Cameron

It was going to be a wild night. A strong wind blew straight in from the sea and heavy rain lashed the town. They were protected from southerly storms by the steep hill rearing behind the town, but when it came from the north, as now, the full force of the wind blasted them.

Thunder rolled, lightning flashed and the television went off the air. That was no great loss, the programmes were crap anyway. Gabriel turned the PC off and pulled the plugs out before that blew-up too. That had happened before, not to him but he'd heard of it and didn't want to lose his PC.

He was home alone again, which was not unusual, he often was. His Dad and Garth should've been home today but they weren't and they wouldn't be back now, they'd be staying well out to sea to ride the storm out. He wasn't worried about them, they were experienced fishermen and they knew what they were doing, but he was sure glad that he wasn't out there with them – he'd be spewing his guts out and that's not fun. It was much better to be on 'dry' land, tucked-up warm and cosy in his home, even if he was alone again.

He turned the lights off and sat by the lounge window to watch the pyrotechnics out at sea. It was something to do and, hey, you take what entertainment you can get. It was pretty cool sitting inside, warm and dry and watching the lightning flashes and the crap weather out there. Nice to be not out in it.

Someone was; a solitary figure came along the sidewalk between the road and the beach-front sea-wall. He was hunched over and getting blown about and thoroughly wet. That wouldn't be fun either. He had no coat or jacket on, of course. He was a teenager and coats are not cool. Dork!

No, that wasn't right. That was Cameron Black out there and he was not a dork, he was a very cool kid, the coolest kid in town.

Cameron was not a friend of Gabriel's. He'd always, kind-of, wished that he was, but he wasn't. Gabriel had no friends at all really. Cameron did, he had heaps of friends because he was cool. Gabriel was not.

Sitting there, watching him, he was thinking that he'd be more than cool now, he'd be friggin' freezing out there! What was he doing out there in the rain, and the dark, and all alone? That wasn't like him. Usually he was with friends and especially with his girlfriend, the gorgeous Ellie Thompson, the hottest girl in town. He didn't look happy now, he looked a picture of misery. That wasn't like him either, he was a happy kid, usually, and why wouldn't he be? He had everything going for him, unlike some people. For once in his life, Gabriel was glad that he wasn't him.

Cameron stopped under the streetlight, at the gap in the stone-wall, looking down the steps to the beach. He surely wasn't going to go down there in that weather, was he? He was, he did. He disappeared into the darkness below the road

Gabriel was glad that he wasn't with him. It'd be horrible out on the wet and stony beach. There was no shelter at all out there. Well, he wouldn't be there for long; no-one in their right mind would be on the beach in this weather. Gabriel sat waiting and watching. He was curious and he couldn't imagine why anyone would be down there, especially not the very cool Cameron Black. The very wet and cold Cameron Black he'd be right now.

He waited and waited, but the kid didn't come back. Damm. He'd be freezing his nuts off out there!

Was he wanting to die or something? Exposure to weather like that can kill you, he knew that, his Dad and Garth had told him often enough. Their other home was up in the high-country and the weather got pretty rough up there. Not a lot worse than this though, it was awful out there. What was he doing?

Finally, he couldn't wait anymore, he was getting worried and he had to know, so he got up and went out into the rain. He was going over to see what he was doing out there. He went out by the back-door, up the drive at the side of the house and out into the full force of the weather. Damm!

He retreated to the shelter by the house, and then went back to grab a coat from by the back-door. It might not be cool, but he wasn't going out in that without one. To hell with that! Not nice out there.

In the shadows by the door, the coat he grabbed was, of course, the biggest one there. It was a big old thing of his father's. On Gabriel it was like a tent. Whatever. It would keep him dry and that was all that mattered. Who cared what it looked like?

It all-but covered his feet. Maybe it was made for King Kong, or something? Folding the flapping thing around him, he went out to the street and across to the seafront.

There was quite a lot of light from the streetlights up on the road, but down on the beach it was as black as, well - night. He could see the crests of the thrashing white-capped waves and not much else. The wind was even stronger out there, there was no shelter at all.

He so did not want to do this. Why had he left his warm house? Whatever - he was here now and he wanted to know what Cameron was doing. It wouldn't take long and then he could go home. He went down the steps to the beach. Cold, dark, wet and windy. He stood on the beach and waited for his eyes to adjust to what light there was. The rain in his face wasn't helping. A flash of lightning lit-up the scene and, yes! There he was.

Cameron was just sitting there, on the bank of stones above the water-line, getting wet. What was he doing? Not a lot, obviously. But why was he there? Gabriel walked closer, leaning into the wind. Cameron was as still as a statue. He didn't even look up as Gabriel approached and stood next to him. He stood looking down at him, as best he could, and then he moved in front to stand with his back to the wind, the coat flapping around him. He still didn't move.

The coat pooled around him as he sank down for a closer look. It really was like a tent. He opened it out, sideways, by spreading his bent elbows to form a make-shift wind-break. Big eyes looked at him.

Did this kid want to die or something? Gabriel had just finished reading a book about George Fairweather Moonlight. He was an expert explorer and prospector, back in the gold-rush days. Born in Scotland, 'Captain' Moonlight had spent his life out in the wilderness. He discovered gold fields in California and in Otago and on the West Coast of NZ's South Island. He was only 56 when he died. His businesses were failing so he went out prospecting again and died of exposure, over by Hope in the Nelson District.

Exposure kills. It'd be way too tragic if that happened to Cameron Black.

"Hi," Gabriel smiled wetly. "You've got a great night for it."

"Yeah, I guess," the kid shrugged with not a trace of a smile. He was a picture of misery.

Gabriel looked intently at him and he made a decision. It was not like him to get involved with anyone, but he couldn't leave Cameron here like this. He got back to his feet and offered a hand.

"Come on," he said. "Come with me."

"With you?" Cameron looked up.

"Yes, with me. My house is just back over the road there. It's warm and dry and there's nobody at home. This is bloody murder here. Come with me."

"Well . . I, yeah, okay. Why not?" He took hold of Gabriel's hand and pulled himself up.

A Shopping List

(Something different. They say that the way to beat 'writer's block' is to just write. Write anything, even just a shopping list. So, here's mine. This is true - every word of it).

When I was very young, the local radio station had a regular, Saturday morning, programme playing listeners' requests for 3 hours. It was so popular that, on a hot day when all the doors and windows were open, you could walk around town and still hear every word.

This song was played every week, without fail, for years on end. Other songs were often heard but this one was never missed - the Kini Quartet, a group of young Maori, sung 'Under the Sun'.

"It has been written in the book, Old Man, That all men are equal under the sun.
There is no war, and so, no pain. All are as one, under the sun.
When stripped of all material gain, All men are equal, equal, under the sun.

In the Land of the Free, In our own country, Where our babies are taught as one.
Where they learn to be men, To lift up their faces and then,
Walk hand in hand, Under the Sun.

There is no war, and so, no pain. All are as one, under the sun.
When stripped of all material gain, All men are equal, equal under the sun.

It has been written in the book, Old Man, To follow God's command.
To follow God's command."

(Yes, it was idealistic, but we liked it). It's not on Youtube, dammit.

I was a lonely and abused little boy. My drunken father and bitterly twisted and unhappy mother were too young and way out of their depth. They were only 18 when I was born, 6 months after the wedding. I spent a lot of time in my own world, reading books. I was the only kid in town allowed more than one book at a time from the Library - Mrs. Braidwood was sick of the sight of me and she let me take as many as I liked.

Also, I spent a lot of time, alone, down at the river, building dams, digging canals and often singing that song and dreaming of a better life.

My life was not exceptional. In our small, red-neck, working-class town, most of us were in the same boat. The lucky ones were those who didn't have fathers, or had fathers who weren't drunks. There were a few and we scorned them. "Little Princes & Princesses." (Jealousy takes many forms).

In the school holidays, if lucky, I got to escape to a better world - to Westport, (Westpoint), the town over the rainbow. I adored Westport, still do. Also, as a teenager, I sometimes got to go to Kaikoura, (Kaimoana). It wasn't as good as Westport but was still way better than home.

So, that's a little of where I came from and what motivates the stories. I remember telling myself stories at 5 years old - of course, at that age, they usually involved my discovering that I was the lost & loved son of a millionaire or a king or something. Hey, I was a kid!

Never imagined that I'd ever get to share stories with anyone else, so, thanks.

When I was 13, my grandfather died, which was no great surprise, he was an old man. Actually, he wasn't really that old, he was 61, but that's ancient when you're 13. Hell, 21 was old then. Besides he really was old. He died of 'the miner's disease' - ephysema, which is basically buggered lungs from breathing in too much dust in the mines. Of course, the excessive drinking and smoking didn't help either.

