The Bone People (46 page)

"Is it okay? There's enough?"

"Man, she got tons in the bag there. She always makes enough for the whole damn family in case they turn

up," Polly growls. She lost the last game.

The old lady passes over a gory-looking sandwich.

"Have some proper kai," she says firmly, "not like that filthy pie and stuff."

"Looks interesting," opening it, and wishing she hadn't.

A lot of little baby cockles with their siphons erect like tiny penises, arranged on a bed of lettuce leaf and

soaked with tomato sauce.

Keck... and I had a greasy hamburger and filthy stuff half an hour ago,

but she takes a mouthful grimly, and is surprised to feel spurts of saliva.

"You know what?" she says after a moment. "I'm really hungry."

Joe grunts, tearing into another sandwich.

Solid chewing all round for the next five minutes.

"Oowe," says Joe, standing suddenly. "Scuse, time for mimi." He clutches at the table, wavering. "Wow, that beer and whisky... won't be a minute you fellas."

He pushes away through the crowd.

Pi says,

"Simon okay now?"

She thinks he is asking Piri, but Piri is leaning towards her.

Pi looks at her steadily.

"Joe treated him all right on this holiday of yours?"

So everybody knew but me... and nobody said or did a damn thing.

"There was no trouble," she says, cool and hard as a rock.

Lynn winces, her eyes filling with tears.

"You know Kere, the number of times we have, Piri has, fixed up poor Himi... he used to come round with

terrible weals on him, didn't he Piri? Terrible cuts, and we couldn't say anything to Ma, because she'd get too

upset. And we couldn't do anything, because you feel sorry for Joe being alone and all... but that poor kid!

God, sometimes he could hardly walk... I'd never treat one of mine that way, though I suppose it's different

him not really being Joe's and all, but sometimes I got so wild, didn't I Piri? Sometimes I could have

scratched that bastard's eyes out," she ends viciously.

Piri blinks. He's been nodding pacifically along with all Lynn's been saying, eyes half-closed, face slack.

"Simmer down, Lynnie... Kerewin, I thought you might do something as soon as you found out about it, and

Joe says you have eh? He didn't say what though."

Meaning, Tell us.

She is silent.

Piri pours the last of the beer out, first in her glass, then in Lynn's; Pi shakes his head and covers his glass,

while Polly drains hers and holds it out; some in Polly's, some in Missus' genteel 5 ounce, and winds up

giving a half-hearted scowl at the drop left in the bottom.

"Aue... well, my shout anyway." He holds the tray limply, leaning his head back. He says quietly.

"Me and Joe had a big fight about a year ago, over the way he treats his kid. I went in punching, but he's

bigger than me so in the end I picked up a bottle, and smashed it on him. It skidded all down his shoulder and

ribs... I was lucky I didn't gut him, the way the glass broke eh?"

He sighs heavily, head still back. "Pa woodened me... and said he was going to call the cops. Never did

though... don' think it's a good thing to bring fuzz into family affairs, do you?" his eyes flick open suddenly, the drink drowsiness gone.

"I don't. Provided the family can cope."

"We tried," says Piri very softly. "We did try. Joe's had his troubles though, and you can't kick a man who's down all the time, nei?"

"I'm not civilised like that." She speaks as softly as Piri, aware of the rapt attention, everyone straining to hear. "I said to Joe if he thrashes Sim the way he has in the past, I'll kick him silly." She drains her glass. "I like Joe helluva lot, and I like Himi too, but aside from the damage this business has done to the child, it's

warping a good man."

"Exactly," says Piri, no slur at all.

She puts the glass down, and smiles round at them all. "It wasn't an idle threat. I could take on any or all of you right now, and have a neat time, stomping you to mush."

Great, Holmes! An old lady, a tiny woman, a wee man, and a good fat fellow, placid as the day is long... kick

'em all to death eh? O mighty work, hero stuff that!

The old lady looks at her keenly, and spits to one side. Pi raises his eyebrows, and Polly grins like a dog.

She'd obviously like Kerewin to have a go... Lynn just swallows.

"Judo or something?" The glaze is coming back into Piri's eyes.

"Or something. But good."

"Joe's found out?"

"By experience, yep."

"Whooo," Piri shakes his head blurrily. "Kinoath..." he starts collecting glasses, avoiding her eyes again.

