Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root

Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root by Kara Larson

Torquere Press www.torquerepress.com

Copyright ©2008 by Kara Larson First published in www.torquerepress.com, 2008 NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.

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Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root by Kara Larson

E iti noa ana, na te aroha. Though my present be small, my love goes with it "C'mon, Ein." The rust-colored dog tilted its face to the side, giving Amiri a quizzical look. Ein wagged his bushy black-striped red tail. "Yes, I mean you, pokiha. Time to go." The dog looked out over the paddock that served as the off-leash area in Maungawhau Domain. This morning, Ein shared the paddock with a couple cows and the complacent Mr. Pony. Lani, Amiri's nine year old niece, was draped over Mr. Pony's black neck like some kind of championship ribbon, probably whispering into the pony's ear about their plans for the summer hols. "No, you can't chase the cows. You know Mr. Hobson frowns on that." That fox-tail wagged again, Ein's blacktipped red ears perking higher and higher 'til the dog looked like he was begging. "Besides, we're leaving soon." "Why can't we take Mr. Pony, Uncle?" Lani whinged from across the paddock. She'd obviously heard every word. Amiri inhaled deeply, trying to suck patience into his lungs along with the oxygen. There were reasons why Graeme was so much better at this. "I told you, Mr. Pony has classes he needs to attend. New tricks to learn like those Lipizzaner stallions that you like." The pony in question trotted over to Amiri, Lani's small body clinging to Mr. Pony's short back like an Amazon. All Amiri needed was to try and navigate the winding roads of Northland, hauling a horse float behind their ute. It was bad enough that they were taking the chickens with them up to 3

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the old farm for Christmas. He drew the line at the pony, though. Lani would just have to do without for two weeks. "Graeme says that Mr. Pony needs to spend time with his family for the holidays, like we're spending with Nandy," Lani said in a rush, sliding off the pony and running toward the dog. "'Sides, Mr. Hobson would miss Mr. Pony." "Well, Graeme always has the better excuses," was the only retort Amiri could come up with. "Anyway, time to go, Lani-Nani. I think Ein's tired out enough." There had been a limit, once, on the menagerie he'd allow within his home. The chickens had been a surprise and the pony had nearly caused a heart attack. The dog ... The Corgi/probable-terrier mix had showed up on the back porch of the Old Lady one morning about six months ago, in the middle of what was called Auckland's worst rain storm. They had been in the middle of reading The Wind in the Willows as a break from the extended library of Black Stallion and Marguerite Henry books that seemed to overflow off the bookshelves in Lani's room, and Lani hadn't liked the dog at first. "He looks like a fox," she said, "and you really can't trust them." Amiri didn't know who had been more proud at that moment: Lani, that she could quote Mr. Ratty, or himself, that Lani had actually made some kind of connection between the literal and the literate world. Wiremu, however, unconvinced by his sister's disdain of the little dog, had immediately fallen in love. And while the battle raged for a while over what to name him—Pokiha (Maori for fox) from Lani, Fantastic Mr. Fox from Graeme and 4

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Amiri's own unconcerned vote—it took Wiremu to decide for them. "His name is Ein," Wiremu had said in that "Duh, Uncle" tone of voice he was so fond of using, after some genius dog in one of the Japanese cartoons that so held Wiremu's attention these days. Amiri himself didn't understand it; the bright lights, epic number of characters with purple hair and fast-paced subtitles gave him a headache, though he did think the animation was rather nice-looking in some cases. "You've turned into an old man, Ame," Amiri's partner Graeme said fondly. As long as he didn't have to suffer through another DVD of Follyfoot or Floppyflot or whatever that horse farm series was that Lani always watched, Amiri didn't really care what was on the telly. With Lani tucked under one arm and Ein under the other, Amiri climbed up and over the convenient stair that straddled the paddock fence. "Ready for the car ride?" he asked Lani as he set her on the ground. Her dark eyes considered him for a moment, until she became distracted by something in the trees above. He could tell she was one step from darting off, so he grabbed the back of her T-shirt at the last minute. "Stay with me, Lani. We've talked about traffic and you being run over by a car." "Always look both ways before crossing," Lani chanted, straying back toward Amiri's side and taking his hand. "Always hold hands while crossing the street." After clipping the leash on Ein's collar, he set the dog down. Ein's leash in one hand and Lani's hand in the other, Amiri led them off toward home. When the Old Lady, their 5

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ramshackle and looming Mt. Eden house, had become home again, Amiri wasn't sure. He'd always thought that he would settle in Sydney and live into his dotage there, just hours from Graeme's large and boisterous family. He never thought he'd come crawling back to Auckland and find peace here, with his own family. A year ago, Lani and Wiremu had appeared on his doorstep, obviously neglected and apparently unwanted. While there had been struggles galore this past year with Amiri's mum, pressures for custody and battles supreme over who had the right to raise the children, there had been surprisingly little protest from Amiri's sister. Of course, there hadn't been much word from Aireni either. There had been no Christmas card last year—not that they themselves had remembered Christmas, in the fuss of Wiremu and Lani's arrival and Lani's diagnosis as Autism Spectrum Disorder— and no birthday cards for either kid. That didn't seem to bother Amiri's niece and nephew though. He had the feeling that that was the way things were in his sister's household. Aireni had always meant well, but like Lani, she had always been prone to distractions and shiny things. "Magpie" Dad had called her when they were growing up. Apparently, nothing changed, not even in the twenty years since Amiri had seen his sister. They crossed Mt. Eden Road carefully, Lani clutching Amiri's hand and Ein straining at his leash, both wanting to be away from what passed for traffic on the road. Amiri was just happy they didn't live off of Dominion Road, a kilometer to the north. That was considered one of the busiest roads in 6

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Auckland, and all he needed was for one of the kids or the chooks or the dog to be a smashed statistic on Dominion, run over by one of the five hundred buses that traversed it every day. As soon as they got to the quieter streets of their own leafy neighborhood, Lani started skipping ahead, lost in her own little world. Her feet stumbled over the cracks in the pavement every now and then, and her dark head darted left and right almost at a whim, 'til she looked like a little bird. "Tui," Amiri occasionally called her, for all she was missing the white patch of feathers at her throat. "We'll ride in the car when we get home, Uncle?" Lani asked for the twelfth time that morning. "How long does it take to get to Whangarei?" "Three hours," Amiri answered patiently, even though they'd gotten out the maps last night and traced the route up to Whangarei Heads, to the old family farm. "We take the Northwestern Motorway..." "To Helensville and Wellsford," she recited, bouncing from foot to foot and waving her hands in what Wiremu called her "happy flap." "Then we take SH 1 to Whangarei." Amiri ruffled her soft black curls as they reached the Old Lady's drive. "If you knew all that, why did you ask me?" Logic and Lani didn't always go hand in hand, especially with the approach of a meltdown. She was mercurial, to say the least, not only struggling with trying to understand how the world worked, but how to voice how she felt about that. He knew it frustrated her, and he knew how bright she was. In the past year, she'd definitely started coming out of her shell, but there was still a long way to go. 7