Anyway, he was old. He'd been sitting in a chair by the fire ever since I could remember, just waiting to die.

So, he did and my grandmother, who'd been nursing him for years, and her own mother before that, took on a whole new lease of life. Widowed at 60 and free for the first time, she started going out, playing cards, playing bowls and generally socialising a lot.

She stayed on, living in the big old family home, on her own. The family, all adults now, decided that it was not good that she was there on her own, so I, as the oldest grandson living in town, had to go up and sleep with her every night - in separate rooms, of course! (She was my grandmother - minds above belts here).

That arrangement suited me fine. I loved my grandmother and it meant that I was away from my parents' house every night and safe from my father's drunken, physical, abuse. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Six months after the funeral, Grandmother got married again.

She'd always been a bit of a character. She was a legend in her own family. One of the many stories told about her was how she'd been engaged to be married 10 times before finally settling down and marrying my grandfather 2 weeks after their first child, a daughter, was born. They went on to have 4 sons as well.

Anyway, 3 months after the funeral, there was a school reunion in the town. One of the people attending was one of my grandmother's old fiances. He was then living in Christchurch and was widowed after raising a family of his own. Accomodation was stretched in our small town, so he stayed in my grandmother's house. That meant that I had to go home for a week, which I was not happy about. I didn't see why I couldn't stay where I was. She had 5 bedrooms, for fuck's sake!

But, I couldn't and had to go home, and was beaten several times. Finally, the week passed, the old boyfriend went home and life went back to normal, for a while.

Suddenly, my grandmother, 'the Merry Widow', was getting mail everyday and sometimes little gifts and things. She went to Christchurch, on her own, and 6 months after my grandfather's funeral, she got married again, to her old boyfriend. The family were delighted and highly amused, all except one of them. I was horrified. She was sending me back to hell!

They went off on a honeymoon and the family decided to welcome them home by trashing the house. They made a stork, with a baby in a nappy hanging from its beak, and mounted it on the highest chimney, and then they wanted to get inside the house. She knew her sons and she'd locked the house up securely, but that didn't stop them. They broke, and removed the glass from, one of the smallest windows - 240 x 300 millimeters, (9 1/2 x 12 inches).

Two of my uncles picked me up and pushed me, sideways, through the window. Damm, I was a skinny kid at 13! I opened a door from the inside, and they all got in. They apple-pied, (half-sheeted), all of the beds, put sugar in the sheets and hung tin-cans under the mattresses, etc, etc. They even put some chemical in the fireplaces so that the fires would smoke and stink when they were lit. I never did find out what that stuff was.

The honeymooners came home and I had a new grandfather. He was an okay sort of guy, maybe a bit boring, but I never did like him much because his being there meant that I was stuck back in my parents' house. There were some advantages though. As well as the new grandfather, I had some new uncles and aunties and a crowd of new cousins. One new cousin, Brian, I really liked. He was a bit nerdy, but he was gorgeous! Yes, I already knew that I was gay. I wasn't stupid, I'd figured that out ages ago.

Christmas and the Summer holidays rolled around. Various relations came to stay and, when they went home to Blenheim, my new uncle and aunty took me with them, for a holiday, with Brian! I was delighted.

I had a wonderful time there for a couple of weeks. Uncle was a lawyer, so money was no object and we did something new and exciting nearly every day. The Gorgeous Brian was straight, unfortunately, and he didn't want to play those games. He was only 12 anyway, he was just a kid. His sister, Gail, was not. She was 14 and she did want to play, but I didn't, not with her. Eww!

It was still a great holiday though and I shared lots of my superior 14 year-old wisdom with Brian and his younger brother, John - like the proper way to wear their hair, the proper way to fucking talk and never, ever! to leave the house with shirts tucked into their trousers.

The day before I was due to go home, I realised that, because of uncle's generosity, I hadn't spent any of my pocket money. So I did the decent thing - I bought myself a present. (Hey, I was 14!) I bought a Lilo, an inflatable air-mattress. I'd never had one of my own before and it'd be great because I was not a strong swimmer.

I went home. Back to hell, dammit! But, at least I'd get to see Billy. I'd been missing him.

I wasn't sure when I fell in love, but I knew that I loved him. It was never planned and I wasn't looking for it. According to some, it should never have happened at all, but it did. Right or wrong, I loved him. Gay? S'pose it was, if it had to have a label. It was just Billy and I loved him.

I'd known him all of his life. Billy was the younger brother of my best friends and they lived just a few doors away. He was one of 8 kids. He had 2 older sisters, a younger sister and four little brothers. The big sisters had straight, dark-brown, hair like their mum. Billy and the younger ones all had dark-red hair, the colour of flames, all except for Ross who was blond.

Sometimes, not always but sometimes, red-heads can be good-looking. Billy certainly was, he was stunning, especially when he smiled. That smile of his lit-up the dullest day.

Maybe he'd never make a pin-up poster. There was actually a tooth missing from his smile. He lost it in an accident when he was just a kid, and there was no money to replace it. But it didn't spoil his smile, it gave him personality, like Alfred E. Neumann, from Mad magazine, he was a red-head too. My bedroom walls were always covered in pictures of Alfred E. Neumann, not because I was a big fan, but because they reminded me of Billy. No-one knew that, except me.

Home from the holiday, on a sunny summer's day, I was alone, drifting down the river, floating on my Lilo. I sped down a stretch of almost-rapids, rocking in the splashing waves and getting wet. Around the corner at the bottom, I glided out into a wide, placid pool - the swimming-hole I was heading for, where Devil's Creek met the river.

A bunch of boys were scurrying out of the river and into the cover of the surrounding bush. It was hard to see because of the water in my eyes, but there were 4 of them - Jimi and Fred, the Fraser brothers, little 'Mousy' O'Hara and - Billy! I would've known that flaming red hair anywhere.

Also, I wasn't sure, but I thought that they were all naked. Wow. Well, it was a private place, kind-of, and skinny-dipping was always popular. But, damm! I wished that I was swimming naked with Billy. Lucky Sods!

I dug my arms into the water and more or less, stopped the mattress, slowly drifting around in the back-wash caused by the end of the rapids. The boys reappeared, Jimi and Mousy sat together on the warm stones by the water's edge, Billy and Fred were standing, looking down, from the small cliff at the back of the pool.

Billy was wearing his baggy, green shorts - they were dry and his hair was wet! His smiling face was freckle-dusted, as were his hands and forearms, but all the rest of his slender body, arms and legs were a pure, spotless, milky-white and gorgeous. Damm, he was a nice-looking kid!

Fred wasn't too bad either. He had sandy-blond hair, tanned skin and a cheeky grin. He was as small and skinny as Billy and his swimming togs were far too big on him. They hung loose around the tops of his legs and, from down on the water, I could see the pinky-white skin up inside them. Fred draped an arm around Billy's shoulder and said something into his ear. Was he kissing him too? Whether he was or not, I hated him.

Of course Billy had other friends. He was sporty, too small for rugby but he was a keen cricketer. Plus he was friendly and popular, he was a nice kid. Okay, I knew I had no right to be jealous, but I was. I hated Fred Fraser and his brother and anyone else who Billy was friends with.

With a grin and a nod, Billy answered whatever it was that Fred said to him. He put an arm around his back and they leapt together off the cliff and into the river, almost swamping the Lilo with the wave they kicked up. Oh no they didn't! I knew what they were scheming and they weren't getting the Lilo from me! I scooped water frantically and pulled away down the pool. I shot into the rapid water at the end and raced away downstream, laughing at their yells.

Hah! They weren't hijacking me!

I sped into the next pool downstream, pulled over at the side and stood up, lifting the Lilo out of the water. No-one was following. That was far enough, it was a long walk home. I sat on the 'beach' and deflated the mattress. At least I didn't have to struggle all of the way back up the river. I could cut across to the end of the golf-links road and walk up there, back to town.

I did think of sneaking back up to the pool to spy on the boys and see what they were doing, but no. They knew that I was around now, so they probably wouldn't be doing anything. Anyway, if they were, it was none of my business and I didn't want to see Billy having naked fun with other boys. Besides, that'd be wrong.

I rolled the Lilo up and started walking, I was going home. Walking along in the heat, I was already plotting what Billy would be doing in my fantasies that night. Damm, it was a hot day! The sun shone bright in a cloudless sky. I hoped I wasn't getting burnt; I had nothing but shorts on. I started out covered in sunscreen, but the splashing and the sweating had probably ruined it.

