A Place to Call Home | 8

After several months spent learning the ropes, Gaby is starting to feel like a real conservationist. She may not have much background, but she's an adept student and quickly graduates to more sophisticated tasks than clearing trash and writing citations. Lately, she's been helping gather samples from Mua Pel'am's waterfall and testing them to check the water's contamination levels.

Until now, the numbers have been steady, neither rising nor declining, which is a good thing in that it means they're successfully warding off further contamination, but it also means the water isn't getting any healthier. Today, though, the water's purity readings are a few decimals higher, even when Gaby runs second and third tests to be sure. It's cause for celebration! Maybe their work really is helping!

Of course, it isn't long before the celebration is interrupted by a careless litterer. At least this one seems contrite. Maybe he'll finally learn his lesson after being handed a hefty fine.

Still, most of the people Gaby catches seem to believe they've done nothing wrong. They must not see anything wrong with the verbal abuse they fling in her direction either. She doesn't understand how something as simple as asking them to do their part in keeping the island clean for others to enjoy gets them so riled up. All she can do is walk away and hope someone else is able to talk sense into them one day.

She likes to end her work days by taking a few photos of the island's natural wonders. She's even sold a few to nature magazines wanting to feature Sulani. This time, she stumbles upon a cave half-covered in vines that she's never noticed before. There's what looks to be graffiti on its outside wall, but the image is too faded for her to make out. She'll have to come back and investigate the cave more closely when she has time, but she's always got so much keeping her busy these days...

Meanwhile, Alvin's freelance work has been sporadic, so he's started taking up odd jobs around the island to earn a little extra cash.

Volunteering for a beach clean-up crew not only earns him a few dollars and fills his otherwise empty afternoons, but it helps him feel closer to Gaby, too. He may not see as much of her these days as he'd like, but he understands her passion. She's someone who loves to help others, in whatever way possible, and he has to admire her for that, even when he wishes they could spend more time together.

His days spent beach-combing net him some amazing finds, like this golden eyes of Sulani sculpture. He's not sure if it's all in his head, but he can almost feel the presence of his ancestors within it, like an invisible protective force projecting outward and forming an invisible shield around him.

He's also trying his hand at painting. He used to love art as a kid but hasn't done much more than doodle in years. But the views from their balcony are so incredible it almost seems like a waste not to use them as creative inspiration.

Unfortunately, situated as they are at the base of the volcano, beautiful views come with unpredictable tremors. Before leaving for work one morning, Gaby's breakfast is interrupted when the entire house begins shaking. For a brief moment, her whole life flashes before her eyes.

Luckily, it isn't a full-blown eruption; all reports so far have indicated that the volcano isn't nearly active enough for that. But a few fissures open up in the ground, molten-hot lava leaking from within.

The green scum coating the surface of the ocean surrounding the volcano seems to be expanding. It's clear that it will only grow sicker and sicker, thus threatening the entire island's livelihood, if they don't figure out what's ailing it soon. Makoa thinks tourists have been throwing trash directly into the volcano, just to watch the lava consume it. Gaby can't imagine committing such an unspeakably cruel act, but she's interacted with enough selfish tourists to know by now that a lot of them simply don't care.

All she can do is keep researching and collecting data, hoping for positive results - or at least the information needed to help them continue working toward significant change.

Later, Gaby is in the midst of writing an official report on her findings about the waterfall when she hears a knock.

She opens the door to find Lia waiting patiently on the other side. "Hey!" Gaby exclaims, and it suddenly dawns on her how long it's been since she's seen anyone but Alvin and her fellow conservationists. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I've been waiting for some sort of housewarming invitation," she jokes good-naturedly, "but it seems to have gotten lost. So I figured I would just invite myself over."

Gaby laughs. "Yeah, I guess I haven't been a very good friend lately... But, please, come in! I've been writing all morning, and I could really use a break from staring at the screen."

She invites Lia up to the balcony for a drink, realizing in the process that this is also the first time she's used the bar. God, she's been even more wrapped up in her work than she realized. She can't even remember the last time she just had fun. Is this what it feels like to finally become an adult? she wonders. If so, it's a depressing thought. Even though she loves her new job, it's hard to imagine spending the rest of her life so devoted to it that she can hardly find time to enjoy anything else.

"You know," Gaby begins slowly, after they've finished their drinks, "I just remembered it's my birthday tomorrow. I can't believe I almost forgot!"

