Lava Land Part 13: Changed

By Jill Steele

Author "Blood on the Orchids"
Owner Hawaiian Magic Tropical Flowers

Luna looking out at Kapoho bay from "our access".

I have surrendered and am no longer cooking dinners.  My husband is not too stoked about this but for once I don’t care.  For the past three nights we’ve picked up delicious food from the “Hub”, our new favorite restaurant.   I am so thankful to all of the kind people that have volunteered their time. I am too sad right now to cook well.  I can barely brush my hair or even find my brush right now.  

What I want most is to go home, go to sleep and wake up in my own comfortable bed, walk out to the lanai hear the thump, thump of my dog Luna’s tail,  fall upon her with kisses and rubs, then go back inside and make the coffee.  I miss my mornings.

Tonight after we picked up the dinner, we turned right out of the parking lot and headed toward Lava Tree forest.  We knew the road block would be ahead but we continued because we wanted to drive this road one more time.

Each day seems endless and filled with emails for prospective rentals and phone calls to our insurance adjuster and our insurance advocator (who dropped into our lives as if from heaven). The hardest part is waking up each morning and remembering.  Our main focus is still looking for a rental house.  As it turns out most of the good rentals don’t allow dogs.   Our dog has given us so much comfort during this time.

We signed a lease for a rental in Captain Cook two days ago, after driving 2 1/2 hours to look at it and today the landlord called and said, “My wife is very intuitive she’s been praying on this for a few days and we think it isn’t going to work out for you here. We would like to break the lease.”

Each of our morning walks ended here.

We still can’t believe this actually happened.  They weren’t intuitive or compassionate about our situation. I wonder how people like that can live with themselves?  We feel like we were saved from a bad situation. It's the only way we can make sense of it. 

Today is a new day and my husband and I must rise to challenge our circumstances as we all must do now.  I pledge to strive to move forward and feel acceptance.  We have an opportunity to go on a lava boat Wednesday.   It is hard to see the media footage and the pictures and associate them with my home, our community. I need to see Kapoho covered by lava with my own eyes to make it real.  It is hard to see the footage and the pictures and associate them with my home, our community.  Seeing the changed coastline will be dramatic.  I don't know what it will take to bring closure but I think this could be a start. 

By Jill Steele

Author "Blood on the Orchids"
Owner Hawaiian Magic Tropical Flowers

Steele Emergency Lava Relief Fund:  gofundme