The First Date

“Ow!  Son of a bitch!”

Ava swore as she stabbed herself in the eye with the mascara wand.  She planted her feet as the earthquake shook the apartment and rattled the items on her bathroom counter.  Tremors were common in the area, she was learning, but most were too weak to notice without equipment.

“I’m nervous enough,” she grumbled.  Ava took a deep breath and exhaled.  “It’s just a drink.  If we don’t hit it off, I can leave.”

First dates always gave Ava butterflies.  The plan was to check out the new juice bar that opened off Kamehameha Avenue and enjoy drinks with a great view of the Bay.  Even though the date was casual by design, Ava put the consideration and effort of a fancy outing into her planning.

“Just a drink,” she repeated.  “We can do something else afterward if we like each other.”  Ava had a specific setup for her first dates.  First, they would meet for coffee or a similar activity that could be finished in fifteen minutes at most.  If there was chemistry, she and her date could move into a different activity.  If there wasn’t... well, it was easy to walk away once a drink was done.  Ava hadn’t allowed a date to progress in years.

She grabbed her purse and walked out into the sunshine.  It was an aggressively sunny, hotter than normal July day.  The air was heavy with moisture, and Ava knew there would be rain tomorrow.  There was almost always rain in Hilo.  Sometimes, she missed the dry heat in her home state of Nevada, but she would never trade it for the spectacular views on the Big Island.

Ava arrived at the juice bar early to scope out the menu and order a smoothie before her date showed.  She chose a small table for two with a clear view of the Bay.  Sunlight glinted off the water’s surface, reflecting directly into her eyes.  Ava squinted angrily and thought about moving to a different table.  A shadow fell over her face.

Ava looked up to see a hand held out to block the sun.  The hand belonged to a gorgeous woman standing next to the table and smiling radiantly at her.

“Maria!”  Ava jumped up, hitting her knee on the table.  Her drink fell onto the floor and splashed pureed ‘uala onto Maria’s shoes. “Shit, sorry.”  Ava looked around in a panic for a way to help.

Maria shrugged and grabbed some napkins from a nearby canister.  “I teach elementary students.  I’ve had worse.”

“Still.  A hell of a first impression.”  Ava fought the tears that welled up and threatened to ruin the mascara she had so carefully applied earlier.  She clenched her fists and tried to breathe deeply.

Maria began wiping the bright purple smoothie off her shoes. “Hey, don’t worry about it.  We’re both still alive, and a replacement drink could be yours if you’re daring enough to approach the counter.” 

She balled up the napkins and threw them in the trash.  “So what do you say?  Take a risk?”

Ava shook her head to clear some of her spiraling thoughts and nodded.  “Definitely.  My treat.”

By the time they had bought drinks and sat down near another window out of the sun’s glare, Ava had gotten her breathing and nerves under control.  Maria’s laid-back demeanor had set Ava at ease.  Ava couldn’t recall the last time she had smiled so much when talking to another person.  Maria was charming and funny and astonishingly beautiful.

When Ava reached the bottom of her cup, she realized she didn’t want the date to end.  “Do you want to go somewhere else?”  She smiled hopefully at Maria.

“Sure!  We can watch the net fishers at Kaipalaoa Landing.”  Maria finished her smoothie with a noisy slurp of the straw and stood up.

Ava rose and threw the cups away.  Her breath caught as Maria took her hand.

The juice bar door’s little bell jingled as they walked out into the summer heat.  The Landing was within walking distance, but they would have to cross a busy highway with no pedestrian crossing to get there.

Ava watched the cars barrel past and tried to calm the anxious beating in her chest.

Maria noted her nerves and gently squeezed Ava’s hand.  “Maybe they’ll put a crosswalk here one day.  Not enough people get pancaked in the street, though.”

Ava looked out across the road.  “We could sacrifice ourselves for the greater good.”

“Nah, I want to go out doing something glamorous or heroic.  Like rescuing a bus full of orphans dangling from a cliff.”  Maria took advantage of a lull and pulled Ava across the lanes of traffic.

Ava lengthened her stride to match Maria’s pace.  “Why is the bus dangling from a cliff?”

“Earthquake, obviously.  Oh!  Did you feel the quake earlier?”

“Sure did,” Ava laughed.  “I stabbed myself with mascara.”

“The things we do for love,” Maria said, shaking her head.  “I’m worth it, though.”

“You are.” Ava’s cheeks flushed.

At the landing, a handful of people played in the water, and some fishers with nets tried their luck nearby.  The waves frothed around the shore, seeming to call visitors to wade into the waters.

Ava longed to answer the call and cool off.  She kicked off her sandals.  “Race you to the water?”

“Okay, let me just- hey!”

Ava took off running before Maria could remove her shoes.  She splashed into the water and waded in where the waves reached her calves.  Maria reached her a few seconds later.

“You cheated.”

“I’m not even sorry.”  Ava grinned up at Maria.  “But let me make it up to you.”

She leaned in and gave Maria a soft kiss.  Suddenly embarrassed, Ava pulled away.  “Shit, sorry, I should have asked.”

“All is forgiven,” Maria said.  She pulled Ava in for a longer, deeper kiss.

When they parted, Ava reached up to Maria’s dark curls.  Several white flakes were in Maria’s hair.  Ava couldn’t remember seeing them before.  “What’s this?” she asked, brushing away a large piece.

Ava looked around in confusion.  Several flakes fell gently from the sunny sky.  “What the hell?”

“It’s... it’s snowing!”  Maria spun in delight.  “I’ve never seen it before!”

Ava put her hand out to catch some.  The flakes weren’t cold to the touch, and they felt gritty in her fingers.  “I don’t think this is snow.” 

“No?”  Maria crinkled up her nose as the flakes fell more densely.   The sunlight dimmed.

“Yeah, the flakes are too dark.  And they feel wrong.”

Ava and Maria quietly watched the flakes fall faster.  Loud beeping cut through the silence.  Around them, the other people at the Landing checked their phones.

Ava pulled her phone from  her pocket.  A text message flashed on the screen.

“The National Weather Service has issued a Volcano Warning...”