didn’t say anything.
A minute later two guys almost tripped over each other trying to be the one to hold the door open. The taller, thicker guy won. He leaned against the open door with his arms crossed, flashing a wide grin. Rasa knew right away who he was smiling at—their mother. She strolled out with baby Shanti propped on one hip. She gave the guy a big smile back. She did a subtle catwalk to her children.
Rasa frowned at the way the guy stared at her mother’s bottom. She shook her head then looked at her mother. The only thing Kalindi was carrying was their sister. “Where’s the food?” Rasa asked.
“They didn’t let me get any on credit,” Kalindi said. She switched Shanti to her other hip.
“What are we going to do? We haven’t eaten all day.”
Kalindi smiled at Rasa. “Don’t worry. I’ll think of something.”
Right then Kalindi spotted two policemen approaching the 7-11. She held Shanti out to Rasa. “Here, take her. I think I just figured it out,” she said. “Take the kids to the beach. I’ll meet you back at the house in a few hours. I’ll have money then.”
“But Mom—”
“It’s ok. I nursed Shanti half an hour ago and there’s formula at home if you need it.”
“But—”
Kalindi was already sashaying over to the policemen.
“Is she going to ask them to borrow money?” Ach asked.
“Something like that,” Rasa said.
They watched their mother greet the policemen with cheek kisses. Kalindi stood facing them with one hand on her hip. One of the policemen slid his sunglasses onto his head. The other tucked his onto his uniform. Kalindi shifted, adjusting the front of her dress to free her cleavage. She licked her lips, then leaned over to whisper something to one of them in his ear. He smiled and then turned and said something to the other one. Now they were both smiling as they nodded at Kalindi.
“What’s she doing?” Ach asked.
“I don’t know.”
Kalindi walked away with the policemen, her hand on one of the men’s shoulder.
Ach groaned. “Where are they going?”
Rasa changed baby Shanti to a football hold with one arm. “She’ll be back in a couple of hours and then we’ll get to eat.”
Ach didn’t seem convinced. “What if she forgets about us?”
“Oh Ach, don’t worry. She won’t.”
Ach’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s what you said last time.”
He was right. Last time their mother said she’d be back later in the day, she was gone a week.
Rasa blinked. “Hey, I’ve got an idea! Let’s go to the library and get some books, ok?”
Lucky for them their bus passes hadn’t expired yet. They took the next bus to Kahuku Public Library.
Ach and Nitya ran right to the children’s section. Rasa sat down and rocked baby Shanti. She thought about their mother—Kalindi, the Tupi-Portuguese-African woman who moved to Hau’ula from Rio de Janeiro, with stops in Miami and San Diego along the way.
Kalindi was always moving. Transforming. No one could tie her down. No one could hold onto her. Not even her children.
Rasa stroked Shanti’s patchy straw-colored hair.
A decade and a half before, Kalindi had once told Rasa, she had changed her name—Julie Santos—because she didn’t think it captured the goddess-like beauty and power she knew she possessed. She thought she required a singular name. One name. Like Madonna. Or Prince. But also something more sacred. From an ancient language. Rasa thought that the Sanskrit name her mother chose—Kalindi—suited her well. It meant “sun.” She was hot and fiery alright. The name also referred to a holy river in India, Kalindi said. And like that river, she flowed. Her locks. Her curves. Her guile.
But Kalindi’s attention to her children didn’t flow—it trickled. Her maternal instincts percolated only in the time she took to give them strong Sanskrit names and provide them with basic care as infants. Once her children could walk, she left them on their own, preferring to spend her time either in the company of men or in the solitude of the Hau’ula mountains.
So it was Rasa who took care of Ach and Nitya. And sometimes Shanti. She prepared their meals. She made sure they bathed and brushed their teeth. She took them to school most days. She splashed in the waves and built sand castles with them at the beach.
The beach.
Rasa remembered the books on free diving she wanted to check out. She’d heard Kalindi talking to Paul about it. Rasa was curious.
At one time the ocean was their literal backyard—and babysitter. Though they had a bit of a further walk to the beach nowadays, Rasa, Ach, and Nitya were in the waves more than they were in their shack. Why not make the most of it? Plus free diving was exactly that—free. And money wasn’t something they had much of.
“We’re done,” Ach said, holding out a stack of picture books. Nitya stood next to him with a couple of board books in each hand. “Ok, my little hobbits, follow me. I wanna get a few books,” Rasa said. She cradled Shanti tight in her arms as she stood up.
An hour later they got off the bus and ambled down the dirt road to their shack. Inside, Rasa went to Kalindi’s room to lay sleeping baby Shanti in her crib.
Rasa did a quick check of the shack. Their mother wasn’t back yet. Rasa headed outside again. She surveyed the neighbors’ house. Their car was gone. They didn’t appear to be in their house either. She crept into their yard and picked two papayas from their short tree. She crouched down a bit, her eyes darting around to make sure no one saw her. Relieved, she slunk out of the yard with the yellow-orange booty.
She burst into the kitchen where Ach and Nitya stood biting their nails. “Lunch is served,” Rasa said. She held out the ripe fruit.
Ach dropped his hand and bit his lip instead. Nitya half smiled.
Rasa cut both ripe fruit in half. She scooped out the shiny black seeds. She found a half dry lemon wedge in the refrigerator and squeezed the remaining tart drops onto the papaya halves. “This will make it sweeter,” she said. The three of them ate their halves in silence, chewing slow to relish every bite. Rasa finished scraping her half clean first. She cut the remaining half in two. She pushed the plate towards Ach and Nitya. “Have a little more.”
They hesitated but then took their extra serving.
Rasa got up to wash her plate. Looking over her shoulder she asked, “How about I read you two a couple of your new books before naptime?”
“Uh-huh,” Ach mumbled mid-chew.
Nitya nodded.
Just then baby Shanti started crying. Loud. Louder.
