The Future of Sulani | 18

On the flight back home to Sulani, Noelani dreams of their parents' final moments together - or at least how they hope those final moments were spent, the two of them still as in love with each other as ever, dancing on the beach to the music drifting faintly from inside, never taking their eyes off of one another. Even as a mere construct of their mind, the sight brings Noelani a sense of much-needed peace. Even though Gaby is gone now, there's no denying that she and Alvin squeezed every last minute of joy out of the life they shared for so many years.

Surprisingly, Alvin seems to be in good spirits when they finally arrive. An aura of sadness still surrounds him, but there is a genuine smile on his face as he rushes out to pull Noelani into a tight embrace before they can even knock on the door. "Hey, kiddo," he murmurs comfortingly in their ear. "I can't even tell you how good it is to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Dad," Noelani whispers back, trying to hold in the flood of tears that threatens to burst from their eyes the moment they are enveloped in his strong arms.

Alvin makes to hug Nani next but does an awestruck double take at the size of her belly. "What's this?" he exclaims incredulously. "I'm going to be a grandfather and nobody thought to tell me?"

Nani laughs softly. "We're still getting used to the idea of it ourselves," she tells him. "There's just so much going on right now. We didn't know when or how to spring the news on you, so I guess somewhere along the way we just decided it should be a surprise."

"Well, it's certainly a wonderful surprise," he replies, unable to peel his gaze away from the obvious baby bump that, from Nani's perspective, seems to have materialized overnight. She must have put off taking that pregnancy test even longer than she thought.

Just then, Noelani's cell phone rings shrilly, breaking the mood. They quickly scan the number, roll their eyes, and then send the call straight to voicemail. "Sorry. The guys at the record label won't leave me alone. It's going on silent now, I promise."

"No rest for the rich and the famous, eh?" Alvin quips. Noelani smiles faintly, concerned by his apparent cheeriness and the deep grief that is likely lurking just beneath its surface.

"Dad," they begin tentatively, "you're allowed to be sad, you know? You don't have to worry about putting on a brave face for me. We're all hurting."

He waves his hand in the air flippantly. "You two must be starving after that long flight! Come in out of this rain and I'll throw together some breakfast for you." Before either of them can get out a single word in response, he's marching jovially back toward the house. Noelani and Nani turn to each other with mirrored raised eyebrows before following him inside.

They find him in the kitchen, whistling a tune and juggling bottles like some one-man culinary wonder with his own show on the Cooking Channel. He's still performing for them, and Noelani wishes he would let his guard down. How are they ever supposed to work through their grief together if he can't even acknowledge its existence?

It happens sooner than they expected. As soon as Alvin sits at the table and takes his first bite of scrambled eggs, his entire body seems to deflate. He chews slowly and sullenly. "This doesn't touch how your mom used to make it," he mutters. "But hopefully it'll do."

"I'm sure it'll be great!" Nani replies reassuringly, but the balloon has already burst. The three of them eat in total silence, not daring to even look at each other. Noelani can barely stand the suddenly suffocating weight that hangs in the air around them. They have to escape, at least momentarily. They thought they were ready to tackle this head-on, but now they want nothing more than to hide from the truth under a cozy and comforting blanket of denial.

The best option they've got for now is their old childhood bed, which is stiff and cold from disuse, with a faintly musty-smelling bedspread, and way too small for them now besides. But the nostalgic familiarity of it is a comfort anyway. Burrowing under the covers makes them feel safe, returning them to a simpler and more innocent time in their life. It's funny how experience can completely alter one's perspective. As a teenager, Noelani had considered their life impossibly difficult. Back then, they couldn't even comprehend the obstacles they'd be forced to surmount as an adult. Their adolescence feels like a cakewalk in comparison.

Meanwhile, though she'd been hoping to leave it behind in San Myshuno, Nani's morning sickness has returned with a vengeance - or maybe the baby just really dislikes scrambled eggs. She hopes Alvin won't take her abrupt rush to the bathroom personally.