"What? That's perfect!" Lia claps her hands excitedly, and Gaby can already see from the glimmer in her eyes that the gears of event-planning are turning in her head. If there's one thing she's learned about the residents of Sulani in her time here, it's that they never pass up the opportunity for a big party. "We have to celebrate, there's no doubt about it."

"What are you thinking? A kava party?"

"Kava parties are nice," Lia says with a noticeable eye-roll, "but a little old-fashioned, if you ask me. Actually, there's this shipwreck just a couple miles down the coast that's been washed up on the shore as long as I can remember. A few of my friends recently turned it into a nightclub."

"A nightclub? In Sulani?"

Lia laughs. "I know, right? Totally unheard of! So what do you think about having the party there?"

"Great! I'll get the word out if you secure the location."

Gaby makes sure to take the entire day off work, and she and Alvin spend the afternoon on a much-needed date. If anything, having less time to spend together has only made their feelings for one another grow even stronger.

"Oh, hey, Kaimana!" Gaby exclaims when she notices Alvin's sister seated a few tables away. "Did you hear about my party?"

"Of course! Lia told me everything! I can't wait! But I'll leave you two alone for now... I wouldn't want to interrupt."

Alvin ends dinner by magically conjuring a single red rose. She's not sure where he found it, since roses aren't exactly one of Sulani's native species, but she appreciates the effort such a simple romantic gesture must have taken.

The shipwreck-turned-nightclub is exactly as Lia described, but Gaby is still caught off-guard when she sees it. The shards of wreckage remain largely untouched, a grim reminder of the sea's cruelty to those unfamiliar with its waters, but they are surrounded by festive decorations and colorful lights. Gaby can't believe this place has been here, mere miles away from their house, all along without her knowing about its existence.

Lia's thought of everything: there's even a cake. Gaby keeps a grin plastered to her face, though her cheeks redden in embarrassment as Alvin leads everyone in a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday."

Gaby can't remember the last birthday she actually celebrated. She's been too busy these last few years to worry much with parties. Some days she still feels like a teenager, and some days she feels ancient. Most of the time, she doesn't really think too much about the passage of time. She's too busy squeezing as much as she can out of life to consider how she's growing older.

Naturally, once the candles are all blown out, everyone makes a beeline for the bar.

Soon enough, they're all buzzed enough to shake off their inhibitions and start performing shamelessly off-key karaoke.

Gaby and Alvin are surprised to find several of their childhood favorites alongside the traditional island songs, and they sing until their throats are sore and someone finally has the decency to pry the microphones from their ironclad grips.

On the dance floor, Gaby runs into Nalani, who she hasn't seen since their enlightening talk in the water on the morning of Gaby's wedding. "How's that whole mermaid hunt of yours going?" Nalani asks.

"Oh," Gaby says, surprised. To be honest, she'd almost forgotten about, looking back, her frankly embarrassing obsession with confirming whether or not Kaimana is a mermaid. It feels like ancient history at this point. "I've sort of put that on the back burner," she finally tells Nalani. "I guess it doesn't really matter one way or another. There are more important things happening on this island right now."

She finds Alvin at the bar downing another drink.

"Babe, I'm all amped up on liquid adrenaline!" he nearly screams. "Should I try my luck at fire-dancing or what?"

"Totally! You've been practicing, right? I know you're going to nail it this time!"

Despite the amount of alcohol he's consumed by now, he's surprisingly steady on his feet as he begins the carefully-choreographed movements he's been trying to master for so long.

The performance goes on for several minutes, and he doesn't drop a baton or set his clothes alight even once! Afterward, Kaimana jokes that he's finally earned the right to call himself a true islander.

The next day, they both sleep in, having grown unaccustomed to staying out so late and drinking so much. "We can barely even handle our liquor anymore," Gaby says, groaning. "We're so old now! I'll probably start finding gray hairs soon."

"Don't be ridiculous," Alvin replies, giving her a playful shove. "You're still just a baby, relatively speaking. Anyway." He clears his throat abruptly. "Speaking of babies..."

"Oh, you sound so serious," Gaby tells him.

He shushes her gently. "I am serious. I don't know about you, but I think it's time we start thinking about expanding this family. If we're going to bring a child into the world, this is the best place to do it, don't you think? Do you feel ready?"

She takes a deep breath before responding. "I don't know if I'll ever feel ready. But I do want to be a mom. The positive changes we're beginning to see on the island are a promising sign for its future, and it would be so special for our child to be a part of that. So I say yes. Let's start trying."

"Right now?" Alvin asks, raising an eyebrow.

Gaby smirks. "You know, I might just have an extra minute or two before work..."