We had to press noses then, because that's the way they kiss in Ruatoria. Auntie Puti had a soft nose. She took us inside and we were scared, because the people looked very ferocious and had red eyes. But Auntie told us not to take any notice of those rotten boozers and kicked everyone out of the kitchen, telling them to take their stinking beer with them. Then she made a kai for us and we ate it all, because we were very hungry. Afterward, we helped Auntie with the dishes and she asked us how our mother was. Mum and Auntie Puti had gone to school together; they weren't closely related but they had been very good friends. Auntie had a big family too, nine children, and she yelled out to them to come and meet their bones. So we bashfully said ‘Hello.’ Then Uncle came in and told Nanny to come and join them in the front room. Nanny went and Auntie went with her, ‘just to make sure those boozers didn't break anything,’ she said. We went ouside and played for a while, until it got too dark. ‘How long will we be here?’ Kara asked. ‘They'll be going all night,’ Sid answered. ‘They always do when they have a party.’ ‘Oh.’ Kara whispered. We sat on the verandah, listening to the music and the singing, and watching the people coming in and out. I don't think Auntie had a toilet at her place. And those people had the runs all the time! We were very tired, and Pare was falling off to sleep. But when Nanny came out and gave us some money and said, ‘You kids, go to the pictures ay?’ we jumped up and were wide awake. ‘See you later, Nanny!’ we yelled, and ran down the road. And guess what — Nanny had given us two whole pounds! I'd never seen so much money! There were lots of people at the pictures, mostly young like us. We got some lollies and our tickets and then rushed down to the front. It was strange at that theatre, because they didn't have nice seats, just rows of forms. And the people brought their own blankets and wrapped them round their legs because of the draught. You were allowed to eat fish and chips too! And even allowed to throw paper and things. It was exciting and what with all the commotion going on, I was quite prepared to see someone galloping a horse down the aisle. My cousins looked round, shouting greetings to their mates and going and talking to them. Of course, Pare, Kara and I were dragged along too. ‘These are our cousins,’ Sid would say. ‘They got a beaut car!’ On our travels among the people, we came across Grace. She was sitting at the back with her boyfriend and he was kissing her! And she had funny marks on her neck. ‘Eeeee! Grace!’ Albert yelled. ‘Eeee! Grace!’ The picture started and everybody began to whistle and bang their feet. The shorts were three cartoons and something about growing wheat in America. Everybody booed because it was too long. Half-time came and went and the lights dimmed for the main feature. A cowboy film! It was exciting, even if the picture broke down about three times. But the main actor was good. Quick on the gun, because at the big showdown, it only took him one bullet to kill three men! At least, it was marvellous for my cousins. I didn't tell them that the film had jumped. But it was still an exciting film, and the whole theatre rocked with yells and screams and whistles. Sometimes, somebody would run up to the screen to try to help the goodie if he was in trouble. Then everybody would yell, ‘Sit down!’… ‘Get off!’ and throw things at him. But that only made matters worse, because then the kids would scramble up there too, just in case somebody had thrown some lollies. Then you couldn't see the action at all. Once, even Kara ran up there and when she came back, she had a mintie and let me have a suck. After the film, we piled out and got some fish and chips. We saw Grace at the shop too, but she pretended she didn't see us. She was sitting carefully, swinging her feet so that everybody could see her new shoes. Some of her mates were with her, and even though she had a boyfriend, she winked at another fulla — I saw her! George was there too, with his girlfriend, and she smiled at us. Sid said she was a prefect at school and her father was rich. We hung around the fish shop for a while and then we started home to Auntie's place, reenacting the action of the film. ‘Wasn't that beaut when he shot those men?…. And that time when… The party was in full swing, the house shaking with activity. Pare started to get