I hoped Billy wasn't getting sunburnt. It wouldn't take much with that milky-white skin of his. But, if he was, I hoped that he got his little white bum burnt, that'd teach him to go naked with other kids. It would stop him doing anything else too.

My Great-Aunty June was coming out from the golf course as I was passing there. She stopped and gave me a ride home, which was great. I couldn't have timed that better if I tried. Way to go, Aunt June!

That's it - just one sunny day I remember clearly. Not sure why.

cheers

My Country 'tis of Thee

Today is Waitangi Day, or NZ's national day. So Happy Birthday, New Zealand.



(btw. i'll have something soon but it's not typed-up yet.)

cheers

Party in Kaimoana

Hey Guys,

Guess who's been writing again? No, not me - Lloyd has and he's really surpassed himself this time. Brilliant!

Todd Mortensen and his dad were running late. It was the final days of their trip, the trip that his dad gave him for his fifteenth birthday. He remembered opening the gift and seeing a document for two tickets and hearing his father say, “Two, one for you, one for me. Two tickets for wherever you want to go. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Cancun, Rio, Paris, or even something closer, like San Francisco. Or Alaska. Hawaii. Anywhere. But I get to go too. A little birdie told me you’d like us to spend more time together. I liked that idea so much, loved it so much, I thought of tickets to make it real.” Todd picked Australia and New Zealand without realizing how far apart the two countries actually were or that July (because of school, they scheduled the trip during Todd’s summer vacation) was winter in Australia and New Zealand. It didn’t matter; it had been a fabulous trip. They started in Australia where they tended to take tourist excursions. That was probably the way to see the most in the least amount of time. The harbor cruise of Sydney was spectacular as was the flight over the Australian Outback.

New Zealand was quite different. Todd had seen the movie “Lord of the Rings” and was curious to see where it was filmed. They took a tour of the national park where much of it was filmed and that was worthwhile. Todd had read an article in the April 2007 National Geographic magazine about the marine fishing reserves that New Zealand pioneered. The original one was near Cook’s Island at the northern end of the North Island. They flew up there and did some scuba diving, another fantastic experience.

There did not seem to be an easy way to see the South Island except by driving. Todd’s father was a bit concerned about right hand drive cars on the left side of the road but he agreed. They rented a car in Wellington and took the ferry to the South Island. Driving on the “wrong” side of the road was not a problem which was good because when they were on the road, they spent about eight hours a day driving. That was too much really – they tried to cover too much. Typical mistake of tourists.

The first day they went to Westpoint on the West Coast and stayed at the Adelphi Hotel. It was a comfortable well run place but the lady that ran it certainly ruled with an iron hand. Todd could not quite figure out the family. There seemed to be two adult grandsons who were twins. One seemed to have two wives but that wasn’t possible was it? The other, who was a runner – at least he went running every morning – seemed to share a room with a redhead who had a son. They couldn’t be gay could they? In any event they were extremely nice to Todd and his Dad. The redhead and the runner were getting ready for a trip to Australia.

After a day in Westpoint, they drove down the west coast to Queenstown, with a stop just outside to Greymouth to visit Little Earth Village and take a Hagglund off road trip at ‘On Yer Bike’ next door. From Queenstown they skied for a couple of days at the Treble Cone ski area. They were able to rent all the equipment, including parkas, which they needed. It was going to amaze friends back home to tell them they went skiing in July!

The plan was then to travel up the East coast to Kaimoana at the southern edge of the Marlborough wine country. Todd’s Dad said that area produced some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world and it might be fun to visit a vineyard.

But they were running late! They spent more time than they planned in Christchurch and now it was 6:30 in the evening and they were just entering Kaimoana. They found the Ocean View Motel where they had made a reservation.(It was on the waterfront - of course!)

As they checked in, Todd’s Dad said he knew it was late but asked if there was someplace where they could get something to eat. The manager, Patsy Tanner, suggested that they go to the Craypot Café right away. They closed at 7 PM but if the kitchen staff had not left yet, Dianne Sullivan would feed them.

They arrived just before 7 PM. The kitchen staff had not left and Dianne, who greeted them, agreed to give them some dinner. It was a good dinner too but as soon as it was served, they saw the kitchen staff leave. Todd noticed that there were two boys, one with dark hair and a redhead, about his age waiting and bussing the tables. As they were finishing their meal, Todd looked up. The staff had left the kitchen door open and Todd saw the two boys in the kitchen giving each other a quick kiss.

They redhead came to the table to see if there was anything else that they needed and Todd asked him, “Are you gay?” Todd’s dad and the redhead both reacted to the boldness of the question. The redhead said no but what prompted him to ask a question like that?

Todd said, “Well I saw you kissing the dark haired boy in the kitchen.”

“That wasn’t me. It must have been my brother Jacob kissing Riley, his mate.”

“Well, it looked just like you!”

“Yes we do look alike. We are identical twins. Hey Jacob, Riley come out here a minute.”

The dark haired boy and another redhead stepped out from the kitchen.

“What is it Colin?”

“These people saw you two kissing in the kitchen.”

Riley and Jacob turned as red as Jacob’s hair. The three of them stood before the startled Mortensens, two as embarrassed as you can be and one with a huge smile on his face. Dianne saw the three of them standing there and walked over.

“Is there some problem?”



Riley spoke first. “No, no problem. It’s just … well… it seems that these two guests saw me kissing Jacob in the kitchen.”

“I see,” said Dianne. “And why would you be doing that?”

Riley wished he was dead. Mr. Mortensen thought he saw Dianne suppress a smile.

After a bit of awkward silence, Riley said in a very quiet voice, “I’m gay Mum. I’ve been trying to find the courage to tell you but I was sure that you would hate me or at least be disappointed in me.” He expected his mother to react, but not in the way she did.

“Finally, finally you got up the courage to tell me. I was beginning to think you never would.”

“You mean you’re not upset?”

“Not any longer. Riley, I’m your mother. I’ve known for ages that you were gay and that you were in a relationship with Jacob. I was upset that you wouldn’t tell me and I’m glad that you finally have.”

She turned to the Mortensens. “Sorry, to involve you in our family business. Riley is my son and Colin and Jacob are my foster sons.”

Todd didn’t understand where his voice came from but he heard himself saying, “No problem. I’m gay myself and I understand how difficult it is to tell that to a parent.” Looking at his father, he went on, “My Dad knows and he knows my boyfriend, Andy.”

Dianne saw how relieved the four boys were. She looked at the Mortensens, “Look, I don’t want to throw you out but the four of us are due at a party this evening. One of our friends, Gary Stafford, is opening a new business tomorrow, the Kaimoana Emporium: Art, Music and Videos. Tonight is a pre-opening party.” She paused, “Why don’t you come with us. It should be a grand if an informal affair. Gary is a fabulous piano player and his cousin Joel is a fantastic singer. It will be a great evening. You can expect people of all ages, gay and straight, male and female – a cross section of Kaimoana. I think you would have a good time and you will be most welcome.”

Todd and his Dad were not so sure. They did not want to impose, but after much persuasion and encouragement from Dianne and the three boys, they agreed to go with them.

“The Emporium: Art, Music and Video” said the sign on the front of a very large building. The store inside was large but not all that large considering the size of the building. There must be something else in the back part of the building. The store seemed to have two parts. The front was filled with music and video displays. There was a large video screen on the wall that was showing some sort of a musical. The rest of the wall displayed spectacular art works all of which were for sale. The back wall had huge sliding doors which opened into a large room with a small stage. On one side were windows into a glassed in rooms which Todd took to be some sort of control rooms. Art work was hung on these walls as well. To one side was a counter with food serving equipment behind it. It appeared to be some sort of a coffee or snack bar arrangement.

When they arrived, Todd spotted Patsy Tanner. “Look Dad, there is the lady from the motel.”

“Hello there. You arrived with Dianne and her boys so I assume that you were fed at the Craypot Café.”

Mr. Mortensen responded, “Yes you were quite right. The kitchen staff had not left and we were able to have dinner. Dianne and the boys then insisted that we come here.”

“Good for them. These are the best people of the best town on the South Island if not all of New Zealand.”

Turning to the person standing beside her, she said, “Let me introduce you to Olive Braidwood. She is the librarian and also head of the Kaimoana Operatic Society.”

“Welcome to Kaimoana, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Riley took charge of Todd. He decided it was his role to introduce Todd to everyone.

He started with Dr. Stevens. “Sir, this is Todd a visitor from America.”

“Pleased to meet you Todd. Did Riley find you in a cave as well?” he asked with a grin. Todd had no idea what he was talking about. Dr. Stevens laughed and told Todd to have Riley tell him how he met Colin and Jacob.

