Whispers (7 page)

Instead of coming up with answers, all Teri had was an empty stomach. Suddenly she realized she wanted pizza, and she wanted it now. Setting aside her troubled thoughts about Scott, wine coolers, kisses, and rules, she found the phone book and looked up the name of a pizza shop that advertised free delivery.

“Yes, I’d like Canadian bacon, pineapple, and olives on that.”

“Okay. We’re looking at about half an hour. I need your name and address.”

Teri provided the information and hung up thinking,
I can’t wait half an hour!
She scanned the refrigerator again in hopes of finding something she could chomp into. The fridge held half a papaya, some leftover salad, a loaf of bread, and seven eggs. In the bottom bin she found a carrot and decided that was about as good as she could do in the chomping department.

She tried to watch TV while she waited. As soon as the first program ended, she checked the clock. It had been almost half an hour since she had called. What was taking them so long?

The next program began and successfully dulled her senses for another half hour. Now she was ticked. What was the problem? She went to the phone and began to flip through the phone book in search of the pizzeria’s number when the doorbell rang.

Teri stomped to the door muttering, “It’s about time.” She jerked open the door and found herself face to face with the man who had spilled Coke on her at the luau.

He looked as surprised to see her as she was to see him. He glanced at the slip of paper taped to the top of the pizza box as a huge smile lit up his face.

“Teri,” he said in his brisk Australian accent. “Your name is Teri, then is it?” He started to laugh with wild, total abandonment, and Teri wondered if the neighbors might be peeking out their windows to see what was going on.

“How much do I owe you?” she said flatly, not at all thrilled that this peculiar person now knew her name.

“Ten fifty-seven.” He seemed to study her face as she fished in the bottom of her purse for the right change. “Annie’s sister, right?”

Teri looked up, surprised that he knew Anita. However, this was a small community. Perhaps Dan and Anita ordered pizza from him before. She gave an obligatory nod and held out the money for him. She had included a dollar tip.

“Great! Thanks, Teri,” he said, taking the money and handing her the pizza box. He didn’t move but stood there grinning at her.

“Okay, well, thanks,” Teri said. She edged the door closed a few inches. He still stood there, looking as if he might burst into his jolly laugh all over again. “Is something wrong?” she asked pointedly, staring back at him.

“Not a bit. Everything’s as right as right can be.” Still he didn’t move.

“Good.” Then using his word, she said, “Right. Now good night.”

“Until,” he said and jogged off to his car, which he had left running. Teri noticed that he became a little tangled up in his own feet and nearly tripped over the curb.

“Bizarre,” she said, shaking her head and closing the door. She made sure it was locked. Then, settling down on her bed-couch in front of the TV, she pulled out the first piece of pizza. But before she could take a bite, the image of the laughing pizza delivery man loomed in front of her, and she couldn’t help but chuckle herself. It wasn’t as if he were laughing at her. And it wasn’t a crazy, haunting guffaw. It was as if this man, who was fast approaching midlife, was so brimming full of joy that it kept oozing out of him in the form of that zany, contagious roar.

Teri bit into the pizza, a broad smile still plastered across her face. And she repeated his little phrase in a fake accent, “Right as right can be!” Then she burst out laughing and realized she hadn’t had much cause to even smile today. In a strange way, the laughter comforted her.

O
n Sunday morning it rained. Not hard, but a misty sort of rain almost as if God were using a gigantic spray bottle to squirt the inside of this tropical terrarium. The moisture made Teri’s long hair coil into a mass of curls. She wished she could somehow pull it back or pin it up. But the volume made it impossible to do anything other than let it run wild across her shoulders and down her back. Nothing short of a machete could tame this jungle of a mane today.

“You about ready to go?” Dan called through the closed bathroom door.

Teri stepped out and said, “I’m ready. Where’s Annie?”

“She went back to bed. She’s not feeling too terrific.”

“Is she all right?”