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Now Lani gave him the "Duh, Uncle" look, rolling her eyes with the patience of a teenager. He couldn't wait; those years were just around the corner. At least Wiremu would be out of the house by then. Before she could answer, though, they both spotted Wiremu and Graeme waiting for them at the end of the gravel drive. "Wiremu!" she shrieked, flying toward her brother. "We're taking the Northwestern Motorway to SH 1, and we can't stop at the loo 'til Wellsford!" "Best use the one here before we go," Wiremu said, ducking Lani's frantically waving hands and propelling her toward the front door of the Old Lady. "We're waiting on you." Sure enough, the Ute was already packed to the gills. Graeme had strapped the double kayak to the rack and the third row of seats was already folded down to make room for the luggage and the chook's cage. Amiri's replacement, the locum doctor hired for his vacation at the surgery, was going to be staying in the Old Lady—it saved the surgery the cost of putting the locum doctor up for two weeks—and she refused to look after chickens. "If I wanted the country doctor life, I'd locum somewhere out in the wops," she had said, voice full of disdain when Amiri mentioned the chicken situation. So Dapple and Pepperpot were going with them on hols, all the way up to Whangarei Heads. One more reason why Amiri hadn't wanted to take Mr. Pony. His dad was going to laugh enough once he saw the contents of the Toyota Landcruiser. It was probably more 4x4 than they needed, but with Graeme's new interest in kayaking—something both kids had 8

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taken a liking to—and the need to haul bikes and a box of plastic ponies and chooks with them on holidays, it made sense. Especially since groceries for four—even if one of them only ate beige food—took up a lot more room than groceries for two. "Is the locum here yet?" Amiri asked Graeme as he handed Ein's leash off to Wiremu. Graeme shook his head. "I left the key under the flower pot," he said, after giving Amiri a quick kiss. Wiremu faked a few groans, but Graeme just ignored Wiremu. "There's clean sheets on the bed in our room, and I locked Lani's room. I figured it was the easiest thing to do, so that nothing gets moved while we're gone." "Easiest way to prevent meltdown," Wiremu added. "I shut my door too, because Graeme said that she might run screaming from the house if I don't." That all-too-rare smile flashed across Wiremu's face, and he pushed back his chinlength fringe of black hair. While not as serious and guarded as he'd been a year ago, Wiremu still had his own hang-ups. There had been more than one fight over the importance of school versus giving in to the whims of Lani, and just who was responsible for Lani's wellbeing. Wiremu had been responsible for her for so long that he had a hard time letting someone else do it, or even trusting another person to. In the past year, though, Wiremu had gone out for the school rugby team, found a couple new friends, and finally let himself be a normal teenager. "Can I drive?" was Wiremu's next response, as Lani made her way out of the Old Lady and back down to the ute. 9

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"Graeme says I'm getting better." Amiri insisted that they hadn't gotten a second car just for Wiremu's convenience, since his sixteen year old nephew was licensed and insured and everything now. "Maybe once we get out of the city," Amiri answered, distracted by the fact that, in true Lani fashion, his niece had managed to put her shirt on inside out. They bargained with her now, making sure all of her seams were sewn over with bias tape so they didn't irritate Lani's sensitive sensibilities. This particular shirt had a horse on it, as did most of the Tshirts she wore. The skirt was a flared denim thing Wiremu found at the local op-shop, and paired with her favorite pink cowboy boots, she looked just like a little Maori cowgirl. Graeme shot Amiri a questioning look, but Amiri just shook his head. There were some battles that could be won, and some that were a complete waste of time. "Into the car," he said, automatically helping Lani up into her booster seat. Still small for her age, Graeme figured she would probably be in a booster for another season or so. She'd filled out in the past year, gaining three kilos and eight centimeters, but she still had a little ways to go to be on par with her age group. Once in her booster, she buckled herself in. "DVD, please," she said, holding her hands out expectantly. Amiri placed the portable DVD player in her lap. "Floppyfoot or Black Stallion?" "Follyfoot," she corrected with that put-upon sigh. "Black Stallion, please, Uncle." Lani didn't seem to care what the 10

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context of the DVD was, as long as a horse was involved. Either he or Wiremu or Graeme were careful to preview the DVD before they let her watch it, though. All they needed was a repeat of the Red Pony disaster. At least My Friend Flicka had a happier ending, even if they did have to deal with Roddie Macdowell and his unbelievably bad American accent. Wiremu settled in next to her, Ein wedged between the two of them. Amiri knew that Wiremu would plug into his iPod about halfway through the trip, since neither he nor Graeme really wanted to listen to whatever Fat Freddy's Drop was playing at the moment. It wasn't the car ride that made Amiri unsettled, since they would spend most of the drive winding up the coast and through farmland. It was what waited for him on the other side: home. "Stop fretting," Graeme muttered as Amiri slid in behind the wheel. "It's just family." But Amiri noticed that Graeme was looking a little less complacent than usual, almost as if he were nervous about something. It couldn't be meeting Dad, since Dad loved Graeme almost as much as the kids did, and that was saying a lot. Amiri snorted. "You've met my mum. It's never 'just family.'" With the soundtrack of chooks clucking from the back, Amiri put the ute in drive. It was time to face his fears and finally head to Whangarei. The drive went surprisingly quietly. They stopped for petrol and to pee in Wellsford, one person watching Ein and the chooks at all times, and then stopped again at a bakeshop in Waipu for a quick bite. Lani passed out somewhere north of 11

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Waipu, and even the chickens seemed subdued as they approached Whangarei. "Want to stop anywhere before we head up?" Graeme asked. It was his turn behind the wheel now, because Amiri figured he'd probably drive them off the road if the wheel was left in his nervous hands. He shook his head. "Best to get it over with," he said. He noticed Wiremu looking out the window with interest, eying the thick stands of tree ferns and other greenery that lined the steep hills. "That's Mount Manaia," Amiri said, pointing out the window at the promontory that pushed its head out into the sea. "The farm is up near the top of that." He could see Wiremu squinting at it in the Toyota's side mirror. "Why's there embryos up top?" Wiremu asked. Graeme snorted. "Ask your uncle about that." Amiri sighed, wondering if he'd survive the comic stylings of Graeme and Wiremu, all the while trying to deal with family he hadn't seen in two decades. "Erosion. That's why." "Someone's Mr. Cranky-pants," Wiremu said. "Thought you were 'sposed to take care of that, eh, Graeme?" This time, Graeme full-out laughed. Amiri buried his face in his hands, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. He loved the fact that his partner got on with his nephew—that made life so much easier at home. In fact, Amiri wondered sometimes if Graeme was half the reason Wiremu stayed. Graeme obviously made the better fatherfigure, identifying with the kids on a deeper level than Amiri did. Even his dad liked Graeme, welcoming Graeme into the family, albeit with slightly uncertain arms. Why he was 12

