The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

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I BRING KLARISE EVERYWHERE ALONG the beaches and shores of Molokai with Anna accompanying us just in case. Sometimes Jackson and Sarah tagged along, but mostly, if we could, the world was only to Klarise and I.

Everywhere we went there were trees, beautiful scenery that takes your breath away. Everywhere, few people. Everywhere, we were free. We were us.

Klarise and I have our laughs, our joys, going about the place like we were teenagers. We could almost pretend we were, a teenage love we never got to have now given to us.

But the cancer couldn't be pretended away.

Klarise got too tired a month later. I don't want to say weak, because she's a strong woman. Klarise's body may be losing, but her mind was a defiant one.

She was mad at herself though, about not being able to go out and see places like we planned. I told her it's okay. She tells me to go out and see those things without her, but I tell her that I didn't come here to enjoy the views alone.

She smiles, "Crazy woman I'm in love with."

"That's why you're attracted to me. Admit it."

"Nah. Not that easy for you."

We laughed and laughed, not letting her sickness bring us down. We slept in comfort, with me with her she felt less cold. We ate together, not caring about calories or any of that stuff we used to pay so much attention to. We stayed in our home, which was small and not modern at all. A small cabin you could say. But it felt more like a home to us than anything that we've ever lived in together. And soon, it wasn't any frustration to her that we only stayed there for most of the days.

Jackson and Sarah had seemed to be enjoying themselves on the island too. At first Jackson was hesitant about wandering around the island to see the views, but Klarise and I managed to convince him that he didn't have to be by his sister's side all the time.

"I'm old but not that old." Klarise told him, voice a sarcastic tone that made me wonder how many times, before I even met these two together, had she talked to her brother this way and their conversations that I'll never be able to fully understand. "Go. Go have some fun with Sarah. Your sister I will be fine here."

Jackson and I—maybe after the years and his maturity (I may also add the no more screaming music which is a great development from him)—have gotten closer. Was it because of his sister's sickness? Was it the small pushes that Klarise did to bring us together? I'm not sure, the years have blurred the moments and reasons. But I just remember that Jackson and I talked, I felt like an aunt of sorts. The two of us sometimes played cards while Klarise slept and Sarah had her own thing. He talked about working on the phone and online for his job, how it was a good enough pay and that he could still spend time with us. I told him about whatever, what I did during the day, what I ate, what kind of views were best around Molokai and how I've actually only came to Hawaii twice, once here with him and Klarise, and the other for a film. He asked about my acting, since it seemed a big topic, the thing that had surrounded the majority of my life. I talked little about it. I told him I've taken a pause on that career for now. I only wanted to think about the now. About Klarise and how much more time I could still get with her.

So, with my daily average conversations with Jackson (sometimes Sarah too, she is such a charming person, she'll get you talking into about hotdogs or anything for an hour and leave you interested.) and befriending him, while he and Sarah were away I went back to sticking by Klarise.

Life fell into a routine here, and it was a good one. Peaceful. Listening to the sound of waves at night; crickets chirping away. It felt like summer even though it was probably spring. I could hold my lover in my arms anytime I wanted, kiss her, tease her, hug her, hold her hands. No one cared about us and whether we were famous. Just two women in their mid-forties living in a cabin and learning the ways of living like the Kalaupapa once in a while.