Riley gave Todd the Reader’s Digest version of the story. Then he went on to explain that in addition to being the Doctor in town, Dr. Stevens wrote the latest musical performed by the Kaimoana Operatic Society. It was a musical telling of the story of Kaimoana.

“Wow” said Todd. “You wrote the whole musical, words music and everything?”

“Well dialogue and lyrics anyway. The tunes, mostly show tunes, were ‘borrowed’ from other sources.” the Doctor explained. “That is the show being shown on the video on the wall.”

“I’d like to get a copy of that DVD,” said Todd.

Dr. Stevens turned to the person next to him, “Gary, here is your first customer. Our American visitor would like to buy the DVD of our latest production.”

“Hi, I’m Gary Stafford. Nice to meet you. Yeah, I think we can get you a DVD. Peter, these new machines will make a copy in the format that works in North America won’t they?”

A guy standing behind Gary turned, “Hello, I’m Peter Lewis. Yes, this equipment will make a DVD that they can take home with them to America. Jay, you make the labels and I will make the DVD.”

“Hello, I’m Jay Kynnersley. It won’t take a minute to do this.”

Peter put a blank DVD in the machine and set the equipment to burn a DVD in the North American format. Jay brought up the DVD package label in the screen, made a few edits to indicate that it was the North American format, and printed out the package label. He placed the label face down on a clip board and wrote across the top, “To the Mortensens, from your Kiwi friends” and signed his name. He turned to Lachlan and said, “Here sign this and get everyone one who was a part of the production, which is everyone here, to sign it as well.”

Jay then brought up the DVD label image on the screen and made similar edits to indicate that it was in the North American format. Peter handed him the completed printable DVD. Jay put the disk in the tray of the printer and shortly a labeled DVD appeared. Jay put it in an empty DVD box and set it aside until Lachlan could get all the signatures on the box label.

Riley continued with his introductions as he ushered Todd and his dad through the crowd. “This is Joel Stafford, Gary’s cousin, who lives upstairs. I hope we are going to hear you sing this evening Joel. This is Virgil Cain who is Joel’s mate. Lachlan McLaughlin, you saw before. He is Gary’s mate. This is Sally Griffin who is also a cousin of Joel. Meet Fern McAuliffe and Emmy Scott. Emmy’s dad, Paul, is the school principal – he is standing over there.”

Todd’s dad stopped to speak with Paul but Riley and Jacob kept introducing Todd to more and more people. Todd gave up trying to keep the names straight or even to remember them.

“This is Dylan James and his cousin William Scott, Emmy’s brother and Paul’s son. Dylan and Wills this is Todd from America.” Another couple turned toward Riley. “This is Suzanne Woods and Brodie Hilliard. Brodie is a long time friend of Dylan. Suzanne lives upstairs in Gary’s spare bedroom now that her parents have abandoned her and her brother, Ashton, for Australia.”

“Mac and Joyce meet Todd from America. It is actually Bryan MacSweeney and Jocelyn Archer but everyone calls them Mac and Joyce or Joss. These two standing with them are Grant and Stevie, Joyce’s younger brothers. This is Kelly Smith and Megan Solomon.”

Riley spotted Peter across the room, “Hey Peter.” Riley turned to Todd and said “I want you to meet Peter de Groot, my best friend here in Kaimoana. He is with Ashton, his mate. They live together in a converted bus behind the de Groot’s home. It was crowded for a while but they are by themselves now that Peter’s Canadian cousins have moved to Christchurch with their mother.”

“I thought I was your best friend.”

“Shut up Jake, you are a lot more than a friend.”

Todd’s dad rejoined the group.

“Peter de Groot and Aston Woods, meet Todd Mortensen and his dad from America.”

“Welcome to Kaimoana. Here, try one of these deserts” said Peter offering a plate to Todd and his dad.

“Oh I had one of these at lunch today in Christchurch. They are fabulous.”

“If you had one at lunch, you had lunch at Billy’s Burgers. That is the only place where you can buy them. They are made here in Kaimoana.”

“They are made here in Kaimoana?” repeated Todd.

“Here in Kaimoana in this very building” said Peter. Father and Uncle are the de Groot Brothers, Master Bakers.”

Todd’s dad asked, “And are you going to be a baker Peter?”

“No, I am going to be an accountant. Next year I go to university and after I complete my education and get some experience with an accounting firm, I plan to open my own firm here in Kaimoana. I hope to be able to get many of the local businesses as clients.”

“Well you seem to have things planned out. What about you Aston?”

“I’m going to university with Peter and then I plan to work in an auto dealership,” said Ashton.

“Ashton owns the Beamer you must have seen parked outside,” interjected Riley.

“I saw three Beamers parked outside,” said Todd’s dad.

“Yes, one is mine, one is Mrs. Matheison’s from Westpoint and the third, which used be my father’s, is Gary’s. Gary is a reluctant Beamer owner; he acquired it when he bought the auto dealership at the bankruptcy auction. I don’t think he really wanted to own an auto dealership but he was concerned that Kaimoana would not have any dealership and he was especially concerned for the people at the agency who would be out or work. Mr. Murchison, the sales manager, has been with the agency for thirty-five years and is just five years away from retirement. There are a number of others with very long service there. So Gary bought it. Mr. Murchison has agreed to run the agency until his retirement. The plan is that after I return from university I will work there and, hopefully, eventually buy it from Gary.”

“Wow,” said Riley. “Does my mum know all this?”

“Of course she does Riley” said Ashton. “Your mum is Gary’s lawyer. She handled all the arrangements.”

“Riley, I thought your mum was the owner and operator of the Craypot Café,” queried Todd’s dad.

“She is, but before she gave up her practice and we moved to Kaimoana she was a top lawyer in Auckland. She just keeps her hand in by doing legal work for friends including Gary, Ashton, the de Groots, and Colin and Jacob.”

“OK Riley, you have been introducing the Mortensens to everyone, let me introduce them to my cousins from Westpoint,” said Jake as two boys joined them.

“Robert and Ross Mathieson, this is Todd Mortensen and his dad from America.”

“Welcome to New Zealand,” said Robert and Ross.

“And I’m their mother, Cecily Mathieson,” said the lady that joined them.

“Ah, the owner of the third Beamer,” said Todd’s father.

“Yes, my job requires me to travel quite a bit and I decided that I would at least be comfortable doing it.”

“And what is it that you do?”

“I work for Billy’s Burgers,” said Cecily.

“Actually, Mrs. M. is the CEO of Billy’s Burgers” interjected Peter de Groot.

Todd was staring at Robert. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like the boy on the Billy’s Burgers sign?”



“Yes said Robert,” smiling. “Dylan James and William Scott made the same observation when they visited us in Westpoint. But it is not me; it is my older brother Billy. It was painted by Jason MacDonald. Hey, Jason and Jordan, come meet the Mortensens. Todd thinks the logo of Billy’s Burgers looks like me.”

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Jason Macdonald and this is my mate, Jordan Taylor. Welcome to New Zealand. Well, Robert, when I painted that logo your brother, Billy, was the same age that you are now.”

“Jason Macdonald and Jordan Taylor,” said Todd’s dad. “This is all your art that is hanging on the walls?”

“Yes it is. We had been considering opening a gallery in Kaimoana and when we learned that Gary was going to open his Emporium, we thought this would be an ideal location to show the east coast our work.”

“It is spectacular work. You are very talented,” said Todd’s dad.

“Thank you. What do you think of the sketch of you and your son?”

“They haven’t seen it yet,” said Gary as he joined the group with Lachlan carrying a clipboard and the DVD case.

Gary explained that this was the DVD of Kaimoana Operatic Society musical history of Kaimoana which Peter, Jay, Jordan and Jason produced. The DVD label and the outside of the package or case label were the work of Jordan and Jason but the inside of this package label was special. At the top were the words “To the Mortensens, from your Kiwi friends.” Below that were the signatures of everyone who was involved in the production which was just about everyone at the party. Todd’s and his dad’s eyes were immediately drawn to the top of the sheet just to the left of the words. There there was a pen and ink head and shoulders sketch of Todd and his dad. His dad had his hand on Todd’s shoulder.

Todd and his dad were awestruck! They had difficulty expressing their appreciation.

Gary explained that the case was one of the new slim clear plastic ones and that when the case label was inserted in its envelope, which he proceeded to do, the sketch and message would show on the inside when the case was opened. Again he demonstrated.

Todd’s dad finally recovered his voice and asked Gary, “How much do we owe you?”

Gary said, “Do you have an American dollar?”

“Yes, but surely it is worth more than that?”

