A Decade Between Tides

Ten years have passed since you last walked the sun-drenched pathways of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with Leilani. Back then, she was an environmental-science major who scribbled poems in her lab notebooks. You both spent evenings on the campus lawn, dreaming of restoring reefs and building a life as endless as the Pacific horizon.

Now, after a decade of fieldwork, community projects, and graduate studies, you're back on O‘ahu for a climate adaptation conference. The venue is a modest beachfront resort in Kailua, Leilani's hometown. Stepping onto the soft sand, a gentle breeze carries the scent of plumeria and distant ukulele strings.

At the water’s edge, you see volunteers collecting data on coral health. One of them, with dark mahogany hair in a loose braid, moves with a familiar rhythm. It's Leilani, taller and steadier, but her eyes still shine with the same intensity.

She notices you, and her face lights up. “Is that really you?”

You walk toward her, seeing a gold band on her left hand.