“I think she will be. On the way home from church remind me to stop to pick up some 7-Up and crackers,” Dan said.

They drove north toward the Halekuali’i Resort. “Have you been to our church before?”

“No.”

“It’s different than you might expect. We love it. Not everyone from the mainland feels like we do, though.”

“You mean us
haoles
don’t fit into your church?”

Dan looked surprised and a little pleased that she had remembered the Hawaiian word. “No, I mean it’s not what you’re used to. That’s all.”

When they parked in the church’s lot, Teri thought the building looked enchanting. Its appearance welcomed them, with a tall steeple and thick, green foliage around the church’s sides. Painted bright white with deep green trim, the structure was one of the original churches built by the missionaries more than a hundred years ago. Dozens of parishioners gathered on the lush carpet of grass surrounding the building.

She noticed several older women standing by the front door dressed in loose fitting, flower print mu’umu’us with fragrant plumeria leis strung over their arms. She guessed they were the official greeters. She also guessed that this church would be quite traditional. Perhaps even some of the service would be given in Hawaiian.

Dan greeted a few of his friends as he and Teri wove their way across the lawn, through pockets of chatting adults and children running around. No one seemed to be in much of a hurry. When they reached the steps, the woman on the right crooned, “Welcome.
Aloha
.” She placed a lei around Teri’s neck and softly kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you,” Teri said.

Dan stepped in behind her and gave each of the ladies a peck on the cheek.

Teri entered the church, expecting soft music and pews full of snowy haired women bowed in prayer. Instead people were standing around visiting, while the clear voices of little children
singing by the piano at the front greeted her. Then she heard it—the distinct, jovial laugh of the pizza delivery man.

“Hey,” Dan said, “Gordon’s back! And I can’t believe it; he convinced Kai to come to church! Look, over there. Kai’s the poolside bartender at Halekuali’i.”

Teri glanced at Gordon and then at the bartender. She thought she might have seen Kai at the luau. He had a lei on just like Teri’s, evidence that he, too, was a visitor.

“You have to meet Gordon,” Dan said.

“We’ve already met,” Teri said cautiously. She looked away before Gordon made eye contact with her and purposefully turned her back to him. It didn’t make her feel any better knowing that this crazy man was a friend of Danny’s.

“Where did you meet Gordo?”

“Gordo?”
Teri repeated. “You actually call him Gordo?” She hadn’t noticed him sneaking up behind her.

“Yeah, they actually call me Gordo,” he said. “Do you know something I don’t know?” His eyes were crinkled shut as he smiled down at Teri. He looked a little different than he had the night he delivered the pizza. Sort of younger. Or cleaner. Or something.

“It’s just that
gordo
is a Spanish word,” Teri said cautiously. She felt she had been painted into a corner.

“I think I heard that before,” he said. “And now, what does
gordo
mean in Spanish?”

Teri looked to Dan for support. He kept silent. “It means ‘fat,’ ” she said in a low voice.

Gordon’s laughter bubbled out all over the place. “Well, it might suit me someday,” he said, “but at least not yet.” He patted his flat stomach and then extended a hearty handshake to Dan. “Good to see you, Dan. You know Kai, don’t you? And Kai, this is Teri.”

“I remember you from the other day at the luau,” Kai said to Teri. He had a slight grin on his face as if he knew something she didn’t.

“Where’s Annie?” Gordon asked.

“She wasn’t feeling well.”

A smile lit up Gordon’s face. “Ah, right. Morning sickness.”

Teri glared at him. What a cruel joke. How could this guy say something so heartless, especially if he knew what Dan and Anita had gone through trying to have a baby.

“No,” Dan said quickly, “we’re not pregnant.”

“Are you sure?” Gordon had an elf-like quality about his expression. “I’ve been asking Jesus to touch her womb for quite some time. Wouldn’t surprise me if it pleased him to do it now, while her sister’s here.” His look focused in on Teri. Sincere blue eyes met hers, and he lingered in his gaze.

