Kaimoana Tales, Riley 17

The boys went up to Harvey’s shop, on the main road, and spent an enjoyable hour selecting new clothes for the twins. They used Colin for a model because it was easier for him and they were both exactly the same size.

Unfortunately, he used the changing-room, on his own, with the door firmly shut. Riley noticed that they were only getting one or two of each item and he protested.

“You need more than this. Mum said at least 3 or 4 of everything.”

“It’s okay, Rye,” Jacob replied. “We always share our clothes anyway.”

“You can’t wear them at the same time can you? You need more. You get them or I will.”

“Ooo! I guess this means that you’re not the bossy one now, Jake.”

“Shut up, Coll. Get more clothes.”

They charged everything to Dianne, which she’d already arranged with Mrs. Harvey. When they came out of the shop, there was a bit of a commotion in the street outside. An old bus had broken down. It was angled towards the kerb but hadn’t got there and it was blocking half of the highway.

It was an ancient Bedford bus that had been converted to a house-truck, kind of. Passing traffic was swerving around them and drivers were beeping angrily and waving their fists. It was probably a good thing that they couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Others were going past, shaking their heads and laughing, but no-on was stopping to help. The driver from the bus, and the boy with her, were out and trying to push it off the road but it was obviously too much for them and it wasn’t moving.

“Damm!” Riley looked over. “That’s Peter and his mm. what are they doing with a broken-down old bus? Come on, Guys, we have to help them.”

They dropped all of their packages on the sidewalk outside the shop and went out to see what they could do.

“Hey, Mrs. de Groot, Peter. Having troubles, are you?”

“Riley!” She greeted him with a big smile. “Yes, we are having terrible trouble. We were hoping to get this old thing to our home, but it’s gone and died on us. We were so close too!”

“Close, but not close enough. Where have you come from?”

“From the Wairau Valley, past Blenheim. We bought it from a farmer up there.”

“I think you got done,” Jacob smiled.

She gave him an unsmiling look. “It will do the job. If we can just get it home, that is. It doesn’t have to go any further.”

“Let’s see if we can help push it off the road,” Riley said.

They all got behind the bus, even Jacob, put their backs into it and pushed. It still wasn’t moving, but some other people stopped to help and, together, they managed to push the bus to the side of the road. Most of the other guys went on their way, but one stayed there.

“Thank you, everybody,” Mrs. de Groot pushed the loose hair back from her face. “That’s the first problem fixed. At least it is off the road now.”

“What are we going to do now, Mother?” Peter still looked like he could cry.

“I will go to the Service Station, up the road there, and see if the breakdown truck can tow us home. That’s going to cost big money on a public holiday, but it can’t be helped.

“Before you do that,” said the other young guy there. “Maybe I could have a look? I’m a mechanic, well, an apprentice mechanic. We’ve got an old Bedford truck out at work. I might be able to do something.”

“Well, thank you, Young Man. That would be wonderful. What is your name and where do you work?”

“I’m Joel Stafford and I work for my uncle at Griffin Marine Engineering, out at South Bay.”

“Ah yes, Douglas Griffin’s business. So he is your uncle? Let’s hope he’s teaching you well. I think the motor is inside the driver’s cab.”

“The access to it is, yes. Have you got a tool-box?”

“There is one down at the back. Peter, come and get it for me please.”

The young guy, Joel Stafford, got up into the driver’s seat. Peter and his mother went to the door at the back of the bus. He soon returned and passed a big metal tool-box up into the cab.

“So, Peter,” Riley grinned. “This is all part of the Plan, is it?”

“Well, sort-of part of the Plan,” Peter shrugged. “The bus is but breaking down wasn’t. Thanks for your help, Riley and, umm, others.”

“No probs. Friends help friends, that’s what they do. Sorry, Peter, These are my new brothers, Jacob and Colin. This is my friend, Peter de Groot.”

“Hey, Peter.”

“Hey.”

“Hi, Jacob and Colin. Were you the brothers who Riley found out at Geese Bay?”

“Yeah, that was us. We still are actually,” Jacob answered.

Riley said, “Don’t be smart, Jake. The hospital sent them both to Christchurch, but they came back and they’re going to be living with us now.” He looked around. Joel was up in the cab and Mrs. de Groot was still around at the back somewhere.

“Guys,” he continued. “Peter is gay, you know.”

“Riley!” Peter protested.

“It’s okay, Peter. They know that I’m gay, and Jake is too. Colin’s not but Jacob is gay – and available.”

“You are so going to get yourself in trouble, Riley Sullivan!” Jacob said. “And, you’re only half-right anyway. Hello, Peter. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I could think of better ways, but, yes, nice to meet you too, Jake.”

“Jacob,” he replied.

“Pardon?”

“My name is Jacob. Only Coll and Rye are allowed to call me Jake.”

“Oh, I see,” Peter grinned. “Hello, Jacob then.”

“You’d better watch it, Peter,” Riley said. “When they get to know you, they might call you ‘pee’ for short.”

“Shut up, Riley,” Peter, Colin and Jacob all said together.

Further conversation was cut-off by the engine roaring. Joel got down out of the cab and Mrs. de Groot came back, beaming.

“You wonderful boy! Thank you, Joel.”

