The condo on Decatur Street was decked out in the odds and ends that fit Lily’s personality. Pictures of abstract sunsets—turquoise water and white sand against oranges and yellows were hung around the front room, some pieces of art Lily had acquired over the years that she could barely afford, but that Zee had liked and, well, it was rare that Lily could muster up the heart to tell her niece “no.”
Chenille throws and plush pillows in different shades of blue lay scattered around the almond colored sectional and along the tufted footstools that lined the large bay windows in the den. Those colors reflected brightly against the high-gloss ebony floors, and gave the place a warm, comfortable vibe.
There were pieces from artists who showed their art around the Square and proper gallery-show pieces Lily had picked up a few years ago when Zinnia had finished up her semester and came to New Orleans to visit. Lily kept a bedroom made up for her. There were framed pictures of Liam and Ellen, of Lily’s mother holding an infant Zee years back, and linens in her favorite lavender color on the drapes and across the bedding. Lily still kept the sweet pea-scented candles her niece loved most and sometimes, when she was truly lonely for the girl, she’d light those candles to drive out her day at the firm and the bitter bite of her empty condo.
The building developers had taken care to leave brick columns and walls exposed, giving the place a hint of character, a little of old New Orleans on display to draw in the new rich and old, the younger generations that pretended to care about how old their building was. But Lily had loved the view of the Mississippi outside her back balcony and how the sounds of the Quarter lifted and hung in the air on any given night. It was music, the sound of busy streets and happy tourists, the lives and laughter of the city peppering the air around her. But, New Orleans, no matter how rich, how finely cultured, had nothing on Hawaii. It didn’t have beautiful white, sandy beaches or water so clear you could see the black lava rock under the waves. It didn’t have a mass of feral chickens brought to the islands then set free by storms and winds, or the low, sweet sound of island music, something that generated peace and serenity skirting in every rumple of wind.
Besides, for all the color and magic to be found in New Orleans, The Big Easy didn’t have Zee. It didn’t have Lily’s only remaining family, and that alone made her heart ache with melancholy. Maybe Kona had been right. Maybe it would be a good to time to visit again. But logically she knew she couldn’t take Kona seriously. That would be irresponsible and pointless. Besides, the flight would be long and depending on the weather, the best hotels would likely be booked. Everyone tried to grab the best places just as fall began, seeming unwilling to release their tight holds on summer. It made no sense at all to drop her life in New Orleans and spontaneously go back to the island that had been so hard on her. And then, Lily heard the alarm sound on her cell, and her plans, any mountain agendas she had for spending her forced time off, got sidetracked completely.
She hadn’t paid much attention to the messages on her phone until she was out of the cab and inside her condo. Lincoln kept texting and her friends from the yoga studio had called to ask her for drinks. She’d ignored both, and it wasn’t until the third alert in a row that Lily hurried from her bathroom with her wet hair wrapped in a towel, hurrying to silence the phone.
The message light blinked and Lily selected the icon, smiling when she spotted Zee’s name. A feeling of relief burst through her that her niece had called a full three days before she was scheduled. When the message started and Lily picked up on the worn, raspy tone of her voice, her quick smile dropped from her features completely.
“This is hard to tell you,” her niece started, clearing her throat. “I mean, I can tell you anything, right? It’s what we’ve always promised. Total honesty.” Between her breaths, Zinnia laughed and the sound came out nervous and awkward. It made Lily’s heart beat double time. “Even when it’s things you don’t wanna know. Like…like the time I let Joe Mills feel me up under my bra and you wanted details and then stopped me cold when I started giving them to you and…well…I told you I needed to tell you…” She was babbling, a trait that usually surfaced when Zinnia had news she didn’t want to share. News she believed would worry Lily. “I’m kinda glad you didn’t pick up, actually, though I didn’t want to say this to you without seeing your face. God, Lil, why aren’t you on FaceTime? Anyway, well, it’s…I think it’s good news. I hope you will too. I hope…hell…”
“Say it,” Lily whispered to the empty room, looking at the screen to check the time Zee had called. Three hours before. That meant it was early evening in Hawaii, around six p.m. She was likely starting her shift. She’d probably be on it for twenty-four hours, catching naps when she could.
Lily selected the speaker icon as Zinnia’s voice went on mumbling, procrastinating and the fear that seized up Lily’s chest tightened at her next words.
