Yellow Brick Road

yellow-bellied Brick Road by Witi Ihimaera Follow the yellow brick pass, Follow, follow, follow follow, Follow the yellow brick road Were almost thither Almost at Wellington, the Emerald City Me and Dad and milliampere and Roha, we been travelling for two days now in our motor automobile which Dad bought from Mr W whollyace last week. No dents and honk honk goes the horn. Dad, he said I could piss a drive of it myself when we left Waituhi but then it conked come after to the fore on the Whareratas and that made him change his mind. I told you we wouldnt see to Wellington in this, Mum said to him while he was fixing it up. Well get thither. just I want to get in that location in one piece Mum answe expiration. Throw round of your junk step up then, Dad told her. Our gondola sure is loaded down all right. Mums stuff is in the boot, roughly belongings are trussed under the canvas on the roof and theres even whatsoal looks squeezed in here with us. Boy. But you wont conk out now, ay railway car? Theres just one hill to go and well be there. So up we go, up the hill, slowly but surely. And who cares if cars bank up behind us They can beep all they wish well. We got as such(prenominal) right to be on this road as they got. Road, road, yellow brick road, yellow with the headlights sweeping across it.Just bid in that book Miss Wright, my teacher, gave me before we left Waituhi. A neat book. About the straw man, the tin man, the cowardly lion and the Emerald City and were almost there I bounce up and down on the seat. I cant wait to see all the scintillating green towers glittering in the dark in advance of us. Matiu, you just sit still Mum growls. Whats gotten into you, ay? Sorry, Mum. misfortunate Mum. Shes real tired and still unhappy about leaving Waituhi, our whanau, our family. Her eyes are still red with the crying when all the people had waved goodbye to us like little flags fluttering far away.At to the lowest degree she hasnt cr ied as often as Roha has for Hone though Roha and Hone, they went round together and once I see them having a pash. Eeee I grin at my big sister. Never mind, Roha. Plenty other boys down. inWellington and you can pash up large with them when we get there, ay. What you grinning for, Smarty? Roha snaps. Im allowed to grin if I want to, arent I? I ask, suddenly hurt. each right, all right, you dont have to scream. I make a funny face at her. It would teach her a good lesson if even the pakehas didnt want to pash with her Lots of pakehas in Wellington. Not like in Waituhi.Makes me scared to prize about it. Dad, exit the pakehas like us in Wellington? Dad? He doesnt answer me because he is driving carefully. He has to lean forward to see the road in front of him. It has started to fall. Wish I was older and k impudently how to drive break dance. Then I could give him a rest at the wheel. I force against him and he puts an arm round me. His face looks tired, just like it looked when we were walking to a garage yesterday afterward our car ran out of petrol. There we were, miles from anywhere, walking along the road while car after car sped past us without stopping. Some of them blared loudly at us.Others made a lot of pass around come over us. And always as they passed the faces would be looking back and staring at us. I felt puzzled. Why dont they stop, Dad? He had shrugged his shoulders. Were in a different country now, son. I began to loathe those faces. I wanted to throw stones at them all. But things will be different when we get to Wellington, wont the? And we will be happy, wont we? Course we will. You just wait and see, Dad. Well make lots of money and be rich as anything because Wellington is where the money is. And you have to go where the money is, ay Dad. No use staying in Waituhi and being brusk all the time, ay.I lean back in the seat and burrow under the blanket. It is getting cold and there is a draught coming through a hole in our ca r. I come up my home of lollies in my pocket. You want one, Mum? You want one, Dad? Roha? I pass the bag to Roha and she takes two, the greedy thing. I put one in my mouth and count whats left. Seven. Boy, these are the dearest lollies I ever bought. When we halt at the shop yesterday I gave the man thirty cents and he didnt give me any change. When I asked him for it, he told me thirty cents was how much these lollies cost. But he was lying. He was a thief and he take my money.How would he like it if someone rooked him? Whats more, these lollies stink, just like him. I watch the road as it twists ahead through the dark. Every now and then, there is a loud whoosh of a fast car passing us. Those fast cars dont like us. Were too slow for them. Suddenly, I see two lights ahead like eyes glaring at us. The eyes open wider, grow larger, looking like the eyes of a Dad I yell, afraid. A big truck descends on us with its headlight blazing full. I seem to see taloned fingers reaching o ut to claw me. Bloody hell, Dad mutters. He swerves. The car kicks gravel.The truck thunders past, screaming in the void. I look at Mum. Her face is shaken. I better remark both my hands on the wheel, Dad says. He lifts his arm from me and I feel suddenly alone. I begin to think of Waituhi, our whanau, and that makes me sad. All our family was there and Emere was our cow. Haere ra, Emere. And haere ra to you, e Hemi. Youll always be my better(p) mate. I start humming to myself. Quietly. Follow the yellow brick road, Follow follow, follow, follow Miss Wright, she taught us that song at