“I was not going to charge you anything but when Dr. Stevens said you would be my first customer, I had this idea. Many folks frame the first dollar they earn in their business. I think it will be special to frame an American dollar as the first dollar this business earned.”

Todd’s dad reached for his wallet and gave Gary an American dollar. “Are you sure we can’t give you more?”

“No, the look on your faces was worth more than any amount of money you can give me.”

Gary then excused himself. “I have to go and play the piano now and entertain my guests. Jason, I am going to call on you to sing Oliver’s song from Oliver after Joel sings. You do remember the words, don’t you?”

Jason responded, “Gary, it has been ten years, but – yeah – I do remember the words.”

Mrs. M. explained to Todd and his dad, “Jason was the understudy to my son Billy when he played the role of Oliver in the Westpoint school production of Oliver about ten years ago.”

Todd’s dad said, “I guess your being the CEO of Billy’s Burgers is how the business got its name and how your son became its model.”

“Not at all, in fact almost the opposite. I work for my son. Billy created the recipe for the original Billy’s Burger when he was fourteen. When and his mate, Justin Reynolds, were fifteen, they decided to launch Billy’s Burgers and came to me with a complete business plan and asked if I would run the company for them. Their plan, which included marketing and finance arrangements, made a great deal of sense and I agreed. It has been a roller coaster ride ever since.”

Their conversation was interrupted by piano music. Gary addressed the assembled guests, “You were promised a concert and that it what you are going to get. I will start by playing some piano selections, then Joel will sing and then I have asked Jason MacDonald from Westpoint to sing. You know him as an artist and one of the camera men videoing our recent production but I found out that he can sing as well as paint. After that it is your turn! We discovered with this production that Kaimoana has a great deal of real talent and tonight is an opportunity to share it with each other.”

Gary started with Whispering Hope and then moved on to a selection of other pieces. After that he asked Joel to take the stage and sing the “Impossible Dream” from Man from LaMancha. This was followed by several other selections and then Jason was called to the stage to sing Oliver’s song. That was followed by group singing of most of the rest of the music from Oliver and then the assembled group sang all the songs from the recent Kaimoana Operatic Society musical.

Todd and his dad had never seen so many people enjoying themselves so much. It was a fantastic evening.

The next morning Todd and his dad went down to breakfast at the motel restaurant. All the Westpoint people who were at the party the night before were there and it was a happy time to renew acquaintances. Todd and his dad again told Jason and Jordan how overwhelmed they were with the sketch on the inside of the album label. Mrs. M, Robert and Ross were headed back to Westpoint after breakfast. Peter, Jay, Jason and Jordan were staying for another day to help Gary. The official ribbon cutting was scheduled for noon.

After breakfast Todd’s dad told Todd to go up and pack while he settled the bill. Today they would visit a vineyard on their way up to Picton to catch the evening ferry to Wellington. Tomorrow they would fly back to the States.

“There is no bill!” Patsy told Mr. Mortensen.

“But I do not understand, we stayed here and this is a commercial motel.”

“Gary was very explicit; there would be no bill for the visitors from Westpoint or the American visitors who were at the party last evening.”

“Why would Gary want to pay our bill? He is just starting a new business; he can’t be doing things like that.”

“Gary owns this place; he can do just about anything he wants about his guests’ bills.”

“Patsy, isn’t Gary about sixteen? How can a sixteen year old boy own a hotel, an auto dealership and run an art gallery, music and video store?”

“Because he is a bloody amazing kid. You heard him on the piano. He also owns the building that houses the store and the bakery. In fact, he has invested a substantial amount in the de Groot Brothers, Master Bakers. Actually, he has had a rough life which forced him to grow up fast. His parents threw him out because he is gay. A family friend took him in and treated him like the son he never had until he died of cancer. He had no family so he left a substantial fortune to Gary. Gary rambled about for a bit and then settled here with his cousin, Joel. He has made many friends here. His efforts with the Kaimoana Operatic Society production earned him the respect and admiration of the entire community – well except for the homophobes. There is no bill! I hope your visit to New Zealand has been a good one.”

“It has and Kaimoana has been special. Thank you.”

As they began the drive from Kaimoana, Todd told his father, “This has been a fantastic trip – you will never be able to top this birthday present, not that you need to. Everything was great, but I think our experience in Kaimoana has to be the highlight.”

“Yes it was. We met a fantastic group of people. They are an incredible manifestation of respect and acceptance. If they are typical of the whole community, Kaimoana is a great place to live. Gary and Peter de Groot are unique in their humility. Peter hopes to establish a small accounting firm to serve the needs of business in Kaimoana. Mrs. M is particularly taken with him. I suspect that his small accounting firm will quickly grow to one of national stature. Gary will become one of the community leaders without ever wanting to be. Lachlan is going to be busy convincing Gary to do what people want him to.”

"I'm coming back here again, Dad. I don't know when, but one day, I'll be back."

"Sounds good to me. Why don't you bring Andy with you next time?"

"Thanks, Dad. I will!"

The Malloys, 10

(What do you Guys think of this - does it work?)

Michael dropped his purchases on his bed, got the mower out of the garage and looked down the back lawns with a sigh. They were way bigger than the ones out at the front. Oh well, he knew what he wanted for Christmas - a bloody motor-mower! He started mowing.

Big Mike arrived home from school and stood at the end of the yard, watching him. Michael grinned when he saw him there and he pushed the mower back up to him.

"Hey Big Mike. How's your day been?"

"Pretty good so far and it'll get better. I'm going swimming, with Maxie. You want to come?"

"No. Thanks but I'm not, I don't want to crowd your romance."

"You wouldn't be crowding, we're just swimming. Ben might be there too," Big Mike grinned.

"Good for him. I'm not. Stop trying to set me up with Ben. If it happens, it happens."

"I'm not setting you up!"

"Are too."

"Okay, maybe I'm trying to help things along a bit. Ben's a nice guy and he's interested."

"Just leave it, Big Mike. I don't know if I'm ready."

"Well get ready! Sheesh, you don't want to be a 30 year-old virgin, do you?"

"Shut up."

"I'm shutting. Want me to finish the lawns?"

"No thanks. I'm nearly done anyway."

"Please yourself. See you later, Brother."

"Later Big Mike. Have fun."

"Oh we will!"

He finished the lawn and put the mower away. He came out of the garage and Hori was standing there, holding his frisbee and looking hopeful.

"Frisbee time, Hori? Yeah, we can do that. Do you want to play here or will we go to the park?"

Hori flashed a grin and headed out to the street..

"Okay, we're going to the park."

He smiled as he watched Hori dancing along the sidewalk all the way up to the park at the end of the street. It didn't take much to make the boy happy. Was he ever that full of the joy of life himself? He didn't think so.

They reached the park and there was no-one there, which was great. They had the place to themselves. Michael ran out on to the field and threw the frisbee back to him. They'd only been playing there for a few minutes when trouble arrived. The McCutcheons walked out on to the field, blocking their game.

There were 5 of them, 1 kid, 2 teens and 2 men. The family resemblance was strong. They were all big, hard and rough-looking. They looked like different stages of the same thug and they were not smiling.

"Well! Look who's here, all on his own and still in our town. You were told to fuck off, Malloy."

"Fuck off yourself. We're not hurting anyone. Anyway, you said I had until tonight to think about it."

"I changed my mind."

The teenage McCutcheon hit him. Michael almost avoided it, but the fist caught the side of his face, knocking him backwards. He recovered and attacked back but was tackled by a bigger one. Two of them hauled him upright and stood holding him while the first one punched him in the guts. He struggled to get free but couldn't. They were too strong for him. He hit him again, and then turned to the younger brother.

"There y'go, Lenny. It's all yours. Work the bastard over."

The kid started hitting him, not as hard as his brother but it still flaming hurt - especially the one in the nuts. Hori came rushing in, roaring, and he attacked the one punching Michael. He brushed him aside and a bigger one picked him up and flung him away.

"Piss off, ya Fucking Dummy!"

"He's a little kid! Leave the boy alone, you Bastard!" Supercharged with rage, Michael broke free and attacked the one who'd hurt Hori. He got in some good hits before the many hands pulled him down again.

"You're dead, Malloy. You're a dead man walking."

"Make that a dead Queer. He's another fucking Faggot."

Even while he was struggling, Michael was worrying about his little friend. "Hori, run!" he yelled. "Go home, Hori. Run!"

Hori took off out of the park, heading for home and screaming his head off, so that was one less thing he had to worry about and he carried on trying to fight them off. They held his arms so he couldn't use them, but he used his legs to good effect. He booted one in the face and kneed another in the nuts. When they finally subdued him, they hauled him up and two of them held him, pinned against the goal-post with his arms pulled behind him.