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putting himself through two weeks at the old homestead, where half of Dad's family still lived, Amiri wasn't sure. He hoped two weeks of pay for the locum doctor and trusting their house to a complete stranger would be worth it. Only time would tell. **** The drive up to Whangarei Heads wound around the promontory itself, offering the views of Whangarei Harbor that were missing from the farm. Amiri noticed that the pohutukawa trees—the large green Northern Rata that were called New Zealand Christmas Trees because they bloomed right around the 25th of December—weren't crowed with their red flowers yet. It had been a chilly spring down in Auckland, but even the pohutukawa trees there, especially the row lining the old Symonds cemetery, were blooming bright red. "Keep on this road 'til you get to Parua Bay," Amiri said, as they drove farther and farther out onto the peninsula. "Once you hit Parua, turn inland at Owhiha Road. It's the only road there." "Can you see all this from the farm?" Wiremu asked, eyes wide. Whangarei Harbor was a deep aqua this afternoon, white sailboats dotting the calm waters all the way out to the Hen and Chicken Islands. "Not quite. That's why the farm's not worth that much." Amiri didn't want to get the kids' hopes up too much. There wasn't much in the way of luxury where he'd grown up. Living in posh Mt. Eden, even in a house as old and reliquary as the Old Lady, might have spoiled Wiremu a bit. 13

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"But we can still go down to the beach, yeah?" The boy was trying so hard to hide his excitement that Amiri couldn't help but grin back. "I think we can manage to take the kayak out once or twice." He'd found the double sit-on kayak on TradeMe. Since Lani was still so small, they could plop her between the legs of whoever sat in back. There was talk of getting either a single or another double kayak at some point, especially once Lani was larger and stronger, so that they could all go out in the water together. "We can even rent another one, so we can all go out." "Don't forget the masses of cousins you'll have to entertain you," Graeme added. "Hectares of bush to explore." "The sheep, the cows," Amiri said, his mouth suddenly sour with distaste. God, how he hated farm animals. That was why he'd moved away—well, why he hadn't protested so much, when he realized that Auntie Moana didn't keep a cow in her garden. Pepperpot crowed from the back. Every time the mangy little hen crowed, Amiri swore it was the voice of doom speaking to him. Not that anything in tiny Parua Bay could really constitute doom, unless you counted the tavern and the occasional drunk who took a dive into the drink after a few pints too many. There weren't many places to escape to out in scenic Whangarei Heads. So, portents of doom aside, they began their climb up into the interior, twisting their way through the broadleaf forest. Amiri tried not to think of the fourteen years he'd spent, growing up in this very area. He wondered if the swimming 14

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pool was still there, at the base of the small waterfall near the backside of the property. It took a good ten minutes of bushwacking to get there, but it was well worth it, especially when the temperatures climbed. If not, he could always take the kids down to Whangarei Falls in the main town, and let them swing into the water on the old tree swing. There had been a whole flock of cousins living on the farm back then. Dad had two sisters, each of whom had varying husbands and children and cousins of their own. It had been pretty rough and tumble and, while Amiri remembered plenty of taunting at the hands of his cousins, it had been a good start to life. Money had always been tight, but they'd done their best to entertain themselves. He'd always counted himself lucky as being one of the huanga, so clothes weren't too thrashed by the time they were passed down to him. He remembered a lot of dirt and a lot of sheep shite, for some reason, and being tossed several times into the bush by a bucking pony. No wonder he didn't exactly get along with their Mr. Pony. He wasn't sure who was still living on the farm. It tended to be a place where people came and went. Summers, especially Christmas-time, saw so many people that most of them slept in tents in the yard. By the time Amiri was fourteen, Dad and some of the uncles had built small baches for everyone to sleep in. If they were going to use the place for hols, the least they could do is have their own small holiday home waiting for them, even if most had to use the dunny out back and bathe down in the creek. 15

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The anticipation was almost killing him. Amiri could feel it twisting in his gut like acid reflux, until it wrapped around his heart and almost gave him palpitations. "Breathe, baby," soothed Graeme's soft voice. "It's just family." Amiri snorted. "It's never 'just' family." As they pulled up to the gate, Amiri automatically got out of the car to unfasten it so that Graeme could drive the ute through. He'd always been on gate duty as a child, even he'd been relegated to the back seat with Airini. The old s-hook and chain was still the same, though the single-wire fence had been upgraded to wire mesh at some point. The drive had yet to be sealed, though; Amiri knew the giant rocks and graveled potholes would have been hell on the tires of their little sedan. Maybe it was time to get Dad to pave it, since it probably still washed out with every big rainstorm. "Ame? Baby?" Graeme's voice called from the car. "Are you going to open the gate?" The unspoken Do you need me to fix this for you? was understood. "I'm all right, thank you," Amiri called back, pushing open the gate and closing it behind the ute, once Graeme had driven through. Part of him wanted to wave Graeme on, letting him drive up to the house by himself. Part of Amiri needed to walk the drive, to make peace step by step. Except Graeme would call that typical Kiwi passive-aggressive avoidance, so Amiri figured he'd just get back in the car and bill Graeme later for any therapy hours he might need. 16

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They drove slowly down the rutted gravel drive through a tunnel of trees. Even here, the pohutukawa were still disappointingly green. Amiri had hoped the red blossoms would be in bloom to welcome him home. Apparently not. At least Pepperpot wasn't crowing. That was always a sign of the apocalypse, and if she wasn't bothered, then maybe everything would be fine. Except, when the drive widened out into the small valley that he'd once called home, Amiri noticed a few too many cars parked in front of the old house. Shiny cars, too, which meant they were probably too new and too nice for anyone in his family to afford. The bitter taste of suspicion rose in his throat. "Graeme, are we expecting anyone?" His partner, his lover of more than fifteen years, actually blushed. "Merry Christmas, love?" Amiri closed his eyes and sighed. "Just tell me it's not my mum." "No," Graeme said. "It's mine." **** They parked the ute next to Amiri's dad's old truck. The door to the old house opened, and crowds of people ran out. Amiri groaned as the flock of extended relatives seemed to swell until it filled the dirt yard. "Your mum and dad. And there's Meg. Don't tell me she brought—" Amiri groaned. It wasn't that he didn't get along with Graeme's brother-in-law; he just found John to be an 17

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officious prick. And their three children swung between angels one day, and taniwha the next. "Are those our new cousins?" Lani piped up from the back seat, now wide awake. "Nanny Chao said she was bringing cousins for us to play with." Amiri turned around to glare at the back seat. Wiremu avoided his eyes, but Lani gave Amiri that usual wide-eyed stare. "You knew?" The question was aimed at Wiremu, but Lani answered anyway. "Oh, yes. Nanny and Nandy Chao told me when they called last Sunday. Because we didn't get to see them last hols." Graeme's parents made it a habit of calling Lani and Wiremu every Sunday morning, usually before Amiri was even conscious and out of bed. Amiri wouldn't look at Graeme. There was no point, because obviously his partner had known. And obviously, the love of his life had seen fit not to tell him that the closest thing Amiri had to in-laws were currently playing 'getting to know you' with the very people Amiri wanted to avoid. "Please tell me they aren't staying here," Amiri muttered as Graeme pulled the key out of the ignition. "Please tell me that." Not that he was ashamed of his old home. The place had held up surprisingly well, for all that the yellow paint on the weatherboard was faded and peeling, and the corrugate roof was rusting in places. The barely visible baches beyond the house, barely more than glorified sheds, appeared to be in better condition. "Merry Christmas?" This time, it was more of a question. 18