“I…I haven’t told you because I didn’t think it would turn into anything. I mean, God, I’m an intern. I have zero time for…for anything outside of the hospital but…I…I met someone and Lil, he’s brilliant and beautiful and…well, I love him. It’s only been a few months but I love him. Like, I really and truly love him.” The laughter started up again and Lily could see how Zee’s face would look—all excited and hopeful, like a kid getting off a roller coaster for the first time, wanting to immediately do it again. Death and struggle makes a person cautious. God knew that was the reality of their lives for over a decade, but they also made one fearless. They made people want to seize moments, capture them and hold them close in case that promised tomorrow never came. That embrace of the fearless had Lily and Zee cliff diving whenever they went home to the island. It had them tandem diving off waterfalls and seeking out the scariest, meanest, most insane amusement park rides. They’d always craved the fear. It made them feel alive.
But this? Love? This giddy excitement? Lily knew it might come one day but so soon? When Zee was barely twenty-three? With her schedule? How the hell did that happen?
Lily sat on her bed, the towel around her head loosening until she tugged it off as the thin silk robe she wore fell from one shoulder. Zinnia’s voice sounded awed, excited and without realizing she did it, Lily held her breath when her niece spoke again.
“I know what you’ll say…that I’m too young and this is all so fast, but I really believe when you know…you just know, right? And well, Ano, my…my man…he asked and I said yes, and we wanna do it soon and I could use your help because, well…we’re engaged, Lil. Ano and I…we’re getting married.”
Lily’s heart stopped. Just for a second, four small breaths that caught in her lungs and prevented anything but shock from moving around her chest. Marriage and Zinnia? The girl who swore she’d be married to her work. She wanted to operate. She wanted to prevent heart disease and make heart attacks and birth defects things of the past. She wanted to save the world or, at the very least, change it forever.
“Who has time for boys?” That, a twenty-year-old Zee had asked Lily just a few years back on a rare visit to New Orleans. Those nosey yoga bitches at the studio had practically jumped on her niece when they’d finished up class. Hawaii, Lily suspected, to them meant half-naked men and fire dancers. They believed the stereotypes and wanted details. They wanted visuals, but Zinnia had set them straight and made a promise in the process. “I’ll get married when I’ve cured the world of heart disease. But only if Taylor Kinney is still single or maybe if they discover Jackson Avery is real and available and totally into white girls with big booties.”
What the hell had changed? That small promise had happened only three short years ago. Three years where Zinnia had kept herself busy with finishing med school and starting her internship. Neither one of those circumstances left much room for relationships, certainly not one that would change her mind so completely.
Lily shot into action as soon as the message ended. She wasn’t sure if her heart would ever beat normally again or if she’d ever be able to still the tremble in her hands. She only knew that moving would help. She kept busy pacing, pulling out her suitcase from the large walk-in closet, and grabbing bras and underwear, shirts and bottoms, taking no real notice at all whether they even matched. Lily simply needed to move, to stay in motion as she replayed the message and dissected each inflection in Zee’s voice, each word she’d chosen to make her clumsy, procrastinating speech.
“We’re getting married…”
It rang out of the cell speaker and echoed around Lily’s mind like a jingle she couldn’t keep from her thoughts; just as irritating, just as unwelcome. Marriage? At her age? After only three months? No. That couldn’t…that wouldn’t happen.
In the hurry she made to throw clothes in her suitcase, Lily toppled over her clutch, the contents spilling out onto the thick area rug under her feet like glitter. She dropped the sundress gripped between her fingers and bent to pick up the mess, clutching medicine bottles and pens, small receipts and tokens from the casino before she caught sight of a small business card—white font on a black background and Kona’s name outlined in blue. The print was neat, precise and a large blue devil was silhouetted in the background of the card—Kona had taken a position with Claireborne-Prosper University, as coach on their defensive line. Fleetingly, Lily thought it was a good fit and she guessed his new family situation would keep him out of the NFL. Selfishly, she was glad he wasn’t still playing. If he had been, their paths would have never likely crossed. But they had. In that bar, with a long chat about the past and home and the reminders of what Lily had missed.
She glanced at the clock on her bedside table, forgetting the contents of her purse, deciding that an apology would come easier than permission as she dialed Kona's private cell number on the card. She needed a favor, and only he could help her at that moment.