Page 16 of The Wrong Sister
“That’s a place where your fire will serve others well, Mina. You can be angry on their behalf and use it to take care of the keiki who need it most. But that only works if you are strong enough,manawahineenough, to claim your gifts.”
“I want to be manawahine, Auntie. But how do I do that?”
“Don’tapologize for who you are.Don’tmake yourself smaller, “she smirks, taking in my size, “to fit inside someone else’s box. To accept your kuleana and be the best Mina you can, you have to be willing to always be honest; look at yourself as critically as you would others.” Her voice softens, inviting me to lean in closer. “To be a woman is to be divine, Mina. The value of a woman is spiritual, not only earthly. Our divinity, our mana, gives us power and authority. We can and should be in positions of leadership, to strengthen and enrich our mana and that of others, including men. Our combination of softness and strength is needed.”
My head is spinning with all these new ideas. Auntie sees it and places her warm hand on the top of my head. “You come again. We’ll talk more. You are part of my kuleana. It will be my job to see that you become manawahine.” She hands me another cookie and directs me toward the door. “Good to meet you, Huhu Mina.” She smiles warmly and waves as I wander back to the road, deep in thought.
I’m so distracted I almost run into Griffin. He stops me, arm straight out, to keep me from smacking my face into his surfboard. “Whoa, Mina! Careful.”
I shake my head out, focusing on his wet hair and handsome face. “Sorry, Griffin. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I noticed,” he laughs. I fall into step next to him, walking back towards our houses. “Were you at Auntie Lolo’s?”
“Yeah, she invited me in.”
“Are you ok? You looked like your mind was somewhere else when you came out.”
“Oh, yeah. I was thinking about what she told me.”
“Was she trying to scare you?”
“She’s not actually crazy, Griff. She’s awesome.” He looks embarrassed and I want to ease his discomfort. “She calls herself Lolo though, don’t feel bad about that. She said it’s her kuleana to help me learn to use my anger like a gift to make the world around me better.”
“That sounds great, but I kind of think you’re already like that.” He’s looking at me earnestly, with no hint of joking.
“You do? Why?”
“You always seem to know exactly who you are and what you want. You’re protective of the people you care about. Yeah, you’re angry sometimes, but you’re not a bully. I sometimes wish I had your ability to easily say what you want and express anger. I’m not good at that.”
“Um, thanks, Griff. That means a lot coming from you. I didn’t think you ever saw me.”
He looks surprised. “Of course I see you, Meens. We’re basically family, ya?”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I smile up at him. I wish we were more, but I know, looking at him, a tall handsome sixteen-year-old, that we’re not there. Yet. It could happen one day though. While I’m waiting for me to catch up, I suppose being in close proximity isn’t a bad thing. “Want half my cookie?” I break it apart, giving him the bigger chunk and we part ways at our driveways, bumping our cookie pieces together. I guess this is an okay place to start.
12
griffin
It took another week before I finally had time in my schedule, but I’m ready to take Catherine out on a real date, just the two of us. I’m picking her up and we’re having dinner at a place in Chinatown I’ve been wanting to try, Fête. The chef was awarded a James Beard Achievement Award for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific and I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about the food.
Catherine’s waiting in the parking lot when I pull up, saving me a trip up to her floor. I’ve noticed she favors more muted colors, soft like she is. Tonight it’s a green that reminds me a little of Mina’s eyes. She rarely wears heels and tonight is no exception, but she still manages to look put-together—not too casual for a date. Her long, golden hair is in a loose, messy braid over one shoulder. She’s climbing into the passenger side before I can get out and open the door for her.
“Hi, Griff! You look nice tonight.” She smiles sweetly, leaning across for an automatic press of cheeks.
“Thank you, Catherine. You look lovely.”
The ride over is comfortable, but things usually are with her. Thankfully they take reservations, we don’t have to wait to be seated. Everything is going quite smoothly. According to plan. The waiter tells us we’ll be at the chef’s high-top and I’m mentally celebrating our good fortune right up until we’re seated. Apparently “chef’s high-top” is code for a little table shoved in the back, next to the kitchen. It’s so loud thinking is a challenge, let alone conversation so we sip our fancy cocktails without talking. After we order our dinner—the Korean bavette for me and JP’s risotto for Catherine—we talk about work, voices raised as we lean across the table to be heard. Catherine tells me about some big accounts she’s taken care of while nibbling on the fig and cucumber garnish from her drink and asks about my current caseload.
“I’ve had a few custody cases recently, guardianship, that sort of thing.”
“You weren’t involved in that bad case of Mina’s were you?”
“Which bad case? I can’t think of anything recently that I’d describe that way.” I take a sip of my old fashioned, pausing to enjoy the local whiskey with the whisper of orange bitters.
“Oh, probably not then. She was called to the ER not long after you ditched us at her apartment. A little girl, in bad shape. It hit her pretty hard.”
My stomach clenches at the thought of Mina hurting and a child being treated that way. “That sounds awful. I don’t work on the criminal side of those cases since I’m a family lawyer. Mina has the harder job of the two of us.”
