It seemed like a dream to Lauren, even after they had landed in Honolulu and caught a connecting flight to the island of Lana’i. She sat by the window and was captivated by the azure Pacific below, dotted with white sailboats and tiny white caps on the rippling waves. They flew over beautiful, long, green Moloka’i with Maui to their left. Bubbles of excitement rose inside Lauren as they landed at the Lana’i hilltop airstrip among pineapple fields. She tried to maintain the same cool, calm demeanor as the other four and not let on that this was her first such adventure. A Polynesian woman in a flowered muumuu greeted them as they deplaned. “Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan?” she asked. When Kyle acknowledged that was he and Jessica, the woman placed a purple orchid and white tuberose lei around his neck and kissed him on both cheeks. “Enjoy your stay on our island,” she said and turned to present Jessica, Gordon, Teri, and Lauren with leis and kisses. “The van is waiting for you out front.
