Year 6, 5

Every time they went to Kaimoana, they agreed that it was their best holiday ever. This time was no exception, it was the very best time, mostly because they met some of the locals and they were good guys, mostly. They even got to spend time with some of them at home, in the flat up above the Emporium, in the house up behind the Craypot Cafe and at Virgil's place.

Lachlan had a part-time job, working for Mr. Hilliard, filling in for his son, Brodie, who was away at varsity with William's Dylan. The Hilliards had a small business, taking tourists for guided tours on 4WD bikes. Lachlan arranged for a free trip, up Mount Fife, for them. That was great. Awesome views up there too. They should've had a camera, but didn't. Next year they'd make sure that they did.

Time passed, the days flew by, they were busy and ejoying their brilliant holiday together. They only had 2 weeks and their time had almost gone, there was only a couple of days left when they remembered and realised that they'd done nothing about finding out about the Kerstens and Stones here in Kaimoana and if there were any family connections.

Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Kersten were related because they were sisters, but were their husbands related to Jared and Ethan? It'd be very cool if they were, like they were fated to be together or something.

Okay, it was nothing to do with anything, but they wanted to know.

Mrs. Kersten and Mrs. Stone had both told them that they knew nothing about it, so they'd need to talk to their men. They went back to the Craypot and asked Mrs. Stone where and when they could talk to her husband. He worked for Baker Brothers, didn't he?

"That's right," she replied. "But not today, it's his day off and he's gone fishing. If you want to see him, you'll probably find him on the rocks, down at Geese Bay. That's where he usually goes."

"Geese Bay? That's down the highway, isn't it?"

"Right. It's about 5k south of here, down where the first set of road tunnels are."

"We'll go there then. Thanks."

As they went up the Esplanade, Ethan said, "I'm not walking."

"Yeah, you are," Jared grinned. "Look at your feet! You're walking and doing it so well."

"Shut up, Dork. I mean I'm not walking all the way out there, it'd take all day and it's too hot."

"Yeah, it is. We don't have to walk, we've got a car."

"Cool. I thought you'd forgotten that."

"Shut up. I haven't forgotten, we just haven't needed to use it. Everything's only a few minutes walk away."

"It is, but Geese Bay is not."

"So we're going in the car. Don't be grumpy, Ethan."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll kiss you."

"Promises, promises."

They exchanged a grin, life was good.

Jared slid into the driver's seat and the car started on the first try, which was really good seeing as how it'd been sitting outside and hadn't moved at all in nearly 2 weeks. He drove them out to Geese Bay and parked off the road.

There were several people out there, fishing from the rocks at the edge of the broken coastline. They went over to the first one and struck it lucky, he was Edward Stone, Betty's husband. They told him of their mission and that was where their good luck ended. He couldn't help them and, even worse, he wasn't really a member of the Stone family, not Ethan's one anyway.

"Ah, yeah," he nodded. "Kersten and Stone. I remember talking to Alice and Betty about that, ages ago. Sorry Boys, it's just a co-incidence. My Great-Grandfather was a foundling baby, left on the steps of an orphanage, back in Edinburgh, in Scotland. The matron of the orphanage chose the name for him. Edward for the king's name and Stone because, well, who knows? He had to have a name, so she named him Edward Stone, the same as me.

I'm not related to Brian in any way that we know of. Maybe we're both descended from Adam and Eve, who knows?"

"Oh. Bugger."

"Yeah, bugger. Thanks, Mr. Stone. It doesn't change anything. We just thought it'd be really cool if we were related somehow."

"Yeah, I guess it would, but the only way you could be related is if you do what we did - get married."

He was joking, he grinned as he said it, but it sowed an idea in their minds. They sat thinking quietly as Ethan drove back to the motels. He pulled up there.

Jared said, "Let's do it then."

"Let's do what?"

"Get married, then we'll be related, like the man said."

"Jared, are you asking me to marry you?"

"Well, yeah. As soon as we're old enough we can do that civil union thing. It's the same as marrying, people call it a marriage. We don't need a church, we never go near one anyway."

"So you love me?"

"Of course I bloody love you, you know that."

"I do know that and I love you too, Okay, yes. Let's get married, as soon as."

"Yeah, as soon as. We can have a posh double-barrelled name. We'll be Mr. Ethan Kersten-Stone and Mr. Jared Kersten-Stone."

"Yeah, and we'll buy a house together and live together for always and if anyone doesn't like it - fuck 'em!"

"Yeah, fuck 'em. It's about time you kissed me."

"It's about time we went inside and did more than that."

They did.

Their two weeks flashed past and it was time to go home. There was no sadness this time because they were going home together and they knew that they'd be back, together. They drove south, to Christchurch. They'd be coming back here again and again. This was their favourite holiday town. Definitely!

Driving home, they passed the junction with the West Coast road, near Waipara. Ethan said, "I do love Kaimoana, it's the best town."

"It is," Jared nodded. "We'll go back there again."

"We will, for sure, but not next time. Our next holiday, I want to go somewhere else."

"Oh? Like where?"

"Like, over there, to the Coast. I want us to go to Westpoint. We might meet Jason and Jordan there."

"We'll go to Westpoint then. I don't care where we go as long as you're happy and we go there together."

"Thanks, Jared."

Ethan loved Jared heaps, big heaps.

Jared loved Ethan, mountains.