school. A neat song. We made a long line, joined by our hands, and danced crazy patterns over the vacation spot andThere is a snapping sound and the flapping of canvas. Whats that, Dad? He suck ups the car over to the side of the road and steps out. Mum crests down her window. Whats wrong? Ropes snapped, he yells back. You better get out and help your father, Mum says to me. I jump out int o the rain. Boy, its sure wet and cold out here. Dad is struggling in the wind to pull the canvas back over our belongings. All this junk Dad mutters. No wonderment the canvas came away. He takes a box from the top and dumps it on the side of the road. My books spill out and the pages fly away like birds in the wind. Dad. No, DadI run out into the road in panic because those are my school books and among them is my best book. My best book. Matiu Get off the road Mum screams. My best book. In the wind and the rain. My best book. Matiu. And there it is. Lying there on the road. I run to get it and car brakes scream in my ears. But I have it in my arms and handgrip it safe to me. And I dont care if I get a hiding. I dont care Mum hits me very hard. -What you want to do that for, you stupid kid. But I dont care. I dont care And the driver of the other car is saying angry words to Dad What the bloody hell do you think youre up to, eh?let your kid run out like that, whats wrong wit h you Look, never mind about bloody arguing. Christ, you shouldnt be on the road at all. Your cars bloody dangerous loaded like that. And why the hell didnt you pull further off the road, eh? Oh, whats the use. You Maoris are all the same. Dumb bloody horis. He steps back into his car and roars off. Dad comes towards me and his face is full of anger. Go ahead, Dad. Hit me. I deserve it. But he doesnt. Instead, he hugs me and asks You all right, son? Yes, Dad. Im sorry, Dad. That man That bastard. Never mind about him. I clutch my book tightly.I conceptualize it into the car with me. Mum starts to get angry with me again. Tuni tuni, woman, Dad says. Its all over now. Lets forget it. It wouldnt have happened if youd tied down our things properly like Sam told you to do, Mum answers. Sam is my uncle and we stayed at his place in battle of Hastings last night. Uncle Sam didnt even know we were on our way to Wellington. Down to that windy place hed said. You fullas better tie yours elves down or youll be blown away Dont you know how cold it is down there? Brother, its swimming sunshine all the year round We dont care, Id answered him. Were going to make lots of money down there.Not much room left for pa living anymore. Thats what you said, ay Dad. Dad had looked at me strangely. No more jobs back home, he told Uncle. Plenty of the seasonal work, yes, but me and Hine had enough of that. We had enough of shearing, the fruit-picking and the going down South to shear some more. No, plenty of work in Wellington. Plenty of factories. Who told you that Uncle snorted. Jim, Dad answered. Uncle Jim is Dads brother. He lives in Petone and were going to stay with him until we puzzle our own house. Uncle Sam had shrugged his shoulders.. Well, Jim should know, hed said. I want us to have a good life, a new start, Dad act to explain. A new start for my kids. Me and Hine, weve always had nothing. But my kids? Theyre going to grow up with everything. Ill fight for it, because they must have it. But Id seen Uncle Sam hadnt understood Dads words. Hed simply shaken his head and wished us luck. And in the morning before we left hed told Dad to tie the canvas down tight. Otherwise that wind will get under it and before you know it youll be flying into Wellington Dad had tried his best with the ropes. Hed said to Mum How about getting rid of some of this junk, ay?Shed answered him This junk is all weve ever had. Im not throwing away one piece of it, wind or no wind. It sure is windy all right, outside the car. The clouds are rushing in the night sky just like the Winged Monkeys. The wind moans and chatters and cackles among our belongings, and I must close my eyes and put my hands to my ears to shut out the sights and sounds of this night. Then, suddenly, all the noises stop. heretofore the car has stopped. There it is, Dad says. I open my eyes. Far away are the lights of Wellington, streaming with the rain down our window like glistening towers. And it looks so o beautiful. Just as Id imagined it to be. Just as Id pretended it would be. Emerald City. Isnt it neat, Muni? She stares ahead. Her face is still. Roha? I ask. My sisters face is filled with a strange glow. Dad? He looks at me and smiles. You and your dreams, son. He starts the car. We begin to drive down from the hill. I look at Dad and Mum and Roha, puzzled. How come Im the only one to be happy Cant they see this is where our life begins and this is where our dreams begin? And dreams, they come true, dont they? Dont they? I look out the car. I see the sign STEEP GRADE.All along the yellow brick road there have been signs like that. STEEP GRADE. CHANGE DOWN. ONE WAY. LIMITED SPEED ZONE. ROAD NARROWS. STOP. WINDING ROAD. GO. CONCEALED EXIT duty LIGHTS AHEAD. GREASY WHEN WET. NO EXIT. NO PASSING. NO STOPPING. Many signs, all telling us where we have to go and. I begin to feel scared. If ever we want to, will we be able to find our way back? I begin to sing to my self. Not because Im happy, but because I think I want to feel sure myself everything will turn out alright. It will, wont it? Follow the yellow brick road, Follow, follow, follow, follow, Follow