A Place to Call Home | 11

Even though she knows she should really be resting, Gaby is bored to death by sitting at home within days of her friends leaving, so she throws herself back into her work with gusto. "Hey, we're not in the 1950s anymore," she tells her older coworkers when they inquire about her condition. "If a pregnant woman still feels capable of working, it's no one's business but her own to tell her when to stop."

Of course, she tries to hold off her body's responses to its frequent aches and pains until after they've turned their backs. She's in control, she knows she is, but it's no use giving them more ammo to use against her.

"As long as I can still bend over, nothing and no one is going to stop me from keeping these beaches clean," she tells Meli, who trots along dutifully beside her. "Isn't that right, girl?"

Meli, meanwhile, is developing her own ingenious ways to perform environmentalism, for example, by clearing the sand of invasive species like these pesky seagulls the moment she lays eyes upon them.

For both of them, though, the best part of their day is a refreshing afternoon shower under the waterfall to scrub off the sweat and grime.

Meli loves being in the water more than anything, and she's also quick to alert Gaby whenever she sees or hears someone approaching.

They're on one of their daily beach patrols together when Gaby suddenly feels her water break. Wincing in agony as the contractions grow closer and closer together, she limps back home. "Alvin, it's time!" she shouts at the top of her lungs as she nears the house. "Is the boat ready? We need to get to Ohan'ali Town now!" She stops, taking in the eerie stillness that surrounds her. She doesn't even have to go inside to know the house is empty. "Alvin?" she squeaks uncertainly.

She didn't plan for this. Even with his mysterious disappearances lately, Gaby was certain Alvin wouldn't leave her alone in the moment she most needs him. He doesn't even pick up his phone. It just rings and rings incessantly then redirects her to a full voicemail inbox. In frustration, she ends the call. She thinks for a moment. Most people in Sulani don't have phones, due to either a lack of funds or a lack of service. But she knows one couple with enough money to have a landline of their own.

"Hello? Mele?" Gaby asks in a rush as soon as she hears the click of the receiver on the other end. "The baby is coming. Alvin isn't here. Mele, I don't know what to do!"

The voice that responds is measured and calm. "Don't worry, honey. I'll be there as soon as I can. Breathe."

"Where in the world is that husband of yours?" Mele exclaims upon observing the size of Gaby's belly and her red, tear-stained face distorted with obvious pain.

"I don't know! We had everything figured out. He was supposed to take me to the Ohan'ali Town Hospital in the boat. But he's just vanished! He promised he would be here!"

Mele shakes her head in disgust. "This is why you should never trust a man as far as you can throw him." Then she clasps her hands and rubs them together, as if psyching herself up for a difficult task. "Well, the hospital's out of the question now," she says matter-of-factly. "You'll just have to deliver the baby here."

"What do you mean, here?!?" Gaby practically roars, causing Mele to flinch away from her in surprise. "Are you crazy? I can't just have the baby on my own! This isn't the Stone Ages!"

"Darling, you're hardly the first woman on this island to experience a home birth. In fact, I delivered my own children at home. You forget that the hospital is a fairly recent development here. They might be able to make you more comfortable, true, but that's not even guaranteed. Everything else we're perfectly capable of doing ourselves."

There's no use in arguing. As her contractions become sharper and closer together, Gaby knows Mele isn't lying when she says they'll never reach the hospital in time. Resignedly, she allows Mele to guide her toward her baby's waiting bassinet.

The pain is indescribable. It takes every last ounce of Gaby's effort to focus on Mele's soothing voice telling her to inhale and exhale and, finally, to push, push, push!

Once she's seen Gaby through the worst of it, Mele leaves the room, letting mother and child experience their first meeting in private.

It's amazing how quickly the pain dissolves once her baby daughter has arrived. She still feels wobbly, her brain shrouded in a fog of exhaustion, but the name drifts into the forefront of her mind: Noelani. She and Alvin had discussed this, too. It was important to him to share his newfound heritage with his child, so they settled on traditional island names they both liked, one for a boy and one for a girl. As soon as she sees her daughter's face, Gaby knows their choice is perfect.

Earlier that morning, Alvin set out for his sister's house in Ohan'ali Town nearly as soon as he awoke, forgetting all about the fact that Gaby could go into labor at any second. He was too excited about finding the kelp, which had been burning a hole in his pocket for days, emitting a bizarre mystical aura. But he didn't want to do anything with it until he could talk to Kaimana.

"So what do I do now?" he asks breathlessly, after relaying his long, winding tale of adventure. "Is there some special ritual to perform?"

Kaimana smirks. "You just eat it. If it works, you'll know almost immediately."

"Seriously?" Alvin glares at her, expecting her to be joking. It can't be that simple, can it? But when she only nods at him knowingly, he slowly reaches into his pocket and pulls the tangle of mermadic kelp out. "Here goes nothing," he says and shrugs before popping it into his mouth. The taste is briny and acidic. He swallows as quickly as he can.

Five minutes later, Alvin can't say he feels much different, except that his throat is suddenly parched, like he hasn't had a drink in days. He guzzles down glass after glass of water from Kaimana's tap, but a persistent tickle remains. She observes him carefully. "I think it's time we go for a swim," she says finally.

