Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
"You're right. I just want it to be perfect." She gives me an anxious smile. "It's our home, after all."
"Which is why you're the right one to give it the blessing."
She takes a deep breath and nods, her hand holding tight to mine for reassurance.
The others are standing around the newly finished hut, waiting for April's approval. U'dron joins the others, holding his drum. I pay no attention to him — my entire being is focused on my mate. Her face lights up at the sight of it, now with the roof on it and completed. Her eyes get misty and her smile grows wider. "Look at how beautiful it is. Pu'uhonua. It means 'sanctuary' or 'refuge.'"
"'Refuge' might be a bit of a strong word if you're living with Valmir," Jason says.
I could murder him, I think, and no one would mind much.
"It's my refuge. It's made from the land with warmth in your hearts." April's hands go over her heart. "I adore it and it's perfect to me."
Take that, Jason. I put an arm around my mate's shoulders, full of pride. "I'm glad you like it."
"You guys did an amazing job. Thank you, everyone." Her gaze goes to me, warm and full of love. "Thank you, pussycat."
"I'm your mate," I tell her, gruff but pleased. "It's what I do." But her happiness warms my spirit.
That spirit warmth continues as April blows on a large shell she calls a pū to call everyone's attention. It's to alert the spirits as well as the living that a ceremony is about to happen. Next, she hands out the leis she has made, looping one over the neck of each person who helped work on our hut. She puts one over my neck, then hands me the second-to-last one so I can drape it over hers. Hers is more of a vine than a loop, open at the bottom like the ones she's handed the males, because she's pregnant and a closed lei is bad luck. After that, she takes a small bowl of salt and breathes on it, adding a bit of water from the ocean. She sprinkles the concoction over the doorstep and goes inside the hut, covering every nook and cranny. As she does, she thanks the land and the sea for providing for us. With the very last lei that I've been holding for her, she takes it and drapes it over the doorway, as a promise to care for the home. She asks the ancestors of this land to look over us and to watch out for all the families that live here, and promises to honor and respect the world around us.
"I'd like to perform a dance of my people called a hula," she says, pulling off her boots. She told me that it is a dance that must be performed barefoot, so she can be connected to nature. I set her boots aside for her, even though I know her toes must be cold. I will warm them for her later, I decide.
April dons a skirt of dried seaweed that she has made and encircles her waist over her clothing. She stands in front of us, and U'dron begins to drum nearby. I wanted to drum for her, but April insisted that U'dron do it since he's the best drummer. She does not want to offend any spirits that might be listening.
Then she begins to dance.
I have seen U'dron's mate dancing before, and some of the other females, but this is very different. April's face is serious as she chants, moving her arms and feet in fluid motions. Her hands ripple to mimic the waves, and her footsteps are measured and precise. I do not know the words to the song nor the motions to the dance, but the meaning is obvious to me. She tells the land that she respects it, she tells the spirits that she is listening, and she asks them to bless our home and our future. The beat on the drum is steady and solemn, and it is April's voice that provides the music. She sings a story, her hips swaying the grass skirt as she moves, her arms sinuous and beckoning, and her face is alight with happiness.
When she finishes singing, her smile is radiant and tears roll down her face. I know in this moment she feels connected to her people, even though she is a universe apart from them, and it makes me ache with joy for her.
"Do we clap?" Jason whispers.
"You'd better keffing clap for my mate," I growl at him.
There is a scatter of applause, and April beams at all of us, wiping happy tears from her face. "I don't know if all of that was right, but I have a good feeling. It felt like I was honoring my kuleana."