Teri looked away, and as she did, she noticed Mark coming in the back door. She waved eagerly, motioning for him to join them, which he did. Introductions were made, and Dan suggested they find a place to sit since the pews were filling up. Teri followed her brother-in-law down two rows, and then the four men and Teri all filed in and sat on the hard wooden bench. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she ended up sitting sandwiched between Mark and Gordon. Mark made her feel safe, even in the midst of their unresolved relationship. But sitting next to Gordon, she felt squirmy, as if he had somehow invaded her space.

The children toward the front finished their music practice and scattered to find seats with their parents. Within a few minutes, the narrow church building was packed. Two more people slid into their pew, which meant Gordon scooted even closer to her. She tried to slide closer to Mark without pushing herself against him.

At this moment, Teri hated her thighs. They were large
compared to the rest of her body. And sitting down made them spread out, making the seating arrangement even tighter. She glanced down self-consciously and noticed that her thighs were definitely broader than Mark’s. Could she ever trust a man who had skinnier thighs than hers? She hadn’t felt that way with Scott. Scott was a large man, which made her feel he was just the right size for her. She wished he were sitting next to her this morning instead of Gordon or even Mark.

What was going to become of her relationship with Mark? Teri hoped he would whisk her away after church so they could have a long talk, just the two of them.

A large Hawaiian man in a flowered print shirt strode down the center aisle of the church just then, greeting people as he came. “This is the day the Lord has made,” he said in a rich, round voice. “Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

As soon as he reached the front of the church, the congregation rose to its feet and someone began to play a lively chorus on the piano. Drums and an electric guitar joined in.

Teri hadn’t noticed all the instruments before, tucked around on the left side of the church. The sound was invigorating, not too loud, not too jazzy. She liked it.

Then the man at the front started to sing, and the congregation joined in. No words were on an overhead to follow or in songbooks to look at. The singing seemed spontaneous and loud.

It reminded Teri of a little church she had helped to build in a Mexicalli village called Nueva. There the people sang with the same fervor, the same love for God. Putting aside all encumbering thoughts of Mark, Gordon, and Scott and even the size of her legs, Teri closed her eyes and sang out.

After the service they all stood on the lawn, visiting in the cool shade. The fragrance from the creamy plumerias around Teri’s neck filled her nostrils and made her smile. She had
already told Dan and the others how much she loved their church. Kai was reserved in his comments, saying that church was a new experience for him, but he wanted to come back next week and bring his girlfriend.

Now Teri waited for Mark to say something. All he had to ask was “Teri, do you want to go to lunch?” or “Teri could I talk to you alone for a minute?” Anything to initiate a conversation. But he mentioned nothing. He didn’t even look as if he wanted to say anything. Teri couldn’t understand how anyone could be so even-keeled, especially when to her they obviously needed to test their relationship to see if anything was there.

Come on, Mark. Don’t make me initiate this!

They all walked together to the parking lot. Mark said good-bye, got in his car, and left. Now Teri was mad. How was she supposed to interpret that? If he didn’t want to date her, fine. If he didn’t want to see her at all while she was here, she could live with that. But this silence was ridiculous. Whatever had clicked between Teri and Mark last summer had definitely disappeared. Poof. Gone. Or at least she thought it was. It was hard to make that final judgment when they hadn’t talked one to one.

Teri gave a half-hearted wave to Gordon and Kai. Gordon smiled at her and said his farewell of “Until,” and Teri plopped down in the passenger seat of Dan’s car.
What is Mark’s problem, anyhow? Is there another woman? Fine! Just tell me. Is it me? Did he change his mind since those notes he wrote saying he enjoyed being with me and was looking forward to my coming this summer? What?! I’m going crazy waiting for him to talk to me. As soon as we get home, I’m going to call him. He and I are going to have a heart-to-heart talk and get this settled
.