When Noelani finally feels steady enough to emerge from their bedroom, they are immediately confronted by Gaby's urn on display beneath an old family portrait. They hadn't noticed it there before, and the sight of it now almost knocks them off their feet entirely. This time, the tears refuse to be contained. It only takes one or two sobs before Alvin is rushing worriedly to Noelani's side.

"Oh God, Dad," Noelani wails, a tidal wave of emotion washing over them. "What are we going to do without her?"

"Keep on living, just like she would've wanted." He pauses reflectively, placing a hand gently against the side of the urn. "At first, I just wanted to shove this thing into a closet and never have to look at it again. But then I thought if there's even the tiniest sliver of your mom's soul in there, she'd rather be out in the open, where she can see everything, every moment, no matter how small." He reaches his other arm out toward Noelani, stretching it across their shoulders and pulling them in closer. "Your mom was so proud of you, you know? Still is. She must be so happy to see you here now."

"Anyway, the last thing your mom would want is for us to sit around moping! She'd want us to be celebrating her life with everyone who ever loved her. Let's say we invite over the Kealohas and make this a party instead of a wake."

Noelani sniffles, wiping away the last few stray tears rolling down their cheeks. "That sounds like a good idea, Dad."

"First, we've got to clear up these skies and turn this into a bright, sunny day!" He whips out his trusty conch shell and blows with all his might. In an instant, just like Noelani's tears, the rain dries up and the dark veil cast by the storm clouds is lifted.

Not long after that, Nani's family arrives. Her parents are clearly just as shaken by Gaby's death as Alvin and Noelani are. After all, they considered Gaby one of their dearest friends. Even though she and Alvin may not have arrived in Sulani until later in their lives, they fit in so immediately that almost everyone considered them natives anyway. Gaby's death will certainly leave a big hole in many islanders' lives that will be impossible to fill.

Despite her grief, Nani's mother snaps immediately into comfort mode. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to have a baby? I should've been in San Myshuno taking care of you!"

Nani laughs. "Mom, please. I'm still perfectly capable of taking care of myself, at least for the time being. Besides, Noelani's planning on taking a break so they can be there for me. I'd hardly expect you to drop everything to hang out in our apartment and dote on me for nine months."

"There's nothing I would love more," Lilliana insists. "Now that your sister's all grown up, too, most days, I find myself bored out of my mind trying to find something to do to occupy my time!"

Nani turns her attention to Kelea, taking in the short shorts and skimpy tank top that cling to a figure that is decidedly more womanly than she remembers. "You really are all grown up now," Nani marvels. "What are you up to these days anyway? You're not just mooching off Mom and Dad while you lounge around with your friends on the beach every day, are you?"

Kelea rolls her eyes and plants her hands on her hips defensively. "Of course not! I've actually been bar-tending at the Sand Bar for a few months now. I'm saving up my tips so that I can eventually get a place of my own."

"You know, Noelani tended bar there back when you were still only about waist-high. Maybe you can swap horror stories later."

"Oh my God," Noelani exclaims, a note of horror in their voice. "I suddenly feel so old."

They all congregate in the kitchen to enjoy the small feast Alvin has been preparing over the backyard fire pit (it seems that cooking has become something of a comfort - or at least a distraction - for him recently). As they're eating, Alvin's sister, Kaimana, arrives. "Aunt Kai!" Noelani shouts excitedly, practically leaping into her arms. She's got a few more wrinkles than the last time Noelani saw her, but she's still as beautiful as ever. "It's been way too long!"

"You've got to start visiting more," Kaimana says, graciously accepting a plate from Alvin. "Don't go forgetting us little people just because you're a celebrity now."

Noelani blushes. "Come on, Aunt Kai. I'm barely a celebrity."

