About Defining Right
Written by Kara Larson
26 pages / 10450 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-758-9, 1-60370-758-1
Available file types - html,
lit, pdf, prc
Life hasn't been easy for eighteen year old Amiri. As a Maori boy in the 1980s, there are certain expectations of what he'll grow up to be, and he seems to fail at all of them. Shuttled from one relative to the next, Amiri feels like the whole world has given up on him when he's exiled from the family farm down to an elderly aunt living in Auckland. He's surprised when Auntie Moana takes an active interest in his life -- and who he's dating -- pushing him to be a person no one has ever believed he could become.
From Tane, his childhood best friend, and on through a series of mismatched boyfriends and potential lovers, Amiri can never seem to find the right one. He can't figure out exactly what the world seems to want from him, or who he wants to be. As he slowly learns about himself and works toward becoming a doctor, Amiri struggles to come to terms with himself as both Maori and gay, hoping he can reconcile the two and find a partner who will love all parts of him equally.
Sample
Tane
"Ame."
Amiri looked up, not surprised to see Tane crashing through the bush that surrounded the old swimming pool. The swimming pool was the closest thing Amiri really had to a secret hiding place, what with the family farm being overrun with more family than stock. None of the cousins thought it was worth the ten minutes of bushwhacking to get to the old swimming pool in early spring, especially since the water was balls-chillingly cold.
Still, the sound of the little waterfall relaxed him, and it was nice to hear only birds cheeping and scolding at him, instead of Dad and aunties and uncles. He was eighteen, for chrissakes, not that that seemed to mean anything in the Campbell household. Especially not since Dad was sending him away tomorrow.
"Dad sent you, eh?" Amiri shuffled over to make room for Tane on the bank of the little pool. It wasn't big, but it was deep, and the water felt so good in the middle of summer.
"Yeah, your dad wanted me to tell you supper's almost ready." Tane lived down the road, but since Amiri had been sent home just a few days ago, Tane had been constantly underfoot. Not that Amiