Whanau

Friday night was bleak. I'd just hopped in the car when the rain started drumming down, and as we crept down The Terrace there was a nasty pile up at the intersection as you come off the motorway. Stationary emergency appliances flashed red and neon uniforms moved garishly in the dark. Unfortunately the windscreen wipers in Aunt G's car didn't seem to be working so she had to keep manually flicking them on. And her driving was terrifying. 4...yes I said 4 emergency brakes in a 20 something minute drive. And while she talks she gestures with her hands. I kept watching the one hand she had fixed to the steering wheel nervously while wishing she wouldn't turn around to make eye contact with me while she spoke.

My father is one of 8 kids and I have 30 something cousins on that side. I'm not particularly close to any of them. On my mother's side I have one aunt, who doesn't really speak to me now as a result of the estate bullshit etc etc.

So when Dad's crazy sister asked me to stay at her place in Tawa last night to celebrate my cousin M's 25th birthday I graciously accepted. I haven't been to visit her in the 18 months since I've been back in Wellie. M has just moved down here from Tauranga to live with her. M is part Maori, very pretty, but looks kindof emaciated, hollow, from doing too many drugs if you ask my dad, and she calls me honey and sweetie and babe, which bothers me somewhat. I'm two weeks older than her after all.

Aunt G isn't so much crazy in the orthodox sense. But she talks.....from the time they picked me up until when M and I got dropped off at Uni this morning, it was verbal diahorrea of the most violent nature. She's quite sweet. She'd gone to a lot of trouble for M's birthday, and even gave me this cute little feng shui (which she pronounced feng shwee) present for my birthday. Once she had a few wines she was actually a bit of a crack up. But I think she suffered from post natal depression really badly, seems to get confused quite easily, and is a divorcee of the most bitter variety with a 17 year old son who doesn't seem to do much other than drink. She likes to TALK about peoples dysfunctions. And my extended whanau aren't short on dysfunction. And she is also NOT shy about talking about herself.

Once we got to her house it smelt like damp Siamese cats. She didn't seem to have a cat. It was cold. The wine was opened almost immediately (I wasn't complaining, needed something to take the edge off the car journey). The phone went constantly throughout the night, people wishing M happy birthday, and at one stage after dinner both M and G were on different phones simultaneously. I got bored. It was quite late by this stage, and I snuck off to bed with a magazine. I woke up to aunt g calling my name, and as I pulled my face up off the page I had been drooling on, she handed me the phone. And I spoke to another cousin who I haven't seen in, I dunno, 10 years. Then I was awake. So I got up and went in to the lounge where the aunt had put on a gurlie movie. M was nowhere to be seen. Crazy aunt fell asleep. And when the movie finished I was horrified to see it was 3:30am. And even more horrified when aunt came in to my room at 5:30am to make sure my electric blanket was off. And just plain pissed when she was up crashing around at 7:30am.

But I'm intrigued about M. She seems a bit wild...is single, which is a pleasant change in company, and might be kindof fun to go out with....

It's 4:30am Sunday morning. I've had 4 hours sleep since 6:30am Friday morning. And it's been the strangest night. Need to go digest....