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Authors: Witi Ihimaera
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around my neck.
‘Hullo,’ she breathed as she gave me a kiss.
I held her tightly and closed my eyes. I hadn’t realised how
much I had missed the kid. Then Nanny Flowers came out and said to Kahu, ‘Enough
of the loving. You and me are working girls! Come here! Be quick!’
‘Nanny and me are hoeing the vegetable garden,’
Kahu smiled. ‘I come very Wednesday to be her mate, when she wants a rest from
Koro.’ Then she gave a little gasp and took my hand and pulled me around to the
shed at the back of the house.
‘Don’t be too long, Kahu,’ Nanny Flowers
shouted. ‘Those potatoes won’t wait all day.’
Kahu waved okay. As I followed her I marvelled at the stream of
conversation which poured out of her. ‘I’ve got a baby sister now,
Uncle, she’s a darling. Her name is Putiputi after Nanny Flowers. Did you know I
was top of my class this year? And I’m the leader of the culture group too. I love
singing the Maori songs. Will you teach me how to play the guitar? Oh, neat . And Daddy and Ana are coming to see you tonight once
Daddy gets back from work. You bought me a present ? Me ? Oh where is it, where is it!
You can show me later, eh. But I want you to see this first —’
She opened the door to the shed. Inside I saw a gleam of shining
silver chrome. Kahu put her arms around me and kissed me again. It was my motorbike.
‘Nanny Flowers and I have been cleaning it every
week,’ she said. ‘She used to cry sometimes, you know, when she was
cleaning it. Then she’d get scared she might cause some rust.’
I just couldn’t help it; I felt a rush of tears to my eyes.
Concerned, Kahu stroked my face.
‘Don’t cry,’ she said.
‘Don’t cry. It’s all right, Uncle Rawiri. There, there.
You’re home now.’
Later that night Porourangi arrived. Among the family he was the one
who seemed to have aged the most. He introduced me to Ana, for whom I felt an instant
warmth, and then proudly showed me the new baby, Putiputi.
‘Another girl,’ Koro Apirana said audibly, but
Porourangi took no notice of him. We were used to Koro’s growly ways.
‘Oh, be quiet,’ Nanny Flowers said.
‘Girls can do anything these days. Haven’t you heard you’re
not allowed to discriminate against women any more? They should put you in the
jailhouse.’
‘I don’t give a hang about women,’ Koro
Apirana said. ‘You still haven’t got the power.’
It was then that Nanny Flowers surprised us all. ‘Oh, yeah
yeah, you old goat,’ she said.
We had a big family dinner that night with Maori bread and crayfish
and lots of wine to drink. Nanny had invited the boys over and they arrived with a roar and
a rush of blue smoke and petrol fumes. It was almost as if I had never left. The guitars
came out and the voices rang free to make the stars dance with joy. Nanny Flowers was in her
element, playing centre stage to her family, and one of the boys got her up to do a hula.
‘Look,’ he cried with delight. ‘The
Queen of Whangara!’
There was a roar of laughter at that one, and Kahu came running up to
me, saying, ‘See how we love you, Uncle? We killed the fatted calf for you, just
like the Bible says.’ She hugged me close and then skipped away like a songbird.
Then Porourangi was there. ‘Is it good to be
home?’ he asked cautiously.
‘Yes,’ I breathed. ‘Just fantastic . How has it been?’
‘Much the same as ever,’ Porourangi said.
‘And you know our Koro. He’s still looking.’
‘What for?’
‘The one who can pull the sword,’ Porourangi
laughed hollowly. ‘There are a few more young boys he’s found. One of
them may be the one.’
Porourangi fell silent. I saw Koro Apirana rocking in his chair, back
and forth, back and forth. Kahu came up to him and put her hand in his. He pushed her away
and she dissolved into the dark. The guitars played on.
Over the following weeks it was clear to me that Koro
‘Hullo,’ she breathed as she gave me a kiss.
I held her tightly and closed my eyes. I hadn’t realised how
much I had missed the kid. Then Nanny Flowers came out and said to Kahu, ‘Enough
of the loving. You and me are working girls! Come here! Be quick!’
‘Nanny and me are hoeing the vegetable garden,’
Kahu smiled. ‘I come very Wednesday to be her mate, when she wants a rest from
Koro.’ Then she gave a little gasp and took my hand and pulled me around to the
shed at the back of the house.
‘Don’t be too long, Kahu,’ Nanny Flowers
shouted. ‘Those potatoes won’t wait all day.’
Kahu waved okay. As I followed her I marvelled at the stream of
conversation which poured out of her. ‘I’ve got a baby sister now,
Uncle, she’s a darling. Her name is Putiputi after Nanny Flowers. Did you know I
was top of my class this year? And I’m the leader of the culture group too. I love
singing the Maori songs. Will you teach me how to play the guitar? Oh, neat . And Daddy and Ana are coming to see you tonight once
Daddy gets back from work. You bought me a present ? Me ? Oh where is it, where is it!
You can show me later, eh. But I want you to see this first —’
She opened the door to the shed. Inside I saw a gleam of shining
silver chrome. Kahu put her arms around me and kissed me again. It was my motorbike.
‘Nanny Flowers and I have been cleaning it every
week,’ she said. ‘She used to cry sometimes, you know, when she was
cleaning it. Then she’d get scared she might cause some rust.’
I just couldn’t help it; I felt a rush of tears to my eyes.
Concerned, Kahu stroked my face.
‘Don’t cry,’ she said.
‘Don’t cry. It’s all right, Uncle Rawiri. There, there.
You’re home now.’
Later that night Porourangi arrived. Among the family he was the one
who seemed to have aged the most. He introduced me to Ana, for whom I felt an instant
warmth, and then proudly showed me the new baby, Putiputi.
‘Another girl,’ Koro Apirana said audibly, but
Porourangi took no notice of him. We were used to Koro’s growly ways.
‘Oh, be quiet,’ Nanny Flowers said.
‘Girls can do anything these days. Haven’t you heard you’re
not allowed to discriminate against women any more? They should put you in the
jailhouse.’
‘I don’t give a hang about women,’ Koro
Apirana said. ‘You still haven’t got the power.’
It was then that Nanny Flowers surprised us all. ‘Oh, yeah
yeah, you old goat,’ she said.
We had a big family dinner that night with Maori bread and crayfish
and lots of wine to drink. Nanny had invited the boys over and they arrived with a roar and
a rush of blue smoke and petrol fumes. It was almost as if I had never left. The guitars
came out and the voices rang free to make the stars dance with joy. Nanny Flowers was in her
element, playing centre stage to her family, and one of the boys got her up to do a hula.
‘Look,’ he cried with delight. ‘The
Queen of Whangara!’
There was a roar of laughter at that one, and Kahu came running up to
me, saying, ‘See how we love you, Uncle? We killed the fatted calf for you, just
like the Bible says.’ She hugged me close and then skipped away like a songbird.
Then Porourangi was there. ‘Is it good to be
home?’ he asked cautiously.
‘Yes,’ I breathed. ‘Just fantastic . How has it been?’
‘Much the same as ever,’ Porourangi said.
‘And you know our Koro. He’s still looking.’
‘What for?’
‘The one who can pull the sword,’ Porourangi
laughed hollowly. ‘There are a few more young boys he’s found. One of
them may be the one.’
Porourangi fell silent. I saw Koro Apirana rocking in his chair, back
and forth, back and forth. Kahu came up to him and put her hand in his. He pushed her away
and she dissolved into the dark. The guitars played on.
Over the following weeks it was clear to me that Koro
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