Hori left the park, running faster than he ever had in his life. Roaring and crying he ran down the sidewalk to home, arriving there just as Big Mike came from the other direction. Hori ran up and grabbed him, pulling on his clothes.

"Whoah, Hori! Settle down. What's the matter with you?"

Hori pulled hard. "Aargh! Michael. Help Michael!"

"What?" Big Mike bent down to look closer. "Hori, you spoke! You talked to me."

"Michael! In the Park. Fighting. Help Michael - go!"

"Michael's in trouble? Bloody McCutcheons is it? Right, I'm there!"

Big Mike pounded down the sidewalk.

Hori ran inside and burst into the kitchen, still roaring. Nancy was standing at the stove, Sarah by the sink-bench and Tommy and his mother were sitting at the table. Tommy was nursing his head over a steaming mug of coffee. They all looked around at him.

"Hori, I've told you not to run in the house," Nancy snapped.

He ignored her, ran to Tommy and pulled on his hand. "Tommy, you go! The Park. Michael. Help Michael - go Tommy!"

"What?" Tommy looked at him in amazement. "Hori, what did you say?"

"You heard him," Nancy said. "Go to the park and help Michael."

"But he's talking! Hori, what's wrong with Michael?"

"Fighting. Cutcheons. Tommy go!"

"McCutcheons? Well, . . I . . Hori, you're talking!"

"For fuck's sake!" Nancy exploded. "Never mind that now. Your boy's in trouble. Get your arse down to the Park."

"Well," he stood up and looked down at his mother who was frowning at him. "Mother, I have to."

"You promised, Thomas. You said you wouldn't, ever again."

"Tommy!" Nancy growled.

He looked at her, looked at Hori and back at his mother. "I have to."

"Thomas, you can not."

"Oh, shut up, Old Woman! My boy needs me." He left the room running.

Tommy Malloy pounded down the sidewalk and the ground trembled beneath his feet.

He strode into the park and took in the scene at a glance. Big Mike was on his back with a McCutcheon sitting on him and punching him while another younger one was standing putting the boot in. Two were holding Michael, battered and bleeding, back against a goal-post and another was pummelling him. Tommy's rage burnt white-hot. He could kill someone here and he didn't fucking care if he did!

Big Mike was the closest, so he went to him first. A well-placed kick sent the yobbo flying off his son. He spun around, swatted the younger one aside, and then went to Michael.

The oldest McCutcheon looked over Michael's shoulder. "Tommy Malloy! You must be fucking joking, Old Man."

A flying kick smashed his teeth in. He reeled back and let Michael go. The other one let go as well and stepped back with his hands up in submission. Michael lunged at him and Tommy turned on the other who pulled out a knife and brandished it.

"Yeah, right!" Tommy scoffed. A foot flashed out, connected with his wrist and the knife went flying.

"Yowww!" he screamed and clutched the wrist with his other hand. "You've broken my hand!"

"Good." Tommy smashed an elbow into his face and knocked him down. He lay, whimpering and curled around his hands.

The other one broke away from Michael and started running. Tommy stood, hands up in front of him and scanning around for more threats. There weren't any. He forced himself to calm down.

"Now, you Bastards listen to me. You ever touch one of my boys again, you even look at them, and you're dead! I've killed with my bare hands before and, for my boys, I'll do it again. Get the fuck out of my sight!"

The McCutcheons left the park as fast as they could manage. They passed Sarah, Nancy and Hori on ther way in. Sarah went to Big Mike who was still sitting on the ground. Nancy focussed on Tommy and hugged him like he was a little kid. Hori ran at Michael and wrapped himself around him, sobbing.

Michael sobbed and hugged him back. "Thanks, Hori. You're my Hero."

"Love you, Michael," Hori cried.

"Wow! I love you too, Little One. I love you a lot."

He looked over at Tommy who was extricating himself from Nancy's embrace. "Thanks, Tommy. Fantastic! How did you?"

Tommy just shrugged and grinned. "Welcome, Son."

Nancy, smiling wider than he'd ever seen her before, said, "My Tommy was not much older than you when he was Australasian Kick-Boxing Champion, 3 years in a row. He's never been beaten."

"Really? Wow. But, why didn't you use it when you were beaten-up yourself?"

"I said I wouldn't. I killed my best friend, in a competition. I lost my temper, kicked him in the head and snapped his neck. It really screwed me up and I swore I'd never do it again. I guess you don't forget what you're good at."

"I'm so glad you didn't."

"So am I. Fighting is not right, but sometimes you have to."

"Thanks Dad." Michael hugged him, with great difficulty, Hori was still clinging to his leg.

"Welcome, Son." Tommy hugged him back. "Let's go home."

The Malloys all pounded down the sidewalk. They went home.

The Malloys, 9

"There was three of them," Tommy shrugged.

"So what? I don't want to hear your excuses. Does a builder build without tools, does a boxer fight without his hands? If you've got to fight, fight to win and use the bloody brains that God's given you!"

"Brains?" Sarah said. "I think Tommy was away that day."

"You can shut up, Girl. Clean your father up." Nancy turned and looked at Michael. "If you've finished gawping, you can get out of here. Go and see what the kids are doing. Take the baby with you too, he doesn't need to see this."

"Yeah, okay, sure, Nancy."

He scooped Paulie up from the play-pen on the floor and took him away. Nancy was getting stuck into Tommy again as he left the house. Whoah, he was glad that he wasn't him! Molly and Hori were on the swings in the backyard, so he sat down next to them, holding the baby and thinking. He was totally confused. Nancy was wild with Tommy and he didn't blame her, but she seemed to be more upset because he lost the fight. (?)

He didn't have much choice, did he? It was three onto one, and that one was Tommy - how could he not lose? Damm. He would never understand these people.

Tommy wasn't there for dinner that night, which wasn't unusual. Apparently he was 'sleeping it off' and no-one wanted to talk about it. When he asked, Michael was told to shut up and mind his own business. Nice.

It was an early start the next day. Big Mike was going to school and Michael had to go with him. He'd thought that Nancy, or someone, would be coming with him, but - no. "You're not a baby, you're a big boy. You found your way here from halfway across the country, I think you can find your way to school. Big Mike will see that you get there, and then you're on your own."

So, in his tidiest casual clothes, he went to school with Big Mike, who left him at the office to enroll, and went off to his classes. The Secretary enrolled him in his new school and arranged for the records to be sent from his old one. It took bloody ages and, when she was finally finished with him, he left clutching a list of the books and uniform etc that he'd need.

He'd have to pay for all this himself! He could afford it, but there wouldn't be much left in the bank when he'd done. The kids were all out for recess when he emerged. There was no sign of Big Mike, but Ben was there, smiling at him. It was good to see one friendly face.

"Hey, Ben. How're you today?"

"I'm good. Hey, Michael and welcome to your new school."

"Yeah, thanks. I start tomorrow."

"You've got the day off? Lucky Bugger! Wish I could join you."

"Well you can't," Michael grinned. "Maybe some other time?"

They stood chatting in the sunshine and Michael was feeling good. He liked this kid. He didn't know if it'd go any further, but he'd be glad to have him for a friend. He wasn't looking for trouble, trouble found him, in the shape of a bunch of big, spotty idiots.

"What's this, Phillips?" the ringleader sneered. "Got yourself a new girlfriend, have you?"

"Yeah," a second one agreed. "Last thing we need around here is another bloody queer. Fuck off back where you came from, why don'cha?"

"I don't think so. Fuck off yourself." Michael wasn't backing down to this lot. That'd be a dumb way to start in his new school.

"Eww. Big Man! Gonna make us, are you?" a third one chimed-in. "Hey! I know who you are. You're the new fucking Malloy. Just what we need!"

The first one, the biggest one, shoved him. "The Malloy? We've been looking for you, Fucker. You're the one who smacked my little brothers over in the park. Fucking Malloys are all the same and you're all useless. Just wait 'til we get you alone somewhere, Queer Boy - you're dead!"

"Yeah?" Michael flared back. "Your type are all the same too -real big when you're in a crowd. Try it when you're on your own and I'll do the lot of you!"

"Yeah, right. Sure you will. But we won't be on our own, will we? You will and you're gonna be sorry you ever set foot in this town."

The 3rd one said, "We'll try not to break your legs, the first time. That'll give you a chance to fuck off after we've finished with you.."

"This is big-time, Faggot! No Queers touch my brothers and live."

"You've been watching too many bad movies. I'm so scared!" Michael replied. (That wasn't a lie, he was but he couldn't let them know that).

