The third year was here before I knew it. Mom became more reflective for some reason.
Often, she spoke of the kind of pipi kaula she grew up with that was better than what they were serving down the street. She didn't want the poi from the market anymore; instead, she preferred the poi from Waiahole Poi Factory. We made many trips there, and who knew we were related to the people who ran it. Yandra loved that place. She couldn't get enough of it, mainly when hankering for the poi. Mom always got excited. "Do you mean you're having cravings?""No, Mom, not that kind," Yandra giggled. "When I do, you'll be the first to know."
"Oh, I'll know before you know," Mom nodded. "I'll call you, not the other way around."
"Do you know about giving up?" Mom asked me while tearing her dry opelu apart.
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"You know when people give up when something is too hard, or they just cannot handle it anymore," she nodded. "That kind of thing, do you know about it?"
"Could that include wanting to take your own life?" I asked.
"That too," she pointed. "Do you know that feeling when you want to give up?"
"Do you mean losing hope?" Yandra asked.
"Yes," Mom rubbed her shoulder. "Tell me what happened when you wanted to give up?"
"This man I was with before I met your son, "Yandra began. "He manipulated me to the point when he finally broke my heart, I wanted to take my own life."
"Moments like that are when we must be the most careful," Mom pointed to Yandra. "Nā mea 'ino, negative things influence your thoughts and actions. You didn't take your own life, obviously. What happened?"
"I met your son at a restaurant in Miami," Yandra said. "As much as I chased him away, he wouldn't give up on me. He was always there, whenever I needed or didn't need him. Even in my most vulnerable moments, he didn't take advantage. One day, I realized he was the one, but by then, my parents had already fallen in love with him. He was the one that literally got rid of the negativity in my life."
"There are those times when no one will be there to pull you out of that hole of negativity trying to get you to do the worst thing to yourself. So, you have to learn how to protect yourself against things like that," my Mom said. "When we get back, I'll show you how."
When we returned to her house, Mom taught Yandra a Hawaiian prayer and gave her a bag of pa'akai. "You can't be there all the time," she said. "Which is why, especially now, I want Yandra here too. We're nearing the end, so we can expect hostile forces to come and try to stop you from finishing what I teach you. If they can't influence you, those negative energies will try to harm Yandra."
...To Be Continued
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