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Wiremu and Lani seemed about as anxious to get out of the car as Amiri felt, but Ein started whinging and pawing at the door handle. "I think the pup needs to wee," Graeme pointed out, oh so helpfully. Amiri just glared at his partner, reached over the back seat and grabbed the dog. "Come, Ein. We'll go introduce you to the weeing tree." Without a word to the gathering of people clustered on the porch, Amiri led the dog over toward the lemon tree just off to the side of the house. Generations of Campbell boys had peed here, and for some reason, that caused the lemon tree to flourish. "Ein, this is where we wee. Understood?" Ein barked once, wagging his fox-like tail. Amiri sighed. "I suppose it's time to meet the family." The dog yipped again. "All right, pokiha, let's go face the music." Graeme, Lani and Wiremu were waiting for him at the car. Lani clung to Graeme's hand, all but cowering behind Graeme's tall frame. "So many people, and the eyes are staring," she whispered, peering from behind Graeme's trousers. "Uncle, make them stop." Amiri handed Ein's leash to Wiremu and swung Lani up onto his hip. "Should we maybe go have a lie-down before we meet everyone? Let Nandy show us where we're staying?" he asked, stroking her back through her inside-out T-shirt. Lani sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "I would like to have a lie-down before meeting everyone," she said slowly. 19

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She was getting better at verbalizing what she wanted, thanks to all of the social stories that they had done with her over the past year. She still needed the occasional nudge in the right direction, and clammed up whenever she met anyone new. "Hey, Dad!" Amiri called out, making his way toward the house. "Do you mind if we rest for a while before we do the introductions?" There appeared to be at least twenty people on the porch. He could only hope that they all weren't staying at the house for the whole holiday. What was his dad thinking, knowing how Lani was around strangers? Luckily, Dad seemed to get Amiri's point right quick. "Of course, tama." Amiri never thought he'd be so glad to hear his father call him 'son' again. "We're putting you and the kids in the sleep-out, to give you some privacy." His dad jogged over, pressing his nose to Amiri's in hongi before doing the same to Graeme and Wiremu. "Graeme's family's staying in the house, and the rest of the family's out in the baches." That was some bit of relief, at least. Until Amiri remembered the layout of the sleep-out. "Did you remodel the sleep-out?" Amiri asked, following Dad toward the back of the house. He tried not to sound hopeful. Dad eyed him curiously. "Of course not. Why the hell would we do that?" "One gold coin, please," Lani's tired voice piped up. "You said a bad word, Nandy." Amiri's dad laughed, reaching into his pocket and handing Lani a gold coin. "Saving those for something special, Lani?" 20

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"Just a pony," was Lani's reply. Just as Amiri had feared, the sleep-out was still a oneroom extension tacked on to the back of the house. It had its own separate entrance, sure, and was an en-suite, but that didn't make up for the fact that it was one room. One room with a set of bunk beds and a double bed. "Where're we sleeping?" Wiremu asked, eyes full of feigned innocence. "'Cause Uncle and Graeme are going to want to be alone." He turned to Amiri. "Should we schedule that? If you leave a sock on the doorknob—" "Thanks, Dad, we'll see you later this afternoon," Amiri cut in, all but shoving his dad out the door. Graeme took Lani from him, laying her down on the bottom bunk bed. Amiri was relieved to see that the bunk bed actually faced the same direction as Lani's bed back home—head facing south, toward Antarctica. Lani was that particular. "It's a slumber party," Lani said, "like in the social stories." Wiremu snorted. "I'm sure Graeme and Uncle Amiri are going to love having a slumber party for two weeks." This time, he turned to Graeme. "Like I said, if you want to work out a system..." Wiremu, for all his sixteen year old sex drive, had yet to bring home a girl—or even a boy—who was more than just a friend. Amiri and Graeme had met quite a few of the lads that Wiremu hung around with at Auckland Grammar, but Wiremu had never approached them on anything relating to relationship advice. Then again, knowing Amiri's sister and her ... tendencies, Wiremu had possibly been put off sex forever. It was enough that Amiri and Graeme had moved, 21

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first downstairs, and then back up into the master bedroom and put the headboard of their bed against the wall furthest from the wall it shared with Wiremu's room. It was another, though, to share one living space with same nephew and niece for an entire two weeks. Not that he was speaking to his partner at the moment. "Do you want to watch Lani for a while?" Amiri asked Wiremu, still not looking at Graeme. "I need to talk to Nandy." "And to fight with Graeme. Just don't make it too loud, you might scare Lani-nani." Wiremu sat at the foot of Lani's bunkbed, rearranging his sister's limp body better on the mattress. He raised all-too-serious eyes at Amiri, which made Amiri cringe inside. What had Airini done to this boy? "We'll be fine," Amiri said slowly, finally looking at his partner. Graeme's dark head was bowed, hands clenched at his sides. If there was ever a picture of repentance, it would probably be Graeme Chao at that moment. "Don't pack a sad, I'm not going to beat you," Amiri muttered, grabbing Graeme by the hand. "We're just going to ... talk." He led Graeme out of the sleep-out and off toward the bush, where he knew they'd at least have some privacy. "I suppose you were going to tell me eventually?" he asked, trying to keep his tone even. "Well, there was the whole mess-up with the adoption paperwork, and the complications of trying to find Lani's father," Graeme said, ticking things off one by one on his fingers. "Then there were the issues with getting the kids 22

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passports. Then we couldn't go to Mum and Dad's for winter hols. Then I took that locum position down on the South Island." Amiri shuddered, not even wanting to remember those long three weeks. Graeme's off-and-on locum work gave them a bit more freedom when it came to having someone be there for Lani every day, but those occasional times when Starship Hospital in Auckland couldn't find a place for him were a nuisance, especially if it meant Graeme taking a temporary position elsewhere. Once Graeme's paperwork was processed and he could officially take a permanent position in New Zealand, life would be a lot simpler, especially since Amiri was a full practicing member of the Mt. Eden surgery now. Until then, though... "So we had a few ... setbacks," Amiri admitted. "But you still forgot to tell me?" He could hear the pleading in his own voice; he wasn't proud of it, but he made no effort to hide it. "Damn it, Graeme, I never said this would be easy, but we agreed. Honesty in everything. And if I would've known I was dealing with your family and mine—" "You never would've come," Graeme cut in, putting his hands on Amiri's shoulders. "Admit it, Ame. You've been avoiding my parents just as much as you've avoided yours." "I saw Dad two months ago," Amiri protested as Graeme backed him up against the rough bark of a young kauri tree. "Admit it," Graeme repeated. "It's the holidays, Amiri. We have to spend some time with the family. The kids need to see more than just us." 23

