A Second Chance - 8. Return

(Kaleo)

Step by step, I slowly climbed the path that lead from the cemetery until I reached the top of the hill. I loved the feeling of fresh morning breeze against my skin and going through my hair – it seemed to give me energy and strength. I sat down, enjoying the perfect view of the green hills and the sandy coast further in the distance.

As I heard footsteps behind me I smiled, knowing it was Adam. I had woken up way too early, before the sun even rose, and went to the cemetery, leaving him sleeping in our hotel room. Turning my head, I saw him approaching and gave him a sincere smile.

“Hey,” I greeted him. He wore a thin white t-shirt, pale green shorts and flip-flops.

“I knew you’d be here,” he smiled back and sat down next to me on the grass.

I leaned over to his side, resting my head on his shoulder as our hands joined together and our fingers entwined. Together, we sat facing the east and watched as the sun slowly rose from the horizon, coloring the sky in warm yellow tones.

Observing our interlocked fingers, I noticed how Adam got a nice tan over the last few days on the island. He wasn’t as dark as I was, but he did get a shade darker since coming to Poa. It looked good on him.

“You wanna go down to the cemetery?”

“No, it’s ok, I just came from there. Got up early,” I replied.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Adam asked, to which I nodded, lifting my head slightly from his shoulder. “How are you feeling today?”

“I’m good. I just miss him. I keep thinking that I left Poa too soon. He kept urging me to go after I recovered, and I also wanted to get back to my life, but maybe I should’ve stayed longer, spent more time with him,” I said, pouring my heart out.

“Baby, you couldn’t have known… There was nothing wrong with wanting to return to your life,” Adam said. “And as you just said it, that’s what he wanted too. He didn’t want you to feel obliged to stay.”

Adam was probably right, but I couldn’t help how bad I felt for leaving the island so quickly last time. If I had known, I would’ve stayed until the end.

“So…” Adam slowly uttered, making me realize I’ve been silent for a few minutes, lost in my thoughts.

“So, we should talk about what happens next,” I said, lifting my head from his shoulder and sitting so that I was facing him. Adam took my hands in his and by the look on his face I could tell he was expecting bad news.

“Look, if you want to stay here longer, I don’t mind. I’ll wait for you till you come back. You can always stay at my place when you return, you know that.”

I shook my head and drew my lips into a smile.

“No, I don’t wanna stay here,” I replied, looking into his eyes. “If anything, Pa’s passing away made me realize I shouldn’t waste any more time. Poa is my birthplace and it’s beautiful, but that part of my life is over. Right now, I want to be with you.”

Adam’s face lit up with a warm smile, while the rising sun reflected in his eyes.

“So, does that mean you’re coming with me? And staying?”

“Yes, I’d love that,” I nodded and immediately found myself wrapped up in a strong hug that threatened to cut off the air supply to my lungs.

After reluctantly letting me go, Adam treated me with a big kiss that showed me without a doubt just how ecstatic he was. My eyes quickly welled up just from seeing how happy he was and knowing I was the reason for that happiness.

“Do you really mean it? You’ll come and stay with me, try and make it work? I know it’s gonna be a big change, a whole new city and everything, but you’ll love it, I promise,” he said, as if feeling he needed to convince me some more. He had no idea my mind was all made up and I was finally ready to stay with him.

“I mean it, I’m staying with you… and Neptune. I hope that’s ok.”

“Are you kidding me, of course it’s ok! I have plenty of room,” Adam grinned as if he was advertising toothpaste. I could hardly blame him, I was so happy myself – I felt like I was about to burst.

Pa’s death had hit me hard and completely by surprise, but Adam was there for me every step of the way, helping me get through it. I had no doubts remaining that I was making the right choice.

Living in Chicago would definitely take some getting used to, but some change could be exciting. After all, I survived the move from Poa to L.A. when I was only a kid, so this was nothing compared to that. The important thing is that I’ll be with Adam. Going to bed with him every night, waking up together in the morning, having breakfast, walking Neptune… I could hardly believe it!

