gloves she wore, her grip wasn’t so good. Before she could react, a gust of wind whipped it right out of her hands and sent the mail flying down the road. She raced after it, trying to hold her balance as she slipped and slid in the snow. She grabbed one letter, but ended up bending it. “Oh, great! Come on, Mr. Wind. You’re supposed to be calming down by now.”

Mandy removed her gloves and managed to pick up the rest of the mail as the wind subsided, almost instantly. She stopped and looked around.
Guess the wind must have heard me
. She giggled. After thumbing through the retrieved items, she saw only a few bills and some advertising catalogs. It had been almost two weeks since she’d sent Luana a letter with the picture of the quilt she’d found at the thrift store. So far, there’d been no response. She hoped her letter hadn’t gotten lost in the mail. If Luana had received it, she should have responded by now. Even if she thought the quilt wasn’t hers, surely she would have written back.

Meandering back and being careful not to fall, she inhaled a breath of frosty air. Looking out across the field and the tree line adjacent to their property, Mandy paused for a minute to watch a steady stream of smoke, almost fog-like, wafting slowly in the afternoon’s breeze. No doubt someone up the road had stoked their woodstove. The whitish haze was a stark contrast against the bare dark trees at the far end of the field. At least the stronger winds had finally settled down.

Winter had its own fragrance. Even snow sometimes smelled like rain. One thing she could always count on this time of the year was the pleasant aroma of wood smoke in the air. As much as she missed Hawaii, if she lived there she’d probably miss some things about winter here.

As Mandy approached their phone shack, she stopped to check for messages. The chilly wind picked up again, as quickly as it had stopped, causing the falling snow to pelt Mandy’s face. She found welcome relief inside the small wooden building, despite its lack of heat.

Taking a seat on the cold metal chair, Mandy pressed the answering machine button. The first two messages were for her father, and the third one was for Mom. Mandy waited for the fourth message to come up. Her heartbeat quickened when she heard Luana’s voice.

“Mandy, this is Luana Palu. I received your letter, and I’m so excited. After comparing the picture you sent me with the one I showed you of our missing quilt, I’ve concluded that the one you found is almost certainly Makaio’s and mine. I can’t begin to imagine how it could have gotten all the way from Hawaii to Shipshewana, Indiana. You finding it has to be more than a coincidence. I see it as a God-sent miracle.”

Tears welled in Mandy’s eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks as Luana’s message continued. “If you would be willing to send me the quilt, I’ll gladly pay you for it, and also reimburse your postage. Please give me a call as soon as you can.”

When the message ended, Mandy remained in the phone shack several more minutes, feeling elated with this awesome news and thinking things through. She could box up the quilt and mail it tomorrow, but it might take a few weeks to get there, or might never make it at all. Apparently it had taken nearly two weeks for her letter and picture to reach Hawaii, or she would have heard from Luana sooner.

I’d rather take it there myself
. Mandy moistened her chapped lips with her tongue.
Mom and Dad won’t approve of me flying, even though I haven’t joined the church, but I’m going to talk to my cousin Ruth and see if she will help me book a flight to Kauai
.

South Bend, Indiana

Mandy’s heartbeat quickened when, one week later, she sat in the airport, waiting to board her plane. Flying was a new experience for her, and traveling alone for such a distance made it even more frightening. Yet her excitement over making this trip to Kauai overrode the nervousness. She could hardly wait to see Luana and Makaio’s expression when she took their quilt from her suitcase and presented it to them. She’d never dreamed she’d have an opportunity to visit Hawaii again, let alone hand-deliver their lovely wedding quilt.

Mandy reflected on her parents’ reaction when she told them Ruth had not only booked her flight to Kauai but also loaned her part of the money for a round-trip ticket. Mom was stunned and begged Mandy not to go. Dad said it was Mandy’s choice. He not only gave her time off from work, but he encouraged Mandy to do what she felt was right.

It’s not like I’m going to stay there forever
. She gripped the handle of her carry-on bag.
I’ll only be staying at the B&B two weeks. Then I’ll return home, and everything will go back to normal
.

Mandy’s flight would go to Detroit, Michigan. From there she would change to a plane taking her to Los Angeles, and another plane would fly on to Lihue, Hawaii. The airport in Lihue wasn’t far from where the cruise ship docked when she and Ellen got stranded on Kauai.

She smiled inwardly, thinking about Ellen’s response when she’d told her about finding the quilt and the plans she’d made to take it to Kauai herself. Ellen had clasped Mandy’s hand and cautioned, “Don’t miss your plane on the day of your return flight or I’ll have to come and get you. Of course, since joining the church, I won’t be allowed to fly unless it’s an emergency.”