“It was just a bit of a blockage,” he replied. “It’s going, but I don’t know how long for. You’re not home yet. I’ll come with you to make sure that you get there safely.”

“Well, thank you! You can drive if you like. You get in the back, Peter. Are you boys coming with us?”

“Yes, we will,” said Riley. “We’ll all come to make sure you get there. We just have to get our parcels from outside Harvey’s there.”

“That’s fine. You boys all get in the back and I will ride up front with the driver.”

Riley and Peter recovered the packages while Colin helped Jacob to crawl up to the verandah at the back of the bus. He stood up on his crutches, they all went inside and Peter waved to the driver.

Joel waited to give them all time to sit down, and then he drove the bus, down the main street and around to the de Groot’s house, in Torbay Street, by the hill.

The seating in the back of the bus was all old armchairs and a sofa. There was a small pot-belly stove, with a wood-box, a gas cooker, a sink-bench and a small wooden table. There was a sleeping-loft over the driver’s cab, another one over the back-door, and a set of bunks on the side. It was all very old and smelled musty.

They sat in the chairs and watched the town go past.

“How is this part of the Plan, Peter? Are you going to fix it up and sell it?”

“No, we’re not selling it, we’re keeping it. We just have to clean it out and this will be our new bedroom space.”

“A new bedroom? I thought you liked sleeping inside, by the fire?”

“I do, but things are changing. Father’s brother, and his family, are immigrating and they’re going to stay with us for a while.”

“They are? That’s cool. Are they coming from Europe?”

“No, from Canada. They’ve lived there for about 20 years.”

“And now they’re coming here. What family has he got?”

“There’s him and his wife and they’ve got 3 boys. It’s very cool that my cousins are coming to live with us.”

“Yeah, that’s cool. How old are they?”

“My uncle and aunty are, well, old. They had trouble getting permission to immigrate because they’re over the normal age, but Father is sponsoring them. They are going to go into business together.”

“Two old guys? That’s adventurous. Good luck to them. But how old are your cousins?”

“Oh, they are all teenagers, 17, 15 and 13.”

“You’re going to have a houseful. Will there be room enough?”

“There will be now. That’s why we needed the bus.”

“Ah, of course.”

The bus completed the short trip with no further trouble and they parked in the street, opposite the de Groot’s house. The boys all poured out of the back and the two got down from the cab. Riley stared in amazement at their front yard, they’d been making changes.

A big section of the front fence had been removed and there was a wide, driveway-size, cut in the gardens up the side of the house, all the way from the street to the back of the house.

“Wow, Peter! You’ve been busy.”

“We have,” Peter agreed. “It was a big job, but we got there. Mr. James did most of the work. It’s amazing how much you can do with a digger in an hour.”

“Shame about your gardens, Mrs. de Groot.”

“Yes, Riley, it was, but you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. We moved the rose bushes, so, hopefully, we saved them.”

“Umm,” Joel scratched his head. “Were you planning on getting the bus up there?”

“That’s right. We need to reverse it up the side of the house so that the back door is close to the house door. Will that be a problem?”

“Yes, that’ll be a problem. You’re never going to drive the bus up there. It’s too big and heavy and that ground is soft. The digger’s churned it all up. The bus is going to bog-down before it’s even off the street.”

“Oh. What are we going to do?”

They all crossed over to have a closer look at the ground. It was definitely too soft.

“Perhaps if we take everything out of the bus and reduce the weight?” Mrs. de Groot worried.

“No,” Joel shook his head. “That wouldn’t be enough. You wouldn’t get a car up there, let alone a bus.”

Peter said, “We could get Mr. James to come back and push it with his digger.”

“Yeah, maybe. I know! Uncle has got a big old tractor, out at work. They use it for getting boats in and out of the water. I’ll go and get it and we’ll winch the bus up there. We’ll put a rope around that tree. If it doesn’t pull the tree out, it’ll haul the bus up.”

“Thank you, Joel. That would be wonderful. But your work is all the way out at South Bay and we haven’t got a car. Should we drive the bus out there to get the tractor?”

“There’s no need for that,” Riley said. “Mum’s car is parked outside the café and she’s not using it. If Joel will come with me, we’ll go and get it and he can drive it out to South Bay to get the tractor. When you bring the car back, park it up out the house. Mum won’t mind, it’ll save her a trip and she’s busy.”

“Thank you, Riley. That sounds good. I will come with you to ask your mother if we can borrow her car.”

“No, don’t worry. She’ll give it to us, no problems. You just wait here and it won’t take long. Are you guys coming with us, or do you want to wait here?”

“We’ll wait,” said Jacob. “We can’t all ride back on the tractor.”

“I guess not. You could just come home and stay there.”

“And miss all the excitement? Get lost! Coll and I will wait here.”

“Okay, do that. Joel could drive you home after we’ve finished.”

Joel looked at Jacob’s crutches and nodded. “That’d be the way to do it. Okay, we’d best get going then.”

“Thank you, Boys. You are all wonderful,” Mrs. de Groot said. “We shall not forget this. Peter, bring the brothers into the house. You can all sit down and I will make us some tea. Are you hungry, Boys?”

“Yeah, we are,” Jacob replied. “Starving.”

Peter shook his head and grinned. “You really should not have said that! Come on, let’s go inside.”