Even if the thing with Mitch doesn’t work out, I could probably find something else, maybe give Skype lessons. Oh, speaking of which…

“By the way, I have some potentially big news,” I announced with a knowing smile that left Adam with a puzzled look on his handsome face. I found such joy in watching all of his expressions and faces. If I were a painter, I’d no doubt be doing portraits of him daily.

“Bigger than this?” he looked at me, raising his eyebrows.

“Well, no, of course not. But still, I think you’ll like it!”

“Come on, then, spit it out!” Adam urged me, gesturing with his hands impatiently. I just love how excited he can get about stuff.

“I got a call from Mitch the other day.”

“Umm… Should I know him?” he frowned, making me chuckle. How did I know he would say that?

“We met him at the pool in the hotel. Remember, he and his wife joined us for a swim?”

“Ohh yeah, the guy praised your technique to the skies,” Adam said, letting out a laugh.

“What can I say, the man recognizes when someone’s a natural.”

“That you are,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. “So, what did he want?”

“He and his wife are opening an aquatic centre in Chicago and need a swimming instructor,” I said, smiling as Adam’s eyes got wide and his mouth spread into a big smile. “So he offered me a job!”

“Babe, that’s amazing! What did you say?”

“Well, nothing specific. I said I was interested and that I’d call him when I got back.”

“Damn, I’m more excited than when I got a new job!” Adam laughed, pulling me into another hug. “Is this something you’d like to do? I know you were a professor back in L.A.”

“Yeah, I think so. I’d still love to teach English, but I’m actually really excited about this.”

“So it’s a tiny difference, instead of teaching some kids English, you’ll be teaching them swimming.”

“Exactly, potato-potahto,” I nodded.

“See, I told you things would sort themselves out?” Adam said, pulling me down with him so that we lay down on the soft grass.

We both looked up at the morning sky, where the sun had come out, signaling the beginning of a new day.

Despite everything that had happened over the past three months, I was now hopeful – and even excited – about my future, knowing I would be alright.

(Adam)

“We’ll miss you!” Moana cooed, wrapping her thin arms around me, while her daughter Hanna jumped impatiently beside us, waiting for her turn.

“I’ll miss you girls, too,” I said, turning to the little rascal and picking her up in my arms.

“When are you coming again?” Hanna asked, oblivious to the fact that her mouth was still smeared with the lemon and mango ice-cream that we’d just had.

“Ohhh I don’t know,” I said, “It’s a very long trip, you know? Maybe next time you’ll come and visit me?”

“Mom won’t let me go alone,” the girl moaned.

“When you’re old enough and have money to pay for your ticket, you’re free to go to Mars if you wish,” Moana said, caressing her daughter’s jet black hair.

“Yes, we can go to Mars together!” Hanna exclaimed, all excited at the prospect. “Is that further than America?”

“Yeah, just a bit. Let’s stick to our home planet for now,” I chuckled, putting her back on the ground. Moana took her hand and smiled at the little girl affectionately. She was hard not to adore. “But if you come visit me, you can see Neptune.”

“OK!” she shouted, clearly having no idea what I meant by that.

“Thank you for remembering us, Adam,” Moana said.

“How could I forget you, girls?! My offer stands, if you ever come to Chicago, you have a place to stay, count on it!”

“Thank you,” Moana nodded. After another round of hugs and kisses, we finally said our goodbyes and I went back to the hotel to finish up packing and wait for Kaleo.

As I entered our room, he was already there, checking our bags to make sure we don’t forget anything.

“Hey, you’re back. How was it, did you see her?” I asked, coming over to him and giving him a peck on the lips.

While I had gone to see Hanna and her mom one last time before we left, Kaleo had gone to the forest to try and find Hiri. He wanted to thank her one more time. While I had wanted to go with him and thank her myself, I really didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to Moana and her daughter. After all, they were my only friends on the island and who knows when I’d see them again – if ever.

“Yes, I saw her. She appeared out of nowhere, you know, as she usually does, and she seemed to know everything before I even told her. She knew Pa had passed away and that you came with me.”

“Of course she did,” I chuckled. “She is so damn creepy, but you gotta love her. We owe her so much.”