"I don't know," she says, sitting down. "I saw your face on the cover of a magazine in the market the other day, and when you've made it into a magazine that turns up all the way over here, you know you're famous."

"Well, it's been fun, but a lot of things are being put into perspective for me right now. I think I'd like to step away from the spotlight for a while. I could never stop making music, of course, but I'm not so sure I want to keep being the public face of it." Noelani shrugs. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm entering a different stage in my life now."

"A baby will certainly do that for you!" Lilliana exclaims. While everyone else laughs knowingly, Kaimana's eyes go wide, and Nani waddles over to show off her bump all over again.

After everyone has said their goodbyes, Noelani sneaks out to the beach, where Nani finds them wading in the cool nighttime shallows of the ocean. "What are you doing out here?" Nani yells. "It must be freezing!"

"No, it's nice," Noelani insists. "I'd forgotten how much calmer the water makes me feel. I just needed to clear my head."

"Mind if I join you?"

Together, they drift lazily on their backs, letting the gentle waves massage their weary, jet-lagged bodies. Away from the city's constant barrage of traffic noises, the near-silence is a relief. Only now do they realize that they've never been able to fully shut their minds off in San Myshuno. But, here, the meditative rocking of the ocean eases them into a blissful state of thoughtlessness. Noelani feels like they could almost fall asleep like this. Maybe it's their dormant mermadic genes kicking in, reminding them that the ocean will always be their one true home, no matter how far they stray.

By the next morning, the rain clouds have gathered once more, but, after sleeping in as late as they reasonably can without wasting away the entire day, Nani and Noelani don't let that stop them from making the trek to Ohan'ali Town anyway, where they stop by their former home to surprise Malia with an unannounced visit.

"Oh my God!" Malia exclaims as soon as they walk in, stepping away from the counter she's in the middle of cleaning to reveal her own physical transformation. Nani rushes over, gazing down at Malia's swollen belly in disbelief. "We're pregnancy twins!" Malia squeals, grabbing hold of Nani's hands and squeezing them giddily. "This is so perfect. I had no idea!"

"Neither did I," Nani replies breathlessly.

After they've said their hellos, Javier comes down from the loft. "Hey, guys! We heard you were around but didn't know if you'd have time to visit. We wanted to give you some space, considering the, uh..." He trails off uncomfortably, gauging their reaction, before finishing vaguely, "You know, considering the circumstances and all."

"Thank you," Noelani tells him. "But I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be right now than with my best friends."

The four of them decide to go out to lunch to catch up, which immediately lifts Nani and Noelani's spirits. Malia and Javier's lives on the island are simple but so full of joy and love. As Javier jokingly puts it, "Giving massages by day, making sweet, sweet love by night," which causes Malia to shove him playfully and proclaim, "God, he's such a perv!"

"Well, he's not wrong, by the looks of it," Noelani replies, raising their eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah, and?" Malia tilts her head pointedly in Nani's direction. "Looks like it's pretty much the same deal with you two."

Nani and Noelani giggle and blush. In truth, there hasn't been much time for intimacy lately with all of Noelani's long absences, so it's really only by sheer luck that Nani managed to become pregnant. But the atmosphere is too carefree now to risk dampening it by sharing the boring details of their relationship struggles with their friends. Besides, things are starting to feel better now, more solid. At least everything they've been feeling recently is out in the open instead of festering bitterly inside of them.

The conversation ends up going on for so long that hours pass and they barely realize it. Only the increasing thinly-veiled annoyance on their waitress's face clues them in to how long they've been hogging their table.

"Guys, the line for dinner is getting pretty long," Nani says, glancing toward the entrance. "We'd better wrap this up."

"Ugh," Malia grunts, wiggling uncomfortably in her seat. "My back is killing me. Is there any way I can deliver this baby, like, today? I don't know if I can handle several months more of this!"

"Tell me about it," Nani commiserates. "Every time I think I'm past the morning sickness, it flares up again with a vengeance."