She laughs. "Hey it wasn't much of fight, you fellas... we just decided that if Himi ever needs a hiding again, Joe will wait till I agree to it. I'm not muscling into Joe's business or anything... it's just we figured that the

bashings happened because Joe was by himself, under pressure, and he lashed out on the spur of the moment

eh? Sooo," she shrugs, comfortable in her power, "now he's not alone any more, he's got a promise to stand by and reason to keep his temper, and that should prevent Himi from getting damaged again."

Lynn closes her mouth. She looks at Kerewin, her brown eyes gone from birdbright to look strangely like a

spaniel's, watery, inane, devoted.

"Well, I'm glad you stopped it because it wasn't nice... when you said though, about Joe not being alone now

and that, did you mean you and Joe're getting married soon?"

Unholy, what the hell has Joe been saying?

She goes from boast to being coldly angry in a second. She says, "Emphatically not."

Silence again.

"Play up," Pi in a low voice to Polly.

"Hold your horse, fuckwit." She picks up her cards deliberately, ears cocked for the next bit.

"O, I thought..." Lynn is pleating the edge of her cardigan nervously, seemingly not aware of doing it. "You know, I thought... well, you know and all." Piri sighs behind her. "You know," she says again, "I just thought."

Her anger dies as abruptly as it roused.

Poor little twerp. Sounds like putting her foot in it is a regular occupation... and-she

was only trying to be polite to what must seem to her to be the ultimate in butch strangers, strange butchers.

She grins at her wordplay, grins kindly to Lynn. "My fault, I put it the wrong way. But whatever it looks like, we're just good friends..."

Lynn smiles back timidly.

"I'm not the marrying kind, you see," and she feels, rather than sees, Polly's glance rake her over. The big woman grunts to herself in satisfaction.

"Got you this time, Pi," she says, and almost simpers at Kerewin.

Kerewin smiles politely, cups her chin in her hands, and leans on the table, gazing with deep interest at the

patterns the beer rings have made there.

Twixt devil and deep blue sea... hurry back, e hoa.

She hears Pi, "You playing these cards or aren't you?" "Give us time," says Polly. Mumble, mumble, mumble. She feels a stealthy touch on her foot.

Ah sheeit, that's all I need... overtures from the ambisextrous... she's not a bad sort, I suppose. Just trying.

Without making it look pointed, she stands and stretches.

"We are of the sea, we have tides like the sea," she begins in a chant. "Tears of saltwater, tidal bodies, and seastreamed hair."

"E, that's nice," says Polly. "Whatsit mean?" grinning.

"Something I thought of... it means, I gotta go."

"And when you gotta go, you gotta go," says Pi. Fatuous laughter all round, herself included. The old lady joins in, husky aged cough of a laugh, "Huk! Huk! Huk! Ahh, you young people--"

Polly stands too. "Need a mimi myself," hitching her shoulders back.

"It can wait," says Pi calmly, sitting back in his chair. "You haven't played these cards yet, and I don't think Kerewin needs company."

And Kerewin, looking frantically for polite but offputting phrases for Polly, feels a surge of affection for the

man. Pub gossip rubbished him for living with a militant and overt bisexual.

Fatguts they call you, good only at the cardtable, good only for the beer. But man, your discernment and

kindness puts them all to shame.

It was Pi who first greeted her here, she remembers. Pi who first brought up the question of Simon. She grins

widely at him.

"Like you say, e hoa. I don't need the company."

Making it sound a joke to everyone but Pi and Polly. Polly scowls and flounces back down in her seat. Pi

looks at her under one lifted eyebrow, and deals out more cards.

The toilet was empty.

Thank goodness for that. Much longer and I'd be pissing all over the floor. Odd how you can forget about

your bladder... better than last night, anyhow.

"Greetings, stranger," says Joe as she sits down. "You're just back in time to say hooray to Polly and Pi."

"We're off home to the menagerie," says Pi. Polly grunts. "Have a shout on us."

"Well thanks, but I'm just changing to wine and you've got to buy a bottle at a time here. Tell you what, may I shout you instead?"

"No," says Pi, and Polly says "Yes," and Kerewin is unsure who she is saying that to. Joe stands.

"Look, I'll get the drinks, okay? Specials, topshelf, or whatever, okay?"