“We do,” Kaleo said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “And I told her as much. I’m glad I got a chance to see her again.”

“I wish I went with you.”

“She understands, and she told me to say hi to you. Oh, and she congratulated us on living together.”

“Mmmm, I just can’t wait,” I murmured, wrapping my arms around his body and pulling him closer. We shared another scorching kiss before we finished our packing and went to the ship, ready for the journey back.

--

Even though we were on Poa only four days, when we came back to Chicago I felt as if we had been gone for months. I guess the island has a way of making you feel isolated and out of time and place, being so distant and removed from the rest of the world.

Entering the ‘Sunshine’ premises that Monday, I was full of trepidation, wondering if there was any progress in Doug’s case. I didn’t expect his parents to change their minds overnight, but the optimist in me was still holding on, I guess.

My boss, Mr. Perry, told me they hadn’t heard from Doug’s mom or dad, which was what we were expecting anyway. It wasn’t until my lunch break that I saw the kid, sitting in his usual place by the window, a book in his hands. This time, though, he wasn’t alone. Chance and Jase seemed to have invaded his space, sitting beside him and chatting him up. Jase obviously said something funny – and probably crude – making the other two snicker.

As I approached them, they went quiet and looked up at me.

“Hey, boys, how are you doing?”

“Hey, Adam, you’re back,” Chance said.

“We’re good, tryin’ to convince Doug to move to our school,” Jase added.

“Oh,” I nodded, glancing at Doug, who started blushing. Even though he would never admit it, I could sense he was enjoying the attention the other two were giving him. “Mind if I talk to Doug alone for a minute?”

“Ok. Think about it, man, we’re here for you,” Chance said, getting up and briefly touching Doug’s hand. “Ever since Jase and I lost our parents, we were there for each other.”

“Yeah, and we’d have a lot of fun together, the three of us. If anyone’s giving you trouble, we can teach you how to fight,” Jase added passionately, before seeing my raised eyebrows. “Uhh, I mean in self-defense. What, he’s gotta learn how to defend himself!”

“Never change, Jason,” I chuckled, patting him on the back.

When the two friends left, I sat next to Doug and he looked up at me.

“How are you doing?”

“Fine, I guess,” he said quietly, shrugging his shoulders.

“I got you something from the island,” I said, pulling out a small book – a collection of legends and stories from Poa.

“Wow, sweet! Thank you so much!” Doug exclaimed, scanning the covers and opening the book, quickly browsing through the pages. “This is amazing!”

“I’m glad you like it,” I smiled, happy to see him so excited about something.

As I talked to him, I saw that although he was still that shy and withdrawn kid, he was more talkative now, with a hint of a spark in his eyes that I had never seen before. The bruise around his eye had vanished, revealing a cute teenage face.

I decided not to ask about his parents, not wanting to open up that wound. If they didn’t want to see their son, they didn’t even deserve to be mentioned. Maybe one day they’ll come around, but will it be too late? That would depend solely on Doug.

Instead, I switched topics to more pressing matters, like his education. It had been a few weeks since he got beaten up in school, so he had missed a lot of classes already. Even though the physical injuries had healed, the emotional ones would take much longer. They would require time, friendship and affection – and even therapy if needed – something I was sure he could get at ‘Sunshine’.

“So, have you thought about school? Would you like to return to your old one, or maybe change it? I know Chance and Jase talked about you moving to their school, and that’s an option. Most of the kids from the shelter go there.”

He looked down to the book I gave him and pretended to read it. After some consideration, he spoke.

“Um, yeah, I’d like to go with Chance and Jase, if that’s possible.”

“Of course, we’ll arrange it. For the record, I think you’re making the right choice,” I nodded and saw a small smile appear on his face. “They’re good guys and they’ll be good friends to you. The school may not be as fancy as your old one, but I think you’ll like it.”

After I got up and headed back to my office, Chance approached me in the hallway, followed by Jason.

“So, what did he say?” he asked nervously, shifting from one foot to the other.

“I think you boys have a new schoolmate,” I smiled as the boys gave each other a high five and shouted a loud ‘Yess!’