"Well, these kids had better turn out perfect then because we're never putting ourselves through this again. Agreed?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Javier cuts in. "It's a little premature to be deciding we're not having any more kids, isn't it? We always talked about having an entire house full of little ones adorably running amok!"

Noelani nods vigorously in agreement. "I think this requires a far more considered discussion. The babies aren't even here yet!"

"Yeah, well, neither of you have any idea what it's like to be the ones carrying the little monsters!" Malia argues. "I think it's only fair that you get less say in the matter. Come on, Nani. Back me up!"

All Nani can do is laugh. "I say this argument requires an entirely new venue. Let's hit up the Sand Bar and irritate the hell out of my kid sister like we used to do to Noelani. We'll bully her into giving us free drinks, just like old times!"

At the bar, Kelea grudgingly agrees to put their drinks on her tab, as a congratulations gift for their pregnancies. "But only one round," she insists. "You two should probably be taking it easy on the alcohol anyway. I'm giving you the weakest stuff we have on tap."

"Aww," Malia croons. "She's old enough to be looking out for our best interests now. Isn't that adorable? Now, Javi, my love, back to the list of 100 reasons why I'll never be letting you impregnate me again..."

It's nearing midnight when Nani and Noelani manage to free themselves from Malia's grip. Having finally exhausted her anti-pregnancy arguments, her attention had shifted, naturally, to the karaoke machine, where she had forced them to help her entrap the bar's unsuspecting patrons into no less than a full hour's worth of off-key performances. The rain is still coming down hard as they run for the docks, hoping they can catch a boat to Mua Pel'am at such a late hour. "Wait up!" Noelani shouts, trailing soggily behind. "How can you be running so damn fast with that bowling ball in your belly anyway?"

Nani waits patiently for them to catch up, and they stumble onto the bridge huffing and puffing. The wind catches hold of their umbrella and flings it upward. "God, these things are useless!" they shout over the roaring downpour. "Has it always rained so much here?"

"Oh my God," Nani says quietly, her voice deadly serious, and protectively wraps her arms across her stomach.

"What is it?" Noelani asks, alarmed.

"I think I just felt the baby kick."

"Already? Are you sure?"

"Quick!" She grabs for Noelani's hands and places them over her belly button. "See if you can feel it, too."

"Holy shit!" Noelani exclaims. "You're right!"

They're both soaking wet, their umbrellas surrendered to the storm, but they hardly even notice. For a single moment, the world around them entirely ceases to exist. It's just Nani and Noelani and this baby they've managed to miraculously make together. All of a sudden, with blazing certainty, they both know that everything's going to be okay, that no matter what happens they'll always be there for one another and for their child, whoever that child turns out to be. They're a family, a real family.

"We're having a baby," Nani murmurs solemnly, truly taking the words in for the first time. 

Noelani laughs in minor disbelief as the true weight of it hits them. "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!" they shout into the dark gray void of the sky, raindrops splattering against their upturned face.

Finally, in unison, they both scream it as loudly as they can. "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!" Their voices echo, just barely audible in the midst of the storm. Not long later, on the boat ride to Mua Pel'am, the rain finally abates, the clouds parting just enough to reveal a small patch of clear starry sky. Internally, Noelani and Nani interpret this as Sulani's response to their happy declaration. Even if raised from afar, Sulani will always welcome a new child of the islands into its heart with open arms.

*

And with that, nearly a year and a half later, I can finally call a wrap on this story and move on to what's coming next. In the end, it took so long that I probably wasn't able to do these last few chapters justice, but I hope they feel somewhat satisfying anyway. At any rate, don't worry too much. They may be taking a backseat from here on out, but this is hardly the last time we'll be seeing our three best friends. We all know I have attachment issues when it comes to my Sims.

For now, I'll just offer a small preview of what I've got planned next: college, spellcasting, and a will they or won't they relationship for the ages. Coming soon: A Magical Bond...