Alvin has always loved the water, but, this time, when his body hits, he doesn't just feel refreshed - he feels at home. It's like the ocean is singing to him. The melody is familiar and comforting, but he can't quite place it. He swims further out, following the alluring sound.

He doesn't even register the transformation at first. All he knows is that he has never before in his life swam so fluidly and freely. When he finally does glimpse his lower half, he both is and isn't surprised to see a tail there. It feels as natural as any other part of his body.

Soon, he forgets Kaimana is there entirely and surrenders himself to the water. He leaps high above the surface and then dives down deep below it, over and over again. He could spend hours like this, and he does, never growing tired or cold, his skin never shriveling with the moisture, his breath never running out no matter how long he submerges himself. He truly is a child of the ocean now. He could live here forever if he wanted.

But he already has a home, no matter how the ocean tempts him to stay. Eventually, he remembers Gaby and feels a pang of guilt. What was he thinking, leaving her alone for nearly an entire day when she's about to have a baby? As he heads back to Mua Pel'am, a vicious downpour begins. He immediately registers it as a bad omen. Something has happened here without him. He should have stayed.

By the time he reaches the house, his clothes are sopping wet. When he steps inside, he hears nothing at first. Gaby is nowhere in sight. Then he hears a burbling sound coming from the nursery they've set up for the baby. He tiptoes toward the door to investigate.

He finds his new daughter just waking from sleep, yawning and gurgling contentedly. He reaches into the bassinet to pick her up and cradles her carefully in his arms. "Noelani?" he murmurs, and he thinks he sees her smile, like she already recognizes her name.

Gaby storms into the room in her pajamas. There are dark circles beneath her eyes, and her mouth is twisted in anger. "Nice of you to finally show up once the hard part is over," she snaps. "Where the fuck have you been?"

Alvin laughs nervously. "Listen, I can explain... It's kind of a funny story, actually. You see, I-"

"I'm really not in the mood for a funny story right now," Gaby interrupts, burying her face in her hands blearily. "I've been so patient with you, Alvin. All these disappearing acts you've been pulling lately... I knew it must be nerves. So I let you work it out on your own. I didn't ask any questions because I thought you'd be here when it counted. But you weren't."

"Gaby, I'm sorry," he begins.

"I don't want to hear your apologies right now," she says. "I want you to keep an eye on our daughter so I can finally get some sleep. Do you think you can manage that, at least?"

Noelani is crying now, frightened by the sound of their raised voices. Alvin leans over to comfort her, and Gaby goes upstairs to bed without another word.

Hours later, Gaby awakens to the scent of buttery pancakes. She follows her nose to the kitchen and finds Alvin waiting there with a teetering, syrup-drenched stack of them. "This is a good start," she says grudgingly, unable to resist her growling stomach's desire to devour every last one of them, "but it doesn't mean I forgive you."

"I know. I've been hiding things from you, and it's not fair. I don't think I'll ever be able to make up for not being here yesterday. But I want to tell you the truth. I'm just not sure you'll believe it."

"Try me," she mutters through a mouthful of pancake.

He takes a deep breath before beginning. "Well, you were right. Kaimana's a mermaid... or a child of the ocean, as she prefers to say."

"What?!?"

"And so am I."

Gaby laughs so hard she nearly chokes on her breakfast. "You're kidding." When Alvin's face doesn't change, her eyes grow so wide she looks like a cartoon character. "You're kidding me, right?"

He sighs, remembering his own skeptical reaction when Kaimana told him. "Just let me show you," he says.

Outside, the storm is finally clearing, leaving a vibrant rainbow in its wake. Alvin hopes it's a sign of good things to come.

He slips into the water, and Gaby watches in disbelief as his transformation occurs. Soon, Kaimana joins them. "Mermaid GPS," she explains with a playful wink. Gaby is struck silent by the entire scene. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Kaimana says. "I'm glad Nalani kept my secret for me, but I never really wanted to hide. I was just waiting for the right time." She shrugs. "There's not exactly a handbook for how to reveal yourself as a child of the ocean to your long lost brother or your brand new sister-in-law. I should have realized this was the worst possible time to keep Alvin from you. I'm sorry."

"Do you still love me?" Alvin asks, pulling Gaby close.

"Of course! I'm still a little angry, but you're the same person you were before, right?" His scales brush against her bare leg, and she shivers at the unfamiliar sensation. "You've just got a tail now... which will definitely take some getting used to. Wait. Does this mean our daughter is a mermaid, too?"

"Only if she wants to be."

Gaby raises her eyebrows at him quizzically.

"I'll explain everything later," he says and kisses her forehead.

On their way back to the house, Gaby stops to admire a beautiful butterfly hovering gracefully over an outcropping of grass. She's struck by the sight of it for some reason she can't quite grasp. Then it hits her: she can't remember ever seeing a single butterfly on the island before. Until now, the positive results of their conservation efforts have only been visible in test results on a computer screen. But here, finally, is tangible proof that things are improving. Their hard work hasn't been in vain. It's fortuitous that the butterfly should appear the morning after her daughter's birth, she thinks. If Gaby has anything to say about it, Noelani and the other children of her generation will grow up in the best version of Sulani that has ever existed.