"Just piss-off, McCutcheon," Ben defended him. "You touch this kid and you'll be sorry."

"For why? What're you going to do, Girly? Run and tell Mummy?"

"You'll find out."

"Eww. Watch it, Troy. She'll scratch your eyes out."

"She'll fucking try!" He swung a fist at Ben. He missed.

"Back off, McCutcheon!" Harri, with Fiona and another girl arrived, closely followed by Big Mike, Max and two other boys. "Fuck off or you'll be sorry."

"Oh, Fuck. Watch it, Guys. The butch-girls are here to defend the sissy-boys. We haven't got time for this." He pulled out a knife and pointed it at Michael. "Last warning, Queer. You've got until tonight to get out of this town and don't come back." They swaggered away.

"You okay, Michael?"

"Yeah, thanks Big Mike, I'm fine. Those creeps don't scare me."

Hari said, "Maybe they should. Don't do anything stupid. Walk down a dark alley and you might not come out of the other end. They really are bad news. You be careful."

"Thanks, Harri. I will."

"See you do," Big Mike said. "I can't always be there for you to hide behind. What are you doing now?"

"'Kay, Big Mike." He showed his list."I'm going shopping, there's all this stuff I need."

"Sooner you than me. You got money?"

"Yeah, some."

"Have fun then. I'll see you at home. Take care, Brother."

"You too. Thanks, Ben, Harri, everyone. See y'all tomorrow." He left the school and headed downtown to clean-out his bank account.

The next couple of hours were spent getting rid of all his money and buying the things he'd need on the list. He was feeling pretty good when he arrived home, laden with parcels. That didn't last long.

Nancy met him at the door and frowned. "What've you been doing and why aren't you at school?"

"I've been there and enrolled, but I don't start until tomorrow. They gave me a list of things I'll need, books and uniforms and stuff, so I've been shopping."

"Oh have you just? And how did you pay for all of that?"

"From my bank account. I've got some money, or," he shrugged and grimaced, "I did have. There's not much left now."

Nancy was not smiling. "How then are you are you going to pay for the food you eat around here?"

"I have to pay?"

"And the electricity you use, and wear and tear on the furnishings. It all costs money you know."

"I know it does," he said quietly. He raised his head and looked her in the eyes. "I can work for it. You give me things to do and I'll do them. Plus, I'll get a job. I'll go back downtown now and see if I can get work. If you don't want to wait, I'll ring my mother and borrow some money. If that's not enough, I guess I'll just have to go."

"Go?" she roared. "Go? You're not going anywhere so you can get that idea out of your head right now! Tommy is your father and, for better or worse, you're part of this family now. There'll be no more talk about going."

"I'm sorry, Nancy, I don't understand. If I'm part of the family, why do I have to pay to be here?"

"You don't, obviously. You don't have to pay for your bloody school-books either. You think Big Mike pays for his? Or Molly?"

"Well, no. I guess not."

"Of course they bloody don't and neither do you. I'm offended that you'd think for one minute that you had to. We're not the richest family in town, but we're not the poorest either - far from it."

"Sorry, Nancy. I wasn't thinking."

"You weren't. In future use the brains that God's given you. You're as bad as your father! I want a detailed list of everything you bought and I want to know exactly how much it cost."

"Okay, if you really want me to. But it's all done now, couldn't we just leave it this time? I won't do it again."

"Damm right you won't. And you won't do it this time either. I will pay for everything. What if the Queen Mother found out that you paid for your own books? I'd never hear the end of it.. I'm not giving that old bag something like that to hold over me.."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good."

"Damm right it wouldn't. Besides, I want you to be a part of this family. We've got plenty of room for you."

"I want to be, too," he was almost crying. He grabbed hold and hugged her.

"Phaww! Get off me Gay-Boy! What'll the neighbours think?" She pushed him off. "Put that stuff away, and then you can go out to the back and finish the lawns. You only did half of them yesterday."

"Sure thing, I'm on to it." He stepped down off the verandah, stopped and looked back. "Nancy, thanks."

"Mow the lawns!" She went inside.

The Malloys, 8

Back at the house, he sat on the edge of the verandah for a rest. The pack was damm heavy! Hori climbed on him and cuddled in. He sat there, holding him. He kissed his hair. "Thanks, Hori."

"Yes. Well done, My Darling. Thank you." Sarah lifted Hori off him. "Don't you ever do that to him again, Michael." She took him inside.

"Yeah, I won't." He looked up, Nancy stood in the doorway, looking down at him. "Nancy?"

"Michael," she smiled, fleetingly. "Look at the state of these lawns! Get the mower out of the garage and get them cut."

"Yeah, okay, sure," he grinned, but she'd already gone.

He left the pack where it was, on the verandah. He was sick of lugging it around and hoped he never had to again. He went to the garage, opened the roller-door and got a shock. The lawnmower sitting just inside was a bloody push-mower! Damm. He didn't know that anyone still had those old things outside of a museum. Surely there was a motor-mower in there somewhere?

There wasn't. Or, if there was, he couldn't find it in all the junk. He couldn't see one anyway. Oh, well. At least the lawns out at the front weren't that big. He wasn't doing the ones out at the back, they were way too much. Stuff 'em!

He rolled the mower out to the front and started on the lawns. It was easier than he expected and it was quite fun really. There was something satisfying about watching the roller-blades slice through the grass because he made them spin. He cut the two small lawns, and then moved on to the strip of grass along the edge of the street outside the front gate.

He'd be done here in no time! Totally engrossed in what he was doing, he almost ran into a pair of big, black booted feet. He stopped and looked at a burly, uniformed policeman.

"Watch it, Boy," the cop growled at him. "I've already cut my toenails this week."

"Sorry," he shrugged. "I didn't see you there. I'm Michael."

"Of course you are - Michael Malloy. It's my business to know these things and I'll be watching you."

"Oh, okay then. You must be Harri's father?"

"I hope not! No, not her father, just her uncle - by adoption I hasten to add. You missed a bit over there."

"Yeah, I'll get it. Thanks."

"We serve. That's our job, that and catching crims. Is there anyone home next door?"

"Sorry, I don't know. I haven't been watching."

"Maybe you should. I'll go and look then. I'm PC Green, by the way, you can call me 'Sir'. Oh, and Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Always blow on the pie," he grinned and left. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7UX8KASASU ).

It was funny having cops for neighbours. In the world he came from, they were to be avoided at all costs. Still, he supposed, if you're not doing anything wrong, there's no need to fear them. They were just people, like any others. Some of them were arseholes, some weren't.

He finished mowing the lawn and put the mower away in the garage before anyone suggested doing the back-lawns as well. He'd done his share and that was enough.

His pack had gone from the front of the house. Somebody had moved it, he didn't see who. Damm, he hoped it hadn't been pinched! All of his clothes were in there. No, he would've seen something. Someone had put it away. He hoped.

He went back to the sleep-out, Big Mike was there, lying on his bed, and Michael's clothes and stuff out of the pack were all over the other one.

"Hey, Big Mike. Did you unload my gear?"

"There's no-one else here. Yeah, of course I did. Time you were unpacked. You can have those drawers and half of the wardrobe."

"Oh. Okay, thanks. Where's my pack."

"I took everything out of it and put it away safely."

"But where?"

"Not telling you. You don't need to know."

"It's my pack. Where did you put it?"

"Away. If you haven't got it then you can't leave, can you?"

"Thanks, I think. I'm not leaving."

"See that you don't."

"Okay. Where's Max?"

"Max who? He's being a jerk, so I left him to it."

"Oh? Have a row with him, did you?"

"Yeah. Nothing new, it happens all the time."

"Right. How long have you two been together?"

"Too bloody long sometimes. He doesn't own me, he just thinks he does."

"Relationship problems!"

"Sometimes, yeah. He'll be back when he wakes up. I think he's got his eye on you too."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Don't even go there. I'll share the room with you but I'm not sharing the boyfriend."

"Wouldn't want to."

"Well, good! We'll have to get a boyfriend for you too. What do you think of Ben?"

"Ben? I dunno. Seems okay, I guess. Is Ben gay?"

"Yep. Gay and single and he's a nice guy. He used to have a boyfriend, but he moved away, so now he's available."

"And you're trying to set me up? Don't bother. I'll find my own, when I'm ready."

"I'm sure you will, but think about Ben, he's a good one."

"Well, you go get him then."

"Not likely. I'll stick with Maxie, he's the greatest when he's not being a jerk."

"If you say so."

Michael sorted his clothes and put them away in the drawers. There was plenty of room, he didn't have that much. The sleeping-bag went into the wardrobe.

