Cameron, 3

Cameron slept like a log. He woke in the morning, stretched his limbs and lay looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. It was nice there, warm, quiet and safe. It was so good to be somewhere where no-one was making any demands on him.

He turned his head. The clock on the bed-side radio said 7.15am. Early for a Sunday, but they weren't up late last night, so that was okay. He was not about to go back to sleep anyway, he needed to pee, badly!

He used the bathroom, and then went back to open the drapes and see what the weather was doing out there. There was a light rain falling, but at least the wind had stopped, so it was improving.

A Kowhai tree in the front yard had been uprooted and was lying, crashed into the garden and hanging over the front fence. There was a mess for someone to clean up. He was glad that that wasn't him. It really was a wild night then. He wondered what other damage there'd be around the town, but couldn't see any from where he was.

In a perfect world, the witch's house would've blown away, never to be seen again. But the wind wasn't that strong. 'Ah, if only!'

Looking at the toppled tree reminded him of the old cliche that people trotted out every time a prominent person died, like Sir Howard Morrison did. "A mighty Totara has fallen in the forest." Would anyone have said that if he died last night? No, more likely they'd say, "Dork sat on the beach in a storm and the weather got him." Would anyone really care? He doubted it.

But, Gabriel said that he cared. He came looking for him last night because he was worried about him, and he didn't even know him. Gabriel was a nice guy. He was . . . well, different. He turned and looked at the photo again.

'Very different.'

Damm! That was a magnificent picture, like a young Tarzan up on a mountain top. Was that what his life was like when they lived up in the backblocks? Or, was he just posing for the picture? Whatever it was, it was a great shot.

He looked at Gabriel's clothes lying on the chair and decided, no, he'd go and find his own clothes. They'd be dry by now and, much as he'd like to, he couldn't stay there forever. The laundry was out by the back-door. It wouldn't be hard to find, it wasn't a big house.

He went out to the hallway and down to the back. Gabriel was in the kitchen, standing by the stove. He looked around and grinned.

"Good morning, Sleepyhead. That was good timing. I'm just getting us some breakfast here, bacon, sausages, hash-browns and eggs. It's nearly done and you'd better be hungry because I've cooked far too much."

"Sounds good, thanks. Yes I am, a bit, hungry."

"Well good! I wouldn't want to have to eat this all on my own."

"Not much fear of that," Cameron grinned. "I was going to get my clothes."

"Sure. They're still in the dryer, in the laundry by the back-door. I should've got them for you, sorry."

"No worries. I'll find them."

"You will. There's plenty of hot water if you want a shower, but come and eat first. This is about ready."

"Two minutes and I'll be here."

He went into the laundry, retrieved his clothes and dresssed in them, leaving Gabriel's boxers on top of the dryer. Still no questions about what he was doing on the beach. He didn't want to talk about it but, in a way, it'd be good to get it out in the open. Didn't Gabriel even want to know? If it was the other way around, he'd be dying of curiousity. Still, he didn't want to talk about it.

They didn't. His being out in the storm wasn't even mentioned. They ate breakfast and finished with a couple of strong coffees.

"Thanks, Gabriel. That was just great and you ARE a cook."

"No I'm not. That was just more heating and eating, but you're very welcome. Nice to have some company. It's still raining but the wind has stopped. Dad's bringing the boat in so someone will drive you home when you're ready."

"That'd be good. It's only about 5k's, but I don't fancy getting wet again."

"Well you don't have to. I see that the tree in the front-yard is down, but that can wait until the weather improves."

"I'll give you a hand to move it if you like."

"No, we're not doing that. I don't want to get wet either. It can wait. It's down and it's not going anywhere."

"Guess not. Umm, Gabriel, tell me about that photo of you in the bedroom - the big black and white one with the eagle on your arm."

"That's not an eagle," Gabriel grinned. "That's Molly, my falcon."

"You've got a falcon for a pet?"

"Well, yeah. She's not really a pet, Molly is my friend. I raised her from a chick, She lives free now but she still comes back to me. We go hunting togeher."

"Really? Wow. Is that what you were doing there, hunting?"

"Yes, of course. We do a lot, up on the tops. If I had my way, I'd stay out there forever and never come down to town."

"You would? But wouldn't you get lonely out there?"

"No, never. That's my world, it's where I belong. I get lonely down in town, not out in the mountains."

"You do belong there. That's a great picture. Did a professional photographer pose you for it?"

"Oh, it wasn't posed. Garth took it, I didn't even know that he was out there. He used a tele-photo lens from across the valley. It came out nice and clear, but it was just a fluke shot."

"It's a great shot! It'd make a great poster for a film about a wild boy. Garth took it?"

"Yeah. Photography is his hobby. He took that a couple of years ago, when I was 13. He entered it in a competition, but it didn't win. Dad says that's because I'm such an ugly little beggar."

"Ugly? You're not at all. Is your dad blind or something? You're a fine-looking kid and, in that picture you look - well, magnificent is the word I'm thinking."

Gabriel laughed. "Magnificent? Me? Get real."

"I am being real. You're a good-looking guy."

"I think it's time you had your eyes checked. Okay, we'll tidy this mess away, and then we'll go and sit in the lounge. Unless you want to go and see your friends of course?"

