𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐍𝐉

❤︎❤︎❤︎

"I'm sorry if I was interrupting your Sunday." Lia spoke letting Angela inside the house.

"Oh no, your fine hon, I just left my sons basketball game. When I tell you those boys don't look like freshmen." Lia chuckled, leading Angela into the living room.

"Sorry for the mess." Lia apologized moving around all the toys and educational stuff from off the couch. "A struggle having three kids."

Angela chuckled sitting down, "No need to apologize. My house look just like this when I had my two boys." she told her, Lia took a deep breath sitting down next to her. Angela look at the dark skin woman that look exhausted. She felt her pain though being a mother with three kids who's still young in age.

"I'm tired." Lia finally spoke, taking her hair out the messy ponytail she had in.

"You look very tired. How much sleep have you've been getting?" Angela questioned watching Lia put her hair back in a ponytail.

"Well, we've been home for three days now and I can only remember taking a short nap while all of them were sleep."

"So, only a few minutes is what I'm hearing. Twenty or thirty minutes tops." Angela said, Lia sigh lowly to herself. She didn't say anything since it was close to the truth at least. She could barely fall asleep at night, so she took those fifteen to twenty minute naps ever hence she could get. Which for right now wasn't often.

"I-" Lia sigh lowly again. "Probably a little less than that. I can't sleep at night, I usually just stay up and read. Onest usually have to force me to lay down and close my eyes for a few minutes."

Angela repositioned himself on the couch, so she could face Lia. "How come you stopped coming?" she asked sounding very concerned.

She had noticed Lia wasn't coming to therapy anymore and was very curious. She had planned on checking up on her, but her schedule had been crazy for a few months now. Lia was her favorite client because she related to her more than anyone else. She understood her fear, her anger, and her sadness and wanted to help. She knew how hard all of this could be hence she's been in the situation.

"I-I thought I was alright. I thought that I didn't need it anymore. My life sorta felt alright at the time and I just assumed you know." Lia answered truthfully.

"Sorry." she apologized afterwards feeling guilty about leaving.

"There's no need to be sorry hon. I have plenty of clients that feel as though they're ready to leave. My opinion on whether or not they're ready isn't up to me at all. I do give them some advice and if they take it then they take it..." she trailed off.

"What if they don't?"

"Then they mostly come back and we start all over again. That's something that happens a lot and I don't mind it at all. Would you like to start over?" Angela asked giving Lia a smile.

Lia returned one, "I would love to."

"Well then, my name is Ms. Angie. I have a PhD in psychology and I'm happy that your giving me a second chance."

"My name is Lia and I'm back so I can get help. I need it and I want it so I can better for myself, my husband, and my kids."

"That's what I love to hear."

"Okay, first order of business..." Daquan began taking off his shoes and placing them near the plant. He turned around to face his son. "No shoes in the house."

Onest raised his brow, "Really?" he questioned and Daquan nodded his head.

"Hawaiians have this thing with not wanting to track dirt into their house. So, take the shoes off." Daquan told him again. Onest slowly nodded his head confused as to what was going on.

"Is this a Hawaiian tradition?" Onest asked taking off his sneakers, and neatly placed them beside his dad shoes.

"Yup. Another tradition is being greeted with a kiss on the cheek. Soon as that door is opened by my mother, she's going to kiss you. If your uncomfortable I'm sorry, but it's tradition." Onest nodded his head feeling cool about that. Even though he didn't know them at all, he was accepting their culture. After all they were his family.

"Okay, are you ready?" Daquan asked him and Onest nodded his head. Daquan gave him a smile then knocked on the door. Onest stood behind his dad waiting. He was nervous to meet people he didn't know for the first time. Even more nervous since this was something new to him having to learn traditions, abide by them, and respect them.

But, he was ready though.

The door finally open, standing there was a short light skin woman. She had black curly hair that was down to her waist and dressed up in an orange floral dress. Gold bracelets on her wrists and a pink flower in her hair. She stared at Daquan, a huge smile growing on her face.