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Amiri sighed. "But couldn't we do it separately? Not expose yours to the craziness of mine? The crazy will spread." He didn't want to say anything about Graeme's brother-in-law, and how much he wished that John was as far away as possible. Graeme sighed, running his hand through his hair. "What's that saying your Auntie Moana was always quoting? Something about pohutukawa roots?" "Sliding down the pohutukawa root," Amiri answered automatically. "It means that you've traveled to the realm of your ancestors." Amiri knew Graeme was waiting for him to make some kind of connection. He saw what it was; he was just too stubborn to admit it. "Don't you think you owe the kids that chance? So they can know their family and their ancestors? Because God only knows what kind of roots they put down under Airini." Graeme's voice was soft, serious. "I love my family, and I love Wiremu and Lani. I want them to have that same chance." Amiri knew that, once he looked in Graeme's eyes, he was lost. "I—" He couldn't find the words though. Twenty-five years of being away from this place, and the farm and its people still had their hold on him. "I'm trying, Graeme. I just—" Graeme leaned his forehead against Amiri's, then brushed Amiri's mouth with his lips. "I know, love. I know." **** 24

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Maybe the meeting of the families didn't go as badly as Amiri thought. Lani clung to him and Wiremu had the tendency to act like a shadow, but all in all, it went well. None of the uncles made comments about Amiri's manhood, and the aunties all seemed to love Graeme, clucking over him like Pepperpot and Dapple, who were now safely ensconced in the chicken run out back. Frybread and meat and salad was passed around, and Amiri ate just so that he wouldn't have to talk to anyone, and once his plate was empty, he refilled it and ate some more. Lani picked at the frybread, since it was beige, and wondered once why they were eating without candles. That caused for some curious looks, but no one said anything. Dad apparently had warned the rest of the family about Lani's quirks, though Amiri could only imagine what his relatives actually understood about autism. Graeme's niece, odious little twat that she was, did ask in her loudest voice why Lani was so quiet and clingy. "Like she's some kinda baby," Nina pronounced, her dark eyes haughty. "Only babies talk too much," Lani said, lifting her head up from where she leaned against Amiri and turning the full force of her best "Duh, Uncle" stare at Nina. "Real grown-ups know when to be quiet." Amiri snorted, recognizing that as one of Marika Poharama's pet sayings. Marika had served as probably the only authority figure Lani had known in her short life prior to Auckland. Amiri tried not to begrudge the woman anything, but she had been an irritating bitch, growing up. 25

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Nina's face grew red, and Amiri could tell she was about to pitch a fit. "Lani, why don't you tell Nina about Mr. Pony?" he suggested. "Nina doesn't have a pony at home, but I know she likes to ride." God, he was going to kill Graeme later. Couldn't he at least have invited his nice sister, the one whose offspring were actually human? That, finally, sparked an interest in Lani, who launched into a long list of Mr. Pony's finer types, followed by a lecture about the care and feeding of Mr. Pony. Luckily, Nina seemed to have the same infection that all little girls under the age of ten caught—horse fever. "I could kiss you right now," Graeme whispered in Amiri's ear. "I could fuck you through the mattress. I love it when you're stern like that." "Except that we're sharing a room with the kids," Amiri said through gritted teeth. "Lani's fine, and Wiremu's talking to his cousins about quad bikes." Graeme nodded toward the corner, where Wiremu was deep in rapt conversation with some of Amiri's older nephews, all in their mid to late teens. "We could sneak off." The sea of eyes seemed to be otherwise occupied, and there was a clear path leading toward the back door. That, and Graeme's hand rubbing lower and lower down Amiri's back, changed Amiri's mind. "Now." They tried to make their way casually for the door, breaking into a run as soon as they hit the steps. By the time 26

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they reached the door to the sleep-out, Amiri's mouth was on Graeme's neck and his hand was down Graeme's trousers, grasping that thick cock that he loved so much. "God, Graeme, lock the door." As Graeme twisted the deadbolt, Amiri tugged on Graeme's trousers and y-fronts until that naked cock stared up at him. He pushed Graeme back on the double bed, his hands frantically scrabbling at his own trousers. He kicked off his shoes and tugged his trousers down, almost tripping as they caught around his knees. "Amiri, quick!" Graeme groaned. "I need..." It wouldn't be their finest fuck, but it would probably be one of their neediest. Amiri jumped on the bed next to Graeme, rolling his partner over. Graeme handed him a tube of lube that he'd apparently pulled out of thin air, but Amiri didn't question it. He slicked up his cock, biting back a groan as the lube slid so temptingly over his raging erection. Two slicked fingers teasing at Graeme's hole, and he was ready to slide in, sinking to the hilt. "God, Graeme, if you ever do that again," Amiri moaned, slamming into his lover. "I swear to God—" "Never," Graeme panted. "Never again, I promise. Damn it, baby, harder!" Amiri thrust for all he was worth, knees digging into the mattress as he pushed deeper and deeper into Graeme. He pistoned his hips, aiming again and again for Graeme's prostate until his partner was all but crying with sensation. Graeme shouted, and his arse began to spasm around Amiri's cock. 27

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"Graeme!" Amiri's cock contracted, and then he shot. "Oh, Graeme." He fell limply against Graeme's back, panting. "Do we need to change the sheets?" "Yeah." Graeme groaned as they both collapsed on the bed. "We can always say that Lani peed on them." "Or blame it on Ein." Amiri kissed Graeme's flushed neck. "I love you. You know how much I love you. But please, please—" "No more ponies?" Graeme asked, wrapping Amiri's arms around his middle and leaning back into the forced embrace. He craned his neck, kissing Amiri back. "I promise, love. It slipped my mind and I swear I meant to tell you." Amiri rested his head next to Graeme's. "I'll keep that in mind, next time. But still—" And there was a knock at the door. "Did you forget the sock?" Wiremu's voice called from the other side of the door. "Nandy says that we're having dinner in an hour." **** They had arrived on the nineteenth of December, and now it was the twenty-second. Amiri's family seemed to be giving him the space he needed, which Amiri fully appreciated. The varying cousins entertained Wiremu, but the boy still felt obliged to make sure Lani was taken care of. Amiri and Graeme spent most of the time hauling Lani from grown-up gathering to grown-up gathering, since every attempt to socialize Lani and Nina abruptly failed. "Is she retarded or something?" Nina asked in a loud voice. "She's weird, and she flaps her hands all the time." 28

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Amiri could see Lani shrinking further and further into her small body 'til she looked like a limp noodle. The bright Amazon who rode Mr. Pony around the paddock so fearlessly was lost in this silent little girl who couldn't express herself well enough. "She keeps asking me what my favorite part was. I didn't like the stupid Flicka movie. Why would I have a favorite part?" Nina's complaining voice continued, talking to everyone and no one in particular. "She's so stupid that even her mum gave her away, and the only people who'd take her were so stupid that no girls would marry them." Amiri's prayers for the little girl to get struck by lightning were obviously rejected. He ran toward Lani, hoping he got to her before the meltdown erupted. The signs were all there: the flushed face, the tightly-closed eyes, the puckered lips. All that was missing was the— Wails. "Cry-baby!" Nina shouted at Lani, dancing around her like a demonic dervish. "Bloody drongo!" Lani stopped, stared at Nina. "That," she said, voice icycalm, "is a bad word. You owe me a gold coin." And she held out her hand expectantly. Nina just stared at Lani, as if she wasn't sure what to do. As Amiri loped over, she gave him an expectant look. "Your niece is crazy." "And you're an ear-basher," he muttered. Nina stamped her foot. "My daddy's right about you. You're just a dirty fa—" If she was Amiri's child, he would've probably beat her by now, but Graeme's sister and brother29