"Right then," Big Mike got up. "If you're done here, we'll go and check-out the workshop."

"Workshop?"

"Yeah. Nancy's goldmine, we call it."

"Nancy's got a gold-mine?"

"Sure has. Guess who the elves who do all the hard work are?"

"I don't think I want to know."

"Tough. Everyone's got their jobs, even Hori. Paulie hasn't, but I'll bet she finds him something before long."

"Paulie's just a baby!"

"He is, and you're not. Life's a bitch, isn't it? Come and see."

Across the other side of the street, directly in front of their house, on a ramshackle overgrown section, there was a huge old shed. It looked like an over-grown garage with lean-tos and extensions tacked on. It was all rusty corrugated iron and was rough and run-down looking.

"This is a gold-mine?"

"In a way, yes. It's better on the inside."

It was that. Inside the big shed it was all light, bright and airy. Half of the roof was nova-lite skylights, the concrete floor was impeccably clean and the walls were lined in white-painted plywood. There were a lot of bulky mysterious objects, all covered in old bedsheets.

"Wow. Impressive. What is this place?"

"Nancy's gold-mine. Pretty cool, eh? Dammed cold on winter mornings though. If Nancy's not in the kitchen, you'll find her over here. Even Tommy works here, when he works. He's pretty good at it too, even better than Nancy and she's an artist."

"Nancy's an artist? Doing what?"

"Do? Well, this." Big Mike pulled the sheet off the nearest object.

Michael was gobsmacked and he stood with his mouth open. "Wo-how!"

"Yeah, pretty cool, innit?" Big Mike grinned.

"It's more than cool. It's just, well, beautiful! Amazing. I never expected anything like this. This should be in a museum or a palace or something, not in a scummy old shed."

He had a closer look and kept his hands together behind his back. He didn't like to touch it in case he marred its perfection. "Beautiful!"

What he was looking at was a big old chest of drawers. Well, it was old-style and solid wood, but it looked brand-new. It was a low-matt finish on it but the rich, natural wood seemed to glow in the daylight. The brass handles and fittings all shone like gold.

"I guess it would fit in a palace, but it'll more likely finish-up in some rich prick's mansion."

"So, you build handcrafted furniture."

"Wrong! We don't build it, we restore it. This is a gen-u-ine antique back in better than new condition. Nancy buys old wooden furniture, from garage sales and junk shops, strips it back to bare wood, repairs, patches and sands it, refinishes it and sells to to trendy antique shops. Some stuff's done to order, but it's mostly bought and sold to the trade. They're worth a lot of money but it takes a bloody lot of work to get it looking like this.

I think this one is oak, but it might be heart-rimu. I wouldn't know. Tommy would. He wouldn't know one tree from another but show him a lump of wood and he knows exactly what it is."

"I'm very impressed!"

"Most people are. Check-out some of the others, but cover them up again. Most of this stuff is ready to go, we daren't get dust on it now."

Michael carefully uncovered, inspected and admired more and more beautiful pieces of furniture. There was everything from delicate-looking side tables to chunky wooden chests, chairs and beds even.

"You could easily have your own museum here."

"I guess we already have, but it's all under-cover. The Welfare know nothing about this and they don't need to. Nor do the Tax Department."

"You work here too. Do you get paid?"

"Sometimes, not very often."

"Sometimes you work here?"

"No, sometimes we get paid. It depends on how flush Nancy's feeling but there's always work to be done. You'll do your share too."

"That's cool. I don't mind helping."

"Too bad if you do. You don't say no to Nancy."

"I got that impression."

"Oh, yeah! Come on, we'll go and you can meet Blue now."

"Not more walking!"

"No, he's over at home. Let's go."

They went back and Michael met the last member of the family. Blue was different, they were all 'different', but he wasn't like the rest of them. He was a schoolteacher and very straight and conventional. Also, he was the only red-head, probably because he had another father. Nice guy anyway.

Actually, Blue told him that maybe they weren't brothers, but they were still family. "I'm Nancy's tack-on to the family, you're Tommy's tack-on."

Yeah, Blue was okay.

Molly came in and announced that Ben was outside. Big Mike went out to see him, Michael didn't, he stayed where he was. Ben looked all right, he thought, but he felt like they were trying to set him up and he wasn't interested. He'd be embarrassed.

"Nancy, am I ever going to spend some time with Tommy?"

"If you go and sit in the pub you will. No, you'll see him soon enough. Tommy's a binge dinker. He's on the booze now but won't last much longer. His poor little body can't take it, so he'll lay-off soon and he'll be hanging around here, suffering and recovering, until he's well enough to go back and have another go. I'd give him 2 or 3 more days at the most."

Blue interrupted. "You're probably better off not knowing him anyway."

Nancy spun around and sailed into him. "That'll be enough of that! Tommy's got his problems but he's basically a good person, deep down."

"Must be really deep."

"Shut up, Blue! I don't want to hear another word out of you. Tommy's the nearest thing to a father that you've ever had."

"Okay. Sorry, Nancy."

Okay, Michael learnt something from that exchange. Everyone joked and scoffed about Tommy, but he was still Nancy's man and she liked him. He'd better not forget that.

Big Mike came in, with Ben, to 'get a drink'. Michael knew what they were up to, so he said, "Hey, Ben," and left in a hurry. Big Mike was trying to set them up and he wasn't sitting around there with the whole bloody family watching the courtship rituals. They could get lost. He wouldn't mind getting to know Ben, sometime, but not with the whole world watching.

He left the house, down the steet and around the first corner and kept going. He wasn't going anywhere, just walking and thinking. He wasn't sure if he was ready for a relationship with anybody and, when he was, it would be with someone who he found for himself. He didn't want his brother match-making for him. Why not? Well, that stuff was private, wasn't it?

He spent a couple of hours just wandering around and checking-out his new town. The school looked big, but they always do. He walked far too much and his feet were hurting again. He found his way back home and tried not to limp as he approached the house. Sarah would not be impressed.

But, when he got back to the house, no-one was looking at him anyway. As he walked in off the street, a police car pulled in behind him. He stopped, looked back and watched as two uniformed policemen pulled Tommy out from the back seat. He was a mess. His clothes were all messed up, one shoulder was bare as the shirt had been ripped off it. His hands and face were bleeding, one eye was swollen shut and the other one wasn't much better. He was drunk, slobbering and slurring and incapable of standing upright. A mess.

The cops took one arm each, slinging them over their shoulders, holding him up and more-or-less dragging him as they helped him up to the house.

"Whoah!" Michael stood out of the way and watched, open-mouthed.

Nancy came out and stood, arms akimbo, glaring down at them. "What've you Pigs done to my Tommy?" She demanded.

"Lay off, Nancy," one of them said. "It wasn't us, we're just bringing him home."

"Look at the state of him! What's he been doing now?"

The other cop answered, "He was fighting, in the street behind Larsen's Hotel. You've got to give him some credit. There were three young hoons, all half his age and twice his size. He was getting a hiding, but he was giving as good as he got."

"I'll give him bloody credit!" she exploded.

"Ullo Nancy, girl!" Tommy peered up at her and grinned lop-sidely.

"Don't you 'hello' me, you Little Swine! I'll have your bloody hide. Get him in here!" She led the way in and the others followed her to the kitchen.

"Dump him by the table there. And don't you bloody bleed on my floor!"

Michael followed them in. He knew that he was sticky-beaking, but he wasn't going to miss this. Nancy ignored him, but she ordered Molly and Hori out of her kitchen.

"Oh, Tommy!" Sarah growled at him. She got the first-aid kit out.

They lowered him to the chair and left quietly, with thanks from Sarah. Nancy just stood glaring.

Michael stood quietly, leaning against the wall and watching the drama. Sarah started cleaning him up and Nancy got a coffee. She looked around.

"Michael, get a bucket from the washhouse and shove it in front of him. If he spews on my floor, I'll bloody kill him!"

He brought a bucket, put in on the floor in front of Tommy and stood back. They'd obviously been here before, everyone seemed to know what they were doing. Definitely not a father to be proud of.

'I wouldn't get much for a trade-in.'

Tommy was pathetic. Small, drunk, bloody and beaten. He was pathetic! Nancy agreed with him too. She slammed the coffee down on the table and sat down.

"Get that into you, and don't spill it! What were you fighting about this time?"

"I wash defending a lady's honour," Tommy slurred.

"Don't give me that! What would you know about honour - or about ladies either? You stupid little man. Who were you fighting?"

"The Hardy boys and one of the McCutcheons. Sorry Nancy."

"Sorry? So you should be. What did you let those little punks beat you for?"

'What??' Michael was thinking. 'LET them beat him??'