"Hi pēpē!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Daquan. Her arms could barely it fit over him, Daquan towering over the short woman. Onest smiled to himself seeing the interaction between his dad and his mom.

It was cute.

The two of them started speaking in their language then Daquan look back at Onest.

"Mommy this is Onest. Your grandson." he introduced him to the woman. "Onest this is your grandmother, Kapua."

Kapua exclaimed, pushing Daquan out the way and approaching Onest. She hugged him tightly, standing on her tippy toes and kissing his cheek.

"Hui! Hui! Hui!" she repeated, kissing his cheek repeatedly. Onest chuckled to himself smelling a coconut scent on her. It was the first time he actually smelled a coconut scent before.

"Pelekania makuahine." Daquan told her and she nodded her head.

"Sorry, sorry. Hi baby Onest." Kapua spoke in English, cuffing Onest face. She smiled hugely as she look him up and down. It was her first seeing him since he was a baby.

"Oh come in, come in!" She spoke fast, grabbing Onest hand and pulling inside the house. Daquan chuckled as he followed behind them.

Kapua lead Onest into the kitchen where two other women were sitting in there. They both were sewing and talking in their language. Kapua called out to them making both women look over at the two of them.

"E nana owai maanei!" Kapua exclaimed, escorting Onest to an empty chair. She forced him down catching Onest off guard a little.

He sat there awkwardly as the three women talked in their language. At times they would point at him making him slightly uncomfortable.

"Relax, they're not saying anything bad about you." Onest look over at his dad who sat beside him.

"What exactly are they saying?" he asked confusedly.

"Just wondering who you are that's all. Those are your two of your aunts, they don't speak English so your not going to get a single English word out of them." Daquan told him, Onest nodded his head.

"I thought you had more siblings."

"I do...sisters actually, I'm the only boy. The rest of my sisters are in Hawaiian with their families. My family doesn't really like leaving Hawaii like that, they think leaving their homes unattended is some type of curse." Onest slowly nodded his head putting his attention back on the three women.

"That's kinda weird, but I like it." he smirk to himself.

"Yeah, but this is them. My mom was so mad at me when I left you, we actually ended up falling out with each other after that." Daquan admitted, watching his mom and sisters interact with each other.

"Makes you regret leaving huh?" Onest joked, Daquan glance at him then look down.

"Yeah, makes me regret a lot." he answered lowly, so Onest couldn't hear him.

Kapua walked over to Onest with a plate in her hand, "You hungry? We make pasteles. Pasteles?" she asked placing the plate in front of him.

"Sure, what is it?" Onest asked staring at the plate in front of him. He wasn't gonna lie the food look so damn good. He didn't eat lunch yet, so he was ready to chow down.

Kapua started explaining him what was in the dish, Onest keeping the huge smile on his face. Onest, Kapua, and his two aunts started talking with each other. Daquan smiled to himself listening to all of them. He shot his head back when he heard the door shut. He got up from the table and headed out the kitchen, walking down the hall was another beautiful young woman.

"Nice to see you Olina." he greeted his sister. Olina, a brown skin girl that look just like their father more than anything, look at her brother. She look her brother up and down then put her hands on her hips.

"Nice to see you too, Daquan. Never would've thought I'll see you again after you disappeared with that white woman." she remarked walking up to her brother. She peeked in the kitchen seeing her mom, sisters, and a boy that resembled her brother so much.

She look back at her brother, "That's him?" she asked and Daquan nodded his head.

"He looks just like you. How you'd manage to reconnect with him after all these years?" she questioned crossing her arms.

Daquan sigh lowly to himself, "I took the time to talk to him and let him know what happened. It wasn't too pretty at first, but I ended up gaining his trust back. His mom died." he told her glancing over at Onest. He was busy showing pictures of his wife and Isaiah to them.

Olina stared at her brother, smiling a little to herself. "I'm happy your home Daquan and please continue being a father to him and those girls." she told him, he look back at her then nodded his head.

"I am."

1. thoughts on this chapter?

2. Hawaiian language is from Google, the translation might be right but if it's not then I'll change it eventually