He must have had a couple of extra rounds while she's been in the loo. His eyes are unfocused and he's

swaying as he stands.

"I'll get my wine though," taking out her wallet.

"No. This is my shout," holding up his hand as though to ward her money off.

"Okay...."

She offers her cigarillo case round. Piri doesn't smoke, it seems, and Lynn says Thanks, but not one of those

if you don't mind, and Pi says Ka pai, and Polly takes two and doesn't say anything.

She flicks a flame up from the lighter. There is barely enough gas in it to make a light, but she woos the little

blue flame, nuzzling it carefully lest it perish with the effort.

The old lady says, "Can I have a smoke too?"

"O surely," handing the case across. "I didn't see you come back."

"O, I been here," the old lady grins. "Listening. E pai ana."

A smokering flows over the table between them, expanding.

Plonk! into the middle of the curling vapour. A bottle of young port, 76 says the label. Gawd, just put to bed

in its bottle--

"Izzit your wine?"

Urrk never... but look at his smile, my soul, floating through the thickened air as white and mysterious as the

Cheshire cat's... you wanna dim it?

"Ae Joe, it'll do nicely."

She peels away the lead foil, and uncorks the bottle with her knife. Joe's saying, "I got you fellas a whisky

apiece," handing them out, "trebles, eh?"

Pi Kopunui groans, Piri shudders, Lynn says O dear, Polly cackles, and Missus just tosses hers straight down,

and begins sedately on the beer.

They toast each other, wishing health and long life, Kia ora, Kia ora--

"Look," she says suddenly. "Look, they match exactly," holding her little finger up with the glass of port by it, so all can see the hump of garnet next to the wine. She is bemused by the coincidence. They offer

disinterested agreement.

"Ultimate eh, matching your grog to your jewellery. Remind me to get some neat brown bracelets with cream

stripes eh?" Pi belches and giggles. "Kelk. Sorry, that beer is getting to me."

"No wonder, you been inviting it in since this morning... why do you have so many rings?" Polly's head is

cocked on one side and her eyes are partly crossed.

Flicker of sober amusement... how many do you see, lady?

"O I like the colour and feel of semi-precious stones... so I load 'em on, eh--"

Each ring feeds my fingers with its particular virtue. A garnet gives courage, a turquoise soothes. Greenstone

ennobles. Opal enlivens. Coral is shy, but full of ancient memory. And aquamarine quickens thought, lively

as a dolphin in the open sea.

And some stones I avoid like the plague... diamonds are obnoxious and leave, somehow, a sick taste in the

mouth. Emeralds are cold as death, idol eyes, and rubies are too luxuriantly, unctuously velvet--

"Uhh?"

"Sweet Lord, you're dreamy tonight. I said, Pi and co are away... and Lynn's taking Piri home." In a whisper,

"He's flaked."

The little woman has Piri propped against her, one limp arm still round her neck. Piri sleepwalks and doesn't

say goodbye. Lynn says awkwardly,

"Nice meeting you, Kerewin. Please come round and visit. I hope you and Joe get on in spite of, you know,

Simon and all that..." she smiles entreatingly. "It was nice meeting you and having that talk," lurching away under Piri's weight, her own drink-riddled feet finding it hard to keep the floor in its proper place.

O God no, Himi's in the way.

It is like a punch in his stomach.

Kerewin is half-rising, bowing a little to the others. "Nice meeting you all again," she is saying, lips curling in a smile, "Pi, Polly, Missus--"

"Good to see you again too," says Pi. "Get a move on, woman," belligerently to Polly who is clattering round, gathering cards and cans of beer. She heads for the door, and her bag catches on the corner of a table and she

trips. "Hoops!" grabbing a man conveniently close, staggering closer against him, "All right, honey?" and the man chuckles, his arms moving up her. Pi, upset, roars, "Quit arsing around there and get cracking," and a dozen heads turn their way Polly yells back, "What? Farts?" and slopes off through the door Pi shakes his

head sorrowfully to Kerewin, and follows.

The old lady, chkchkking them both, turns and says, "She is a good woman," and Kerewin thinks Polly isn't

bad, but she's no«

necessarily good. But Missus turns back and calls loudly after Pi, "I think she's Maori for all that white skin.