"There's nowhere I'd rather be than right here, with you."

"That's cool. It's good to have some company my own age for once."

They went into the lounge and sat, facing each other, on the long seat under the front window. It was still raining out there, but that was okay, they weren't out in it. The computer was in there, and the TV, the Xbox and the stereo, but none of them were turned on, they just talked.

The morning passed quickly. They were still sitting there, talking about anything and everything, when a car pulled up outside. Gabriel stood up and looked.

"Cool. Dad and Garth are here. About time too!" He hurried out to greet them.

Cameron stood, and then sat down again, feeling awkward. He didn't know these guys, he'd never met them and he'd spent the night in their home. What would they think of that? Gabriel had asked him in, but he still felt strange.

It was only a couple of minutes, a couple of long minutes, before Gabriel brought them in to meet him. He stopped worrying, these were good guys. They were very welcoming and both said that they were glad that Gabriel had made a friend. So that was all right. Cameron relaxed a bit.

They had fresh-caught fish for lunch, which was, apparently, what they did after returning from sea. He said nothing, but he did think that it was a wonder that they weren't sick of the sight of fish. Great meal though, he'd never had better. Gabriel's dad, John, was a good cook. He actually used to be a chef but he got sick of that game.

They cleaned-up, and then all went outside, in coats, to move the tree off the front fence. The four of them dragged it back on to the lawn and left it there. They'd clean it up when the weather improved. There was no other damage around, which was good.

Back inside, they had a coke, and then Cameron said that he should be getting back home. Gabriel told him to wait a minute. He left the room, then returned and handed Cameron an envelope.

"What's this then?"

"Not a lot. It's just a post-card sized copy of that photo of me. Dad and Garth used them for Christmas cards and we've got heaps of them."

"Really?" He opened the envelope and took the pic out - a miniature version of the 'wild boy' photo in the bedroom.

"Wow. This is great. Thanks."

"No big deal," Gabriel shrugged. "We've got hundreds of them. I just want to make sure that you don't forget about me."

"No fear of that," Cameron grinned. "I'll never forget you and what you did for me last night. Thanks again."

"You're welcome. I just hope I've made a friend. Like I said, I get lonely here in town. Please come back and see me sometime."

"I hope I've made a friend too. You'd be a great friend, Gabriel, a real friend. Last night started as the worst night of my life, but it turned out to be the best, thanks to you. I'll be back so often that you'll get sick of the sight of me."

"Not going to happen! Okay, let's do it. Garth, Cameron has to go home. Can you please drive him out there?"

"Yeah, no troubles. Where do you live, Cameron?"

"It's about 5k's north of town. We're on a lifestyle farm block out there. It's right on the highway."

"Easy to find then. Come on, let's get you home then? You coming, Gabe?"

"Sure I am, I wouldn't miss it. I've been stuck inside here for days. When are we going home anyway?"

"Patience, Gabe. We'll do one more trip, when the weather clears, and then we can go home. Probably next weekend."

"Next weekend! That's ages away. I need to go home, Garth."

"We will, as soon as we can. Don't worry, your mountains are going nowhere."

"I hope not! I've been thinking that I'm never coming down to town again, but then," he glanced at Cameron, "maybe I will."

"Well, that's good," Garth said. "It's about time that you had a friend who is at least the same species as you are."

"Oh, I think I've got one and that's good."

"It is, it's very good. Come on then, Boys, we're going."

On the way out through the kitchen, Garth stopped and talked quietly to Gabriel's dad who was standing by the sink, filletting fish. He stood very close to him and draped an arm across his shoulders, which made Cameron wonder.

'Oh? Are they gay?'

Nobody had said anything, and they didn't act like it, but they were obviously very close. They were just two guys, two ordinary guys, friends who lived, worked and played together. Maybe they were then? 'Oh, wow! Is Gabriel gay?' No, he'd said nothing either and life wasn't that good. He'd be a breeder and a magnificent one too. He'll make beautiful babies, one day.

"Gabriel, what's your number?"

"My number?"

"Yeah, your cell number, so I can call you later."

""Ah, I haven't got one, sorry. I don't have a cellphone."

"You don't? I thought everyone had a cell."

"No, not everyone does. I've never had a phone of my own. There's no reception out in the hills and I've got no-one to call anyway."

"No-one? Well, you have now."

"I have, haven't I?" He beamed a smile. "That's good. That's very good. If you want to, you can call me on the land-line, 378241."

"378241," Cameron entered the number in his cell. "I'll do that, thanks. I'll call you tonight. Do you want my number?"

"No, I'd just forget it. Tell me when you call."

" 'Kay, we'll do that."

They went out to the car. Apologising for the mess, Garth got into the driver's seat. "Clear yourselves a space, Boys. One day, someone'll clean all this up."

"That'll be a shock!" Gabriel got into the back to sit next to Cameron, which he didn't mind at all.

On the way out of town, Garth was tapping the wheel with his fingers and singing some corny old song about young love. Gabriel shut him up by leaning forward and clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Garth, can you whistle?"

"Whistle? No. Why?"

"Because you can't sing."

"Eww."

Cameron sat back smiling. He liked these guys, they were comfortable and easy to be around. He hadn't felt this free since, well, forever really.

All too soon, they arrived and stopped outside his home.