“Thanks!” Chance grinned at me and turned around, running off with Jason back to the common area, once again surrounding Doug and sitting next to him. Clearly, the two friends have already fully accepted Doug as one of their own, which was something even his parents couldn’t seem to do. Seeing the three boys chat and laugh together gave me so much hope – hope that people do get a second chance, just like Kaleo and I did.

(Kaleo)

I got out of the elevator with Neptune walking by my side and came to the door, raising my hand to ring the bell. Oh, wait, I live here now, I remembered and got the keys from my pocket.

As soon as we got in, the Labrador ran off to the kitchen and started jumping at Adam, desperate to greet his owner and get his well-deserved rubs.

“Wow, hey there, boy!” Adam said as he knelt down to rub Neptune all over the belly. “Did you guys have fun together?”

“We did! Took a nice walk through the park, sniffed some butts, the usual,” I said as I took off my coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

“Yeah, he’ll do that,” Adam chuckled, getting up and walking up to me, greeting me with a big kiss. “So, how was your first day at the new job?”

“Good! Everything’s still in the prep phase, so there wasn’t much work for me. I finished early, so I had time to come here and take Neptune out. But anyway, I think it’ll be really satisfying working there. The people seem nice and friendly.”

“I’m glad,” Adam smiled.

“By the way, Mitch and his wife said hi. They invited us over for dinner to celebrate,” I added.

“Oh, that’s nice of them, we’ll have to make plans. But for now, let us move over here and taste the dinner that I have prepared, especially for this occasion,” Adam announced ceremoniously, leading me to the dining table after I washed my hands.

Everything was so delicious – cream soup, grilled chicken and veggies, whole grain bread and chocolate mousse. By the end of it, I could barely breathe. Luckily, Adam ate as much as I did – or maybe even more – so I didn’t feel too bad about my enormous appetite.

After pampering me all throughout dinner, we moved over to the couch in the living room, where I lay first and allowed Adam to cuddle up next to me, with his head on my chest. I clasped my arms around his stomach as we pretended to watch TV, quietly enjoying each other’s closeness. Even Neptune, who would usually jump on the couch to sit next to Adam, sensed that he shouldn’t intrude, so he had to make do with his comfy doggy bed near the TV.

Just as I thought he’d dozed off, Adam turned around to face me. His hand reached up to caress my neck as he leaned above me, closing his eyes and pressing his soft lips to mine.

“You know, I just realized there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” I whispered as we broke the kiss. I started off so confidently, but all of a sudden I couldn’t focus at all. Just him looking at me with those deep brown eyes was so distracting. Not to mention those kissable lips…

“What?” he smiled, tracing my jaw with his thumb.

“In case it wasn’t obvious by now, I love you, Adam,” I said, feeling as though my love for that man has grown even more now that I uttered those words. His face was beaming and I could feel the tears coming – both in my eyes and in his. I had never needed someone as much as I needed him, but that feeling didn’t scare me at all. I was ready to be his and no one else’s.

“You are amazing,” he said, kissing me repeatedly. “I love you too, you know that? So, so much!”

“I had an inkling, but it’s so good to hear it from you!”

“Well, you’re gonna be hearing it a lot. Seriously, I am so happy you’re here with me. You know, that day when you showed up here for the first time, I opened the door and you were standing there – that was the best day of my life.”

“Mine too. I was so nervous that entire day. I had no idea what to expect, but when I took one look at you, and when you took me in your arms, I knew I made the right choice.”

At that point, we were both grinning like lunatics, brimming with excitement and joy. How did we get to this point – I had no idea, but if this was how my life was going to be from now on, I had no complaints! My life had completely turned around in the last few months and I had the most amazing guy by my side. How could I ever ask for more?

Getting up from the couch and picking Adam up in my arms, I nodded to the bedroom.

“Shall we move to somewhere more comfortable?”

“You read my mind,” he nodded, giving me a naughty smirk that almost made me fully hard on the spot.

“Good night, Neptune!” Adam called out as I carried him to the bedroom, closing the door behind us.

-THE END-

Thank you everyone for reading and commenting, I appreciate it so much! I hope you enjoyed this journey to the island of Poa and back!