Mandy had giggled and replied, “If I get stranded again, you’ll be the first person I call, because it will be an emergency.”

“Will you see Ken while you’re there?” Ellen’s furrowed brows revealed concern.

“No, he got married in November, so it wouldn’t be right for me to seek him out. I’ll be enjoying my time with Luana and Makaio, though, and it’ll be fun to see how much little Primrose has grown.”

“Please give them my best.” Ellen’s sincere hug told Mandy her friend had sent her off with a blessing. Even Sadie, Barbara, and Gideon wished her well, saying they would pray she had a safe trip.

It’s nice to have good friends
, Mandy thought.
Both here and in Hawaii
.

On the plane, Mandy sat with her nose pressed against the window, in awe of all she saw. Flying wasn’t nearly as frightening as she’d imagined. In fact, she rather liked it.

When the airplane first took off, she’d seen what looked like miniature buildings and vehicles below, but as the pilot took them higher into the sky, the buildings were replaced with nothing but white, fluffy clouds, giving the appearance of cotton. In some places, the edges of the clouds were lit up by the sun’s reflection. It was so different than watching clouds from the ground. Some were tall and billowy, like pillars against the bluest of skies, and others so distinct she could imagine touching them.

“Beautiful,” Mandy whispered, briefly closing her eyes. Being up this high gave her an inkling of how it must be for God looking down on the world He created.

Mandy’s eyes snapped open, and she clenched her fingers when a vibration went through the plane. Quickly, she looked out the window again but saw nothing amiss.

“Is this your first time flying?” the elderly lady beside her asked.

“Yes, it is.” Mandy smiled. “Can you tell?”

The pleasant woman nodded slightly.

“This is all so new to me. Since the minute I took a seat, I’ve been intrigued with everything going on.” She extended her hand. “Sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier. I’m Mandy Frey.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Charlotte Lowell.” She shook Mandy’s hand. “I felt the same way on my first flight many years ago. The bumps and vibrations we might be feeling are nothing to worry about. It’s only a bit of turbulence.”

Mandy felt herself relax. On this, her first opportunity to fly, she felt as if God had put this nice lady beside her on purpose.

Please keep us safe as we make this journey
, she silently prayed.
And watch over my family and friends while I’m gone
.

Kapaa

“Your feet are gonna start to ache if you don’t sit down and relax,” Makaio told his wife. “Mandy’s room is ready, and it won’t be time to pick her up at the airport for two more hours. So you may as well join me for a glass of mango lemonade and some of those macadamia nut cookies you made this morning.”

Luana shook her head. “Those cookies are meant to be a treat for Mandy when she gets here. They’re one of her favorites.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t eat a few of them now.” Makaio stepped up to Luana and kissed her cheek. “
E hele mai
—come and take a seat.”

Luana sighed. “Oh, all right, but we’re only drinking the lemonade. If I set out any of the cookies, you won’t be able to stop at one. Pretty soon, the whole jar will be gone.” She went to the refrigerator and took out the pitcher of lemonade, placing it on the table, along with two glasses. After taking a seat, she poured for both of them.

“Ah, this hits the spot.” Makaio drank half his drink then paused and smacked his lips. “Yep, that’s real good stuff.”

Luana glanced at the clock again. “Where do you think she is now?”

“Who?”

She swatted his arm playfully. “Mandy. Who else?”

He shrugged. “Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean headed toward here. Probably two hours out if the plane’s on time.”

“Maybe we should head for the airport now. She’s supposed to arrive at 8:21 p.m., and I want to make sure we’re there on time to pick her up.”

Makaio rolled his eyes. “It takes less than thirty minutes to get to the airport from here.”

“But traffic could be bad. You know how it gets sometimes coming out of town.”

“You’re right, but it’s usually worse when people are getting off work or heading out to a luau or some other function.” He gestured to his watch. “Let’s wait another half hour.”

“Okay.” Luana leaned back in her chair and tried to relax. The last time she’d been this excited was when she became a grandma. She’d missed Mandy and looked forward to seeing her again. To add to her excitement, she could hardly wait to see the quilt Mandy had found. It still didn’t seem possible it could be her and Makaio’s wedding quilt.

No matter how hard Luana tried to keep her emotions in check, the thought lingered:
What if it isn’t our quilt after all? If not, it’ll feel like we’ve lost it all over again. But then, how many quilts would have the initials
L. M.
sewn in the corner, as the picture of the one Mandy found showed? Well, in a short time, my questions will be answered and we’ll know for sure
.