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in-law were those 'progressive' types who believed in letting their children speak their minds—one bigoted, uneducated word at a time. Amiri clamped a hand over her mouth, knowing why he'd always hated John. "Why don't you go tell your uncle Graeme what you think about him, eh? And you owe Lani a dollar." He refrained from adding "Stupid bint," as much as he wanted to. "Is there a problem?" Nina's dad sidled over, eyeing the situation. "Nina wanted to tell Graeme something." Amiri smiled his best imitation of Wiremu's innocent look. "If you'll excuse me and Lani..." He scooped up the little girl, reaching into his pocket for the gold coin she still expected. "She didn't let me talk," Lani sniffled, leaning her head against Amiri's shoulder. "She wouldn't listen, Uncle. At school, they always listen." Amiri rubbed Lani's back as they made their way toward the house. "Unfortunately, not everyone does, Tui," he said softly. "I wish I could change that for you, but I can't." "And that's why you teach me the words to say?" Lani asked, face wet with tears. "Yeah, Lani-nani. That's why we give you the words. So you don't have to find them yourself." **** "The kids won't leave Lani alone," Wiremu muttered that night, after Lani had passed out in exhaustion. "Our rellies are fine," he said, before Amiri could even open his mouth. "It's 30

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those Cheney arseholes." He automatically laid a gold twodollar coin on Lani's pillow. Amiri looked at Graeme, who shrugged. "Mum said that Kate was busy, so she had to substitute Meg instead at the last minute. I can talk to Meg." "It's not Meg. It's John." Amiri sighed. "Have you heard the trash that comes out of your niece's mouth?" "John's the worst kind of idiot imaginable. I'll talk with him tomorrow." Graeme echoed Amiri's sigh as he lay back on the bed. "I didn't think it would be this difficult." Then he pointed a finger at Amiri. "And don't you dare say 'I told you so.'" Wiremu laughed. "He's got you there, Graeme. Uncle Amiri's not the best at the family shite, but he definitely knows the brand of crazy that our rellies seem to bring." A second gold coin joined the first. Amiri turned to Wiremu. "And you're doing okay? The other fellas all right?" "They don't care where you stick your dick, if that's what you're asking," Wiremu said. "I think they're proud of you, fancy city doctor and all. Member of Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa. How many of them have other uncles—straight uncles—who are doctors recognized by the association of Maori medical practitioners?" "Not to mention those weekends you spend at the clinic in Otara," Graeme pointed out. "You did manage to make something of your life, which, oddly enough, seems to matter more to your family than to mine." Amiri snorted. "Maybe because there's not much lower you can go than some of my family." He knew how many of his 31

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cousins were on the dole, and which ones of them exactly were drinking through their money every week. He knew who didn't have custody of kids because of the potential for child abuse, and exactly which uncle had finally been arrested on charges of child neglect, after all these years. When he'd thought about it, it hadn't surprised him all that much to find Lani and Wiremu on his doorstep a year ago. That's why he'd done all he could to process paperwork on the adoption, just to make sure it never happened to the two of them again. "Are we going to stay?" Wiremu finally asked. "We can go home. I wouldn't mind, even if the boys did promise to teach me to ride a quad bike tomorrow." His face looked wistful, a rare expression on his normally guarded face. Amiri looked at Graeme, who shrugged. "We'll give it a couple more days," he said finally. "Dad promised to hangi on Christmas Day, instead of barbecuing." Wiremu's forehead wrinkled in thought. "What'd we do last Christmas, anything?" Now Amiri felt guilty. He'd put an entire parcel in the post two weeks ago, just to make sure the kids would have something to open on Christmas Day, since they'd pretty much forgotten about it last year. "We went down to the Domain, and Graeme barbecued. Remember the chicken satay?" That apparently sparked a memory. "And Lani almost fell in the pond, feeding the ducks. And we walked home past all the pohutukawa trees. Lani danced in the flowers." "There's a really pretty drive down by Waipu," Amiri said, remembering. "We could go down there tomorrow, see the 32

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pohutukawa trees and maybe get away from the family for a bit." "Can we take the chooks?" Wiremu asked, climbing up to his top bunk. "They might enjoy the drive. Amiri groaned. "Good night, Wiremu." **** The drive had gone well, and the pohutukawas were in full bloom after all, a riot of red color that almost burned Amiri's eyes. Lani gathered blossoms for everyone, even tucking one of the red bottle-brush shaped flowers into Ein's collar. Dinner was subdued, since Graeme's sister and family had disappeared into town for an afternoon at the cinema. Amiri was glad for the peace and quiet. Not that it lasted long. "That's not true!" Graeme had been in the middle of massaging Amiri's back when Wiremu's yell interrupted them. "Don't yap about what you don't know." "Your mum didn't want you, and neither does Uncle Amiri," a second, childish voice sneered. "That's why you ain't coming to see us. That's what Mum and Dad said. 'Cause you don't belong to nobody." "Fuck," Amiri muttered, running for the door. Graeme was at his heels. "Seriously, I'm going to kill your nephew." "Not if I don't get to him first," Graeme said, running ahead of Amiri. "I'll take mine. You take ours." Amiri smiled slightly as he watched Graeme's lean form grab the offending nephew by the ear and drag him off, most likely for that long-overdue chat with Meg and John. Before 33

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Wiremu could run off in the opposite direction, Amiri grabbed at his arm. "Let go of me!" Wiremu shouted. "You ain't got the right!" Amiri dropped his hand. "And that's the problem, isn't it, tama?" he asked quietly. "Don't call me 'son.'" Wiremu sniffled. "You heard." Amiri nodded. "I did." Those untrusting dark eyes looked up at him, and it broke Amiri's heart. "Why didn't you—" Wiremu stopped, eyes lowered, as if he didn't want to see whatever truth he might read in Amiri's eyes. "Do it before?" Amiri leaned back against the Ute, watching Lani play a game of tag that only she seemed to understand. "It's complicated." Wiremu snorted. "It's always complicated. Was it 'cause you weren't sure you wanted us?" The naked fear in Wiremu's face was obvious, especially when his nephew assumed that old defensive pose: fists clenched, arms tense and stuck tight to his sides, glaring up at Amiri from under that black fringe of hair. Amiri was just glad that there were still a few centimeters to glare up. "It's complicated because gay men can't adopt as a couple," Amiri said patiently, trying to remember the righteousness of sixteen, and how protective you could be over a younger sister. "Graeme and I don't have civil union rights when it comes to adoption. You're lucky I had kinship rights and the Maori adoption rights on my side, otherwise my mother could have made this a lot worse than it was." Wiremu's tension seemed to ease a bit. 34

