A Place to Call Home | 6

On the morning of her wedding day, Gaby wakes up with butterflies in her stomach. It's not that she doubts her love for Alvin or his love for her. She's just never made such a massive commitment before in her life. She decides to clear her head with a morning swim. The question of whether or not Sulani is home to an elusive cove of mermaids is the last thing on her mind, which makes the sight of a decidedly human-looking shape with a decidedly non-human tail diving in and out of the water mere feet away from her all the more impossible to deny. After all, she can't be making up something she wasn't even thinking about, can she?

She swims furiously toward the mysterious figure, hoping she can reach it before it disappears and she loses another chance to prove her theory correct. When she is close enough to make out the figure's face, she's surprised to realize she recognizes it. She's met this woman before, on land. As Gaby recalls, she's an incredible fire-dancer... and also, apparently, a mermaid.

An unexpectedly chatty mermaid, it turns out. She tells Gaby her name is Nalani. She and Kaimana have been friends since childhood, and their families have known each other for even longer. "Does that mean," Gaby asks slowly, afraid of scaring Nalani away, "that Kaimana is a mermaid, too?"

Nalani turns shy, biting her lower lip apprehensively. "Listen," she finally says, "the subject of revealing our true natures is a touchy one among us merfolk, as you might expect. It's up to the individual to decide. Take me, for example. I don't go out of my way to tell people, but I'm also not the type to hide myself away for fear I might be seen by human eyes. I think being a mermaid is a beautiful thing, and I don't mind who knows about it. But I'm an outlier. Most of the others are still very secretive. Let's just say it's up to Kaimana to answer that question, but asking it at the wrong time might prove more trouble than the answer is worth."

"So you're saying I shouldn't rock the boat?"

"I'm just saying be careful. I haven't seen her this happy in years. She's been dreaming of meeting her brother forever. It'd be awful to see that relationship put in jeopardy."

Meanwhile, the house begins bustling with activity as everyone gets ready for the wedding ceremony and reception. It may be a casual affair, but there's still much to prepare. Kaimana whips up enough kava to go around, and Ana takes up baking duty, producing an immaculately-frosted cake.

Not to mention, Kaimana has been working for days straight with a few of her island friends to construct a natural wedding arch, which is more perfect than Gaby and Alvin could have ever imagined.

As they take their places beneath the arch, Gaby briefly considers telling Alvin about her encounter with Nalani in the water. But what would that really achieve? If he doesn't believe her, it might sour the mood of the entire wedding, perhaps even make him reconsider it altogether. On the other hand, if he does believe her, it could irreparably damage his relationship with his sister - and their entire plan to make a more permanent home for themselves here.

Looking into his eyes as he recites his personalized vows, the only thing she knows for sure is that she never wants to hurt him. In this case, it seems like telling him would hurt him more than keeping the truth to herself. Kaimana will tell him when she's ready. She'll achieve nothing by worrying over it a second longer.

Gaby hesitates long enough before beginning her own vows that it gives Cleo an opportunity to momentarily steal the spotlight.

"Young lady," Gracie says sternly, "if you keep acting up like this, I'm going to have to put you in timeout."

Ana chuckles. "I don't think you've put either of them in timeout once. You're too much of a softie."

"Guys, don't worry," Gaby tells them. "She's adorable, and, besides, I've forgotten everything I was going to say." She turns back to Alvin. "Anyway, no words could ever be enough to describe the way you make me feel and how eternally grateful I am to have met you."

All that's left to do is exchange rings. Weeks ago, they had the official marriage documents drawn up in a tiny ramshackle office tucked into an assuming corner of Ohan'ali Town. They hesitated over the matter of last names, until Alvin suggested they both take what would have been his last name had he been raised here by his biological parents: 'Aukai. Gaby thought it was a perfect idea.

Once the ceremony is over, all of Gaby's nerves disappear. Now they can just sit back, relax, and have fun with their family for the rest of the day. She doesn't think Ana is too happy to see them ruining a perfectly good slice of her cake by smashing it in each other's faces, but there are certain traditions from the mainland they just can't bear to go without.

