Iris and the Aloha Wedding Adventure (3 page)

“Iris, this is Tutu, my grandma,” Hana said.

Tutu's angry scowl quickly turned into a warm, beaming smile. “Nice to meet you, honey! Hope I didn't scare you!”

“Oh!” Iris sighed as the color returned to her face. “It's nice to meet you, Tutu. I like your name. Were you a ballerina?”

“Ha-ha!” Tutu burst out laughing as if the image of Tutu in a tutu was very funny. “Tutu is an island nickname for Grandmother,” she said. “Kind of like Nana.”

“Our family is a mix of many cultures – Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian,” added Hana. “My name means flower in Japanese.”

“A flower name is perfect for Flower Girl World!” said Iris.

Hana beamed proudly.

“Okay, that's enough chitchatting,” Tutu roared, startling Iris again. Tutu put her arm around the girls' shoulders and led them over to their parents. “It's time for wedding work!”

Iris, Hana, and their families gathered around the large table where they had met earlier for the luau meal. There were many adults present, but Tutu was clearly in charge.

“The wedding is in three days,” she said. “That means we only have two days to finish everything.”

Worried looks spread across the table.

“If we work together, everything will get done. Here's the plan…”

Tutu began by barking orders to Iris's and Hana's dads. “Men, you need to rent the guest chairs and set them up on the beach.”

Then she glanced at Iris's and Hana's moms. “You're in charge of decorating the tables, chairs, and grounds.”

Next, she focused on Malia and Jay.

“You two meet with the judge, DJ, and
jeweler to finalize everything.”

Then she took a deep breath. “I will cook the food. And if you all know what's good for you, you'll stay far away from my kitchen!”

Tutu had a special way of being funny even when she seemed angry. Everyone chuckled – except Iris. She was disappointed that she, Hana, and Leilani weren't given jobs. Iris turned to Hana, but her friend wasn't at the table. Instead, Hana was turning cartwheels on the grass.

Mrs. Lee noticed too. “Hana!” she said. “Get back over here.”

Hana stopped turning. “Why? Tutu didn't give me a job.”

Tutu chimed back in. “You, Leilani, and Iris are in charge of making the leis. Tomorrow, I will take you to pick flowers in the local gardens.”

Iris's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't wait for tomorrow morning. She glanced at Hana, who rolled her eyes.

“Excuse me,” interrupted Iris's mom. “I'm concerned. We have a lot to do in two days.”

“Don't worry. We'll get it all done,” Tutu assured everyone. “And if we run into problems, the
Menehune
will help us.”

Hana quickly perked up at the sound of this funny word.

“Many who who?” echoed Iris.

“It's pronounced
Meh-neh-hoo-neh,”
corrected Tutu. “They're happy little island creatures, kind of like leprechauns or elves.
They help people finish big jobs. In fact, they built the entire Hawaiian Islands.”

“Mother!” Hana's mom interrupted. “That's a legend.”

Hana jumped in.
“Menehune
live in big trees. They only come out at night when everyone is asleep. No one has ever seen one.”

“Do you really think they'll help us?” asked Iris.

“Of course!” exclaimed Tutu. “This wedding is as important as all the Hawaiian Islands combined!”

“Mother!” Hana's mom shook her head with a slight smile.

Iris turned to Hana, who was now grinning widely.

“This is going to be fun!” Hana said.

Yes, it is!
Iris thought.

Iris closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

The scents of all the tropical flowers mixed together to create a perfume as sugary as cotton candy. Iris licked her lips, wishing she could eat petals for lunch!

Iris, Hana, and Leilani were in a local garden, collecting flowers for the wedding leis. The sun was warm, but a slight breeze and the shade of the trees kept the girls cool. Iris was plucking an orange and pink plumeria blossom, when some leaves dropped on her head. She looked up, expecting to see an exotic bird or a
Menehune,
but instead…

“Hana!” Iris laughed. “What are you doing up there?”

Hana was stretched across several limbs, grabbing flowers. As she moved, more leaves fell to the ground. Iris noticed that the branches bent under Hana's weight.

“The best flowers are on the top,” claimed Hana as she climbed higher.

Leilani ran over. “Hana, get down! You know Mom doesn't let us climb trees!”

“I'm not that high!” Hana crawled further.

“Do you want to get hurt before the wedding?” Leilani asked.

“Fine!” Hana climbed out of the tree. “I was only trying to have some fun while I worked.”

“Yes, but that's when you get into trouble,” said Leilani.

Hana crossed her arms and scowled.

“Remember your famous ‘dishwashing dance,' when you broke Mom's favorite platter? Or when you decided to play with the hose instead of cleaning off the patio? You flooded the backyard!”

Hana shook her head and walked away from Leilani.

Iris approached her. “Are you okay?” she whispered to her friend.

Hana shrugged off the question while she pulled some blossoms off a low-hanging branch. For the rest of the morning, Hana stayed on the ground, but she also kept to herself.

Later, everyone met at the Lee home to work on wedding tasks. Iris, Hana, and Leilani sat on the patio, stringing sweet-smelling leis. From her seat, Iris could see her mom and Mrs. Lee on the lawn, making an elaborate wedding arch out of hibiscus flowers. Out on the beach, her dad and Mr. Lee were setting up white chairs along the sand.

It's so beautiful here,
Iris thought.

All of a sudden, Hana cried out in frustration. “Agh! These flowers don't work right.”

Iris noticed that Hana was covered in torn petals.

“I think it's you who doesn't work right,” teased Leilani.

“Ha-ha,” Hana replied, not amused. She tried again to string a few more blossoms. When the petals crumbled in her hand, she threw everything to the ground.

“These leis are a waste of time,” she muttered. “Leilani, let's practice our hula.”

“You
can practice our hula. I have to finish making leis,” said her sister.

“Fine!” Hana replied, stomping off. “Watch me!”

Out on the lawn, Hana began to shake her hips. She started slowly but quickly picked up the pace. Iris couldn't believe how fast Hana could move her hips without moving her top half at all. Then Hana began to turn. At first she twirled in place, but then she began moving across the lawn. She kept shaking and turning and moving faster and faster…

“HANA!” everyone suddenly shouted as she danced near a table set up for the wedding reception.

But the warning came too late. Hana's flip-flop caught hold of the tablecloth, and she pitched forward, taking the cloth and the vase of flowers with her.

Hana's mother ran over. The young girl was covered in soggy flowers and a wet pink tablecloth.