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"Not to mention the fact that, under normal circumstances, single men can't adopt female children," Amiri pointed out. "Doesn't matter if you're gay or not. You know that stream of social workers and people from Adoption Services that have been through the house and watching Lani and you at school?" This time, a careful nod was his response. "They were all documenting Lani's condition, as proof that, not only was she in no danger of ... of..." Amiri almost couldn't continue, the idea sickened him so much, especially since he still wasn't sure of the real motives of his sister's string of dubious boyfriends. "Of that, but that my home was that much better for her, because of the care I could provide for her that Airini and my mother couldn't." "What about custody? Don't parents need to sign over their rights or something?" Now Wiremu actually looked interested, in a detached kind of way. Amiri could only imagine what was going through the boy's mind, since he himself could barely understand the magnitude of what he and Graeme did. "Nandy and Marika and Pai caught Airini in one of her good moods," Amiri said carefully. Wiremu didn't know how many days it had taken to find his sister actually lucid. "They showed her how well Lani was doing now, and the medical records and the advice from the doctors. So she agreed." Wiremu swallowed. "And my dad?" So that's where this was going. What Amiri knew about Wiremu's dad was negligible. The man had provided some support to Airini over the years, up until Lani was born, but 35

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the relationship between Airini and Wiremu's dad had barely lasted long enough for Wiremu to see toddlerhood. It sounded as if Wiremu had seen his dad off and on in the past sixteen years, but never long enough, in the boy's opinion. Amiri was just glad that Wiremu's dad wasn't in jail, a drug addict, or worse. "It took a little more convincing than with your mum," he admitted, wanting to tell Wiremu the truth. The key to his nephew was trust, so he made it a point to never lie to Wiremu. "Graeme and I both explained the situation, as did Nandy and Marika and everybody." It surprised him that he'd actually known Wiremu's dad, an old friend of Ephram Colbert's from their years down in Westport. The man had been just as much of an arsehole then as he was now. "He knew about the difficulties with Lani, so he finally agreed." He didn't want to tell Wiremu the level of bargaining that they'd resorted to, because no child should have that kind of a price put on his head, much less be conscious of it. A second swallow, and Wiremu turned away, blinking furiously. Amiri put a hand on Wiremu's shoulder. "Y'know what all this means, though, right?" he asked gently. Wiremu wiped at his eyes with one balled up fist, shaking his head. "You don't have to change your name or nothing. Wiremu Campbell." Putting one cautious arm around Wiremu's shaking shoulders, Amiri drew the boy close. "And no one can take you away—not even my mother." 36

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That brought a small smile to the boy's face. "'S that why we didn't go to Aussie last hols to see Graeme's family?" Wiremu asked, carefully leaning his head against Amiri's. Amiri was startled to realize that the boy's head came up to his nose. Amiri chuckled, his own eyes burning slightly. "Yeah, tama, that's why. Adoption Services wouldn't let us out of the country, much less get you two passports, while all this was going on. They were probably scared we'd kidnap you and turn you into proper bruces." Wiremu choked on a laugh. "Graeme's parents would've liked that, 'cept then I'd have to change all my jokes." He looked up at Amiri, brown eyes completely unguarded. "Do I have to call you dad?" At that, Amiri let out a laugh. "Only if you want to see your Nanny die of an aneurism, tama." Wiremu gave him a speculative look. "No, tama. As tempting as it is..." He gave the boy a one-armed hug, surprised when Wiremu returned it, just as fierce, just as fast. One last swipe of his shirt hem against his face, and Wiremu looked presentable again. "That makes us real family now, eh?" Amiri kept one arm around Wiremu as they made their way toward Lani, as always, lost in her own world. "I think you're right. Merry Christmas, eh?" Wiremu nodded. "Not a bad present, but next year I want a motorbike." "Just as long as it's not another pony." 37

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When they got back, Amiri noticed that Meg and John were packing up their car, three sullen children already in the back seat. "Mum thought it would be best if Meg stayed in town," Graeme said carefully. "They'll be back for hangi tomorrow, but I think they'll be spending the rest of the time exploring the rest of Northland." He looked from Amiri to Wiremu and back again. "Everything all right?" This time, Amiri knew he could answer with certainty. He smiled at Wiremu, then back up at Graeme. "I think we're okay again." **** Dad got them up at the sparrow's fart to start the hangi. Even the promise of presents and Santa Claus was barely enough incentive to get Wiremu and Lani up. Luckily, the kids had dug the pit the night before, so at least they didn't have that to worry about. Graeme's poor family, blinking blearyeyed at the hole in the ground, looked half-awake. Amiri let reflexes take over as he and Dad covered the one by two and a half by two meter hole with a sheet of corrugated iron and then built the pile of manuka wood—three layers deep, just as Amiri remembered—and stones that would continue to heat the food. A little lighter fluid, and they had a roaring fire burning away in the pit. Amiri could hear his dad muttering some kind of a karakia over the stones, probably a blessing on the family or thanks for the bounty of the year. Once he was done, he looked at Amiri expectantly. 38

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"Erm, thanks?" Amiri said, still trying to thinking further ahead than the burning fire. His dad snorted. "You haven't changed, tama. And I hope you never will." Dad turned back toward the gathered family, who looked a little more awake now. "Now, we prepare the food." Graeme's parents just nodded and followed Dad back into the house, but the kids—Graeme's niece and nephews—just stared at the fire. "Is that it?" he could hear one mutter to the other. "Time to help prepare the food," Amiri said, rounding them up and herding them toward the house. "Whoever eats, helps." "What if we don't wanna eat?" Em, the girl, asked. Amiri forgot how much he disliked Graeme's sister's kids. "Then you can walk your arse down to the dairy and find your own food. Go!" As the kids went up the back steps and into the kitchen, Amiri heard a snort behind him. "Choice words, Uncle," Wiremu said, grinning at Amiri as he made his way into the house. "You've got a real way with kids." Amiri let his dad take over, parceling out chores that seemed an appropriate fit to everyone. One of Amiri's aunts arrived, showing Graeme's mum and sister how to cut the chicken and wrap the pieces of lamb and pork into small muslin-wrapped bundles for the hangi baskets. Dad had the men peeling kumara, pumpkin, potatoes and carrots. Lani pressed up against Amiri's side, her eyes darting from figure to figure as they peeled. He could hear her counting under 39

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her breath as the peeled vegetables were dumped into the basket at their feet. "Ten, eleven carrots. And fourteen kumara. Mr. Pony would eat all those carrots and get sick, Uncle. He doesn't like the five, six, seven potatoes." There was something hypnotic about the rhythm of her small voice, counting away. Before Amiri knew it, Graeme was prying the vegetable peeler out of his hands. "Time to put the food in, your dad says." Amiri stood, stretched, and, before anyone could say anything, gave Graeme a quick kiss. "You know that I love you," he said, probably more serious than he'd ever been in his life. Graeme smiled a quick smile at him. "I'd heard rumors as such." Graeme's long fingers pushed Amiri's hair back from his face. "You're starting to look like Wiremu, with that fringe of yours." Amiri snorted. "Don't let him hear that." And just as Amiri had known it would, Wiremu's voice called from behind them, "Too late!" "Amiri, it's time," his dad called, waving at him with the shovel. "Bring that husband of yours too." Amiri could hear the murmur going through his relatives at that comment, but let it go. No matter what they thought, the people that mattered most loved both him and the choices he'd made in life. He made his own whanau, after this family had forsaken him. Now, though, it seemed as if both he and his new family were being welcomed home. 40

