Conrad and Paola Leslie came to Hawaii believing it was what their son wanted them to do.

One year ago today, 20-year-old Nicolas, their only child, was killed in Nice, France, when a terrorist drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day. Nick, a junior at UC Berkeley studying abroad, was one of 86 people killed.

The Leslies had spent many happy vacations in Hawaii when Nick was little. “He first learned to swim in a tide pool off Lanikai,” Conrad Leslie said. Nick became a skilled waterman who loved surfing, kite-surfing, diving and spearfishing.

Just before he left for Europe, Nick told his parents they should sell their San Diego house and move to Hawaii. “I told him, ‘I want to eventually give you this house,’” Leslie said. “He said, ‘Dad, you don’t have to worry about me.’”

Nick was on track to graduate with both a business degree and a degree in environmental science. He was a gifted multisport athlete, a top student and, most of all, a good-hearted person who reserved judgment and encouraged others. “He lived life to the fullest,” Leslie said. “He had so many friends who loved him.”

Soon after Nick’s death his father had a dream in which Nick was in Hawaii. “I kept trying to hug him, but it was like he was elusive,” Leslie said.

In the midst of their grief, the Leslies got the news that their tenants in the Kaneohe condo they had owned for 15 years were moving out. Rather than find new tenants, they decided to leave San Diego and all the things that hurt too much to remember. They moved to Hawaii just over a month ago.

Soon after their arrival, the Leslies attended the Lantern Floating ceremony on Memorial Day, but ultimately felt overwhelmed and went home. However, while waiting in line in Waikiki, they met a young man who offered them comfort. “He was there because he had lost his grandmother,” Leslie said. “He started talking to us about the big picture, how you celebrate the person’s life but you remember that they’re still with you.”

This idea helped though the Leslies still struggle. Just getting into the ocean to go swimming — something they used to do often with their son — is heartbreaking.

They decided to scatter some of Nick’s ashes at his favorite spots on the first anniversary of his death. They drove around trying to choose the right places. They went to Kaena Point, that wild and beautiful tip of the island. Paola wasn’t sure it was a good spot — so windblown and rough. But then an amazing thing happened. The young man who had comforted them at the lantern ceremony was there, way out in the middle of nowhere, a reminder of the big, sometimes unseen picture.

“There have been so many synchronicities and coincidences like that,” Leslie said.

“Somebody we met here in Hawaii told me something that really affected me. She said, ‘Don’t let the hurt go to waste.’” Leslie is still trying to fully understand what that means and how to live up to his son’s example.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.