A Weeping Woman

Now why is she crying? That's the question I asked myself today when I went out kayaking with my little sister Rebecca. We took out a one man kayak, and Becca perched on the front end, and I paddled us both out over the clear water. We headed out over the reef, looking for turtles the whole way. But as we passed some outcropping black lava rocks on the shore, I noticed the crouched figure of a woman. She was hunched over, and as she wiped her eyes and looked up as we passed, I noticed that she had a red, tear-stained face. I couldn't help thinking, why is she crying? From the water shoes to the white Maui hat, I could clearly tell the woman was a tourist here on vacation. She seemed to be about 30 years old... but what would cause her to come out alone on the lava rocks, to weep in such a lonely, yet peaceful spot?
She was there just a second, and then we were passed, our kayak pushed on by a swelling wave. I had to fight for a second to keep our kayak away from the jagged rocks, and when I looked up again, she had disappeared behind another outcropping rock. It's weird how seeing this woman weeping struck me. Such a small instance, but one that stuck in my mind through a long morning enjoying the beach, and a longer afternoon on a six mile hike through the Waihee Valley, followed by 30 foot jumps off a cliff into a resevoir. I am back in my room now, getting ready to go to bed... it was a long day, but I still wonder, why was she crying?