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The wood, now burnt down to ash, was shoveled off the stones and the stones were placed in the pit. After spraying the stones lightly with water, Amiri's uncles began to lower the muslin-lined baskets into the pit: lamb and pork, chicken, potato and kumara, and then finally the pumpkin and wet cabbage leaves over all. Amiri's job was to then cover the food baskets with layers of wet cotton and sacking. Once the sacks were in place, Dad shoveled mounds of dirt over the wet sacks, sealing in the heat of the stones and what was left of the fire. "And now," Dad said, all eyes on him expectantly, "we wait." That was, in essence, the spirit of the hangi. The family came together to prepare the meal, and in the process of waiting for it to cook, caught up on any gossip and news that happened since they'd last been together. Amiri's aunties and girl cousins dragged Graeme's mum, sister and niece off into the kitchen to make frybread and desserts, while the men gathered around the hangi pit. Amiri saw Wiremu watching the scattering of kids, envy on his face. "Go on," he said. "We'll watch Lani." He scooped Lani up, and she drooped against his shoulder. "She'll probably fall asleep anyway." "Will not," Lani said, eyelids fluttering. "Naps 're for babies." "You know where the quad bikes are," Amiri continued, nodding toward the shed. "See if you can challenge Daniel's boy to a race or something." Wiremu flashed a wicked grin at Amiri before running off. 41

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"He needs to be a kid more," Graeme said, resting his chin on Amiri's other shoulder. "I wish..." "Me too," Amiri said softly. "Me too." **** The hangi itself was anti-climatic. Amiri's uncles brought the food out of the earth, and his aunties began immediately hauling the bounty inside, removing it from its layers and layers of wrappings. Peering in through the kitchen windows, Amiri watched as the food was laid out on platters. Beside him, Graeme was visibly drooling. "You'll get your share," he muttered, elbowing his partner. "We'll be eating that for the rest of the week." "If I had known what we were missing, I would've dragged you home a long time ago," Graeme said, eyes completely focused on the food. The smell of smoked meats and manuka wood wafted over Amiri. He closed his eyes, and for a moment, let the peace of home sink into his bones. "Is this it, Uncle?" Lani asked, tugging at his T-shirt. "Is this home?" For once, Amiri could look down at his niece and smile. "Yeah, Tui. This is home." And the aunties brought the food out, and everyone sat down on the ground or at the picnic tables, and Amiri ate until his stomach hurt. Then he ate more, because God only knew the next time he'd have good hangi food. Maybe he'd have to try that crockpot recipe that Auntie Moana had pinned up to the inside of one of the cupboards. 42

Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root by Kara Larson

"This is why we came back to New Zealand," Graeme said around a mouthful of lamb, in a moan that was usually reserved for the bedroom. "Fuck, Ame, if I didn't love you before..." "Gold coin," Lani sang, holding out her hand. Graeme groaned. "Lani-nani—" Lani shook her dark curls imperiously. "Gold coin, Uncle. You owe me." Amiri could feel the eyes of the entire family on them. He fished into his pocket for a two-dollar coin and placed it in Lani's palm. "There, Tui. So Graeme owes me now." Lani pocketed the coin. "He can pay you back in kisses." Laughing nervously, Amiri cast a quick eye at the rest of the family, who seemed to be ignoring them now. From across the yard, Dad gave him a slight nod, as if he approved. "I suppose he can," Amiri said, grinning at his niece. "What are you going to buy with all those gold coins, anyway?" "Another Mr. Pony," Lani answered in a matter-of-fact voice. Then she shot him the "Duh, Uncle" look. "Mr. Pony is lonely and needs a boyfriend too. Just like you." At that, Amiri heard the unmistakable crow of Pepperpot, causing him to wonder what awaited him at home. The rest of the fortnight passed so quickly that Amiri almost wondered if they'd skipped forward in time. Graeme's family went back halfway through the second week, so there was a bit of peace and quiet with Dad before they had to head back. While the family was overwhelming most of the time, they seemed happy enough to leave Amiri in peace 43

Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root by Kara Larson

when he needed it. The sleep-out became his own personal sanctuary when he took what Lani called his 'quiet time.' "And you'll come back next hols," Dad said, sounding anxious as they loaded everything—chooks included—into the car. "As long as we can get a locum," Amiri said, shoving Pepperpot back into her cage. She clucked at him, obviously put out. "If not, we can drive up for a long weekend here and there." "Maybe we can come back for Matariki," Wiremu said, bouncing on the balls of his feet the way Lani was prone to. "Then we can have another hangi." Dad laughed. "I'm sure you'll hangi again before July." Wiremu shot Amiri a look and sighed. "Don't count on it. If it's fun, Uncle Amiri finds a way to kill it." Then he grinned cheekily, obviously pleased with himself. Wiremu seemed a little more at ease now that the adoption issue was taken care of. He acted more like a kid now than a sullen, untrusting adult, as if that knowledge about his place in the universe made all the difference. While parts of the holiday had been a royal pain in the arse, Amiri thought that at least made it worth it, if only to see Wiremu smile more. "Don't get too cocky, tama," Amiri warned, "or I'll make you ride in back with the chooks." There were hugs and hongi and kisses and promises, and finally Amiri joined his family in the sanctity of the car. "I have to pee," Lani announced. "And Ein ate his poop before we got in the car." 44

Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root by Kara Larson

**** "The house looks the same," Wiremu said as they pulled in the drive. The pohutukawa trees that lined the left side of the drive were in full bloom, showering the car with red feathery blossoms, as if welcoming them home. "The sedan's here, the Old Lady's here." "Mr. Pony's here," Lani said, already unfastening her seat belt and halfway out the car before it even stopped. "Mr. Pony's—what?" Amiri slammed on the brakes and stared at the pony, who cropped grass complacently on the side of the drive. Lani raced toward him, no doubt eager to tell the pony all about her Christmas adventures. "And now we belong to Uncle Graeme and Uncle Amiri, but Uncle Amiri said we can't buy you a boyfriend because one pony is too many—" she prattled on and on, all the while the pony stared suspiciously at Amiri from behind his black forelock, as if daring Amiri to do something about it. "Welcome home, love," Graeme said, kissing Amiri's neck. "Yeah, Uncle, welcome home," Wiremu echoed, getting out of the car and chasing after Lani. And the chooks crowed, as if adding their agreement. Tau mahi'ra e te iti kahurangi. Your work is well done, my little treasure. Meri Kirihimete—Merry Christmas, from Down Under and Up Top! THE END

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Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root by Kara Larson

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