Meanwhile, Gaby's family is excited to try out some of Sulani's traditions. For a moment, Kaimana thinks about warning them to go easy on the kava, but then she decides it'll be more fun to let them have at it and watch what happens as a result.

When Rafael takes up another drink alongside it, though, she can't restrain herself a moment longer. "Don't you think you might want to slow down there?" she asks. "It's barely noon, after all."

"Oh, let him do what he wants!" Gaby chimes in over her shoulder. "He just had a baby! He deserves to cut loose a little before he has to go back to daddy duty."

Before long, he's relaying tipsy tales of misadventure from his youth, which are probably not entirely suitable for Ari and Cleo's young ears - making them all the more eager to hear them, of course.

Then he wanders woozily inside the house to track down Marisol. "There you are!" he exclaims too loudly when he finds her. "What are you doing in here all by yourself? You're missing out on all the fun!"

She rolls her eyes and turns her back on him, mumbling under her breath, "If by fun, you mean watching my father make a drunken fool of himself, I'll pass."

Outside, Ari and Cleo have sighted some sort of event going on further down the beach and run off to investigate immediately, leaving their parents no choice but to follow.

They are immediately drawn to a swing set positioned at the shoreline and beg relentlessly to be pushed until Gracie and Ana give in.

Gaby and Alvin make their way over, too, and take advantage of the opportunity to indulge their inner children.

While they're away, the dwindling party has taken on new life in the form of Kaimana's neighbors. Sensing celebration in the air, they've invited themselves over with more food and kava to last the whole night through. "Let's show these mainlanders how a wedding party is really done," Lilliana exclaims.

Kaimana throws the packets of vegetables and pork they've donated on the grill to cook. It's enough to feed an army - or the entire population of Ohan'ali Town, all of whom are surely on their way over.

As predicted, the party is soon buzzing with new guests, drawn by their insatiable appetites for good company and bottomless servings of kalua pork.

"And where do you think you're going with that cup, young lady?" Gracie asks. She may be more than a little drunk on kava herself, but her motherly instincts remain mostly intact.

"Sorry, hon, but I'm going to have to take that from you," Ana chimes in boozily.

"Mo-om! Can't I just have one sip?"

Ana scoops the cup out of Cleo's hand. "You'll understand when you're older, baby," she says before turning to surreptitiously down its entire contents. Whatever's in this stuff, it's addicting, that's for sure.

Gracie gathers her wits enough to corral the children and send them off to sleep in the guest bedroom for the rest of the night. There's no need for them to stay awake to witness the embarrassing dance moves of drunk adults who can no longer control their bodies' actions.

Oblivious to the sleeping children in the other room, half of the party migrates to the kitchen, where more kava is seemingly produced from thin air. "And, now, I raise a toast to my beautiful, amazing, and talented wife!" Alvin shouts at an ear-splitting volume.

"Honey, you do realize that's the fifth toast to me you've raised in a row, right?"

"Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!" the guests all exclaim, pounding their fists against their cups of kava. Apparently, this is a wedding tradition that transcends geography and culture.

Alvin and Gaby have no choice but to indulge them - also for the fifth time in a row.

As much as she enjoys being surrounded by both her original family and her new island family, Gaby is itching to spend a true moment alone with her new husband. The evening has been such a whirlwind she feels like she's barely had time to register the fact that they're now married.

As if reading her mind, Alvin waits until everyone else is distracted then grabs her hand and sneaks the two of them outside. "I think I know the perfect place to spend our first night as husband and wife together," he tells her. "Fancy a quick boat ride?"

After sailing to Mua Pel'am, they change into their swimsuits (which Alvin smartly stashed in the outrigger earlier in the day) and head for the waterfall.

At this time of night, it's just nature and them - in other words, perfect. The water is chilly, but they barely notice. They're aware of nothing but each other's bodies now.

Gaby tugs at Alvin's arms, pulling him deeper inside the water's deafening rush, until the foamy, white spray hides them entirely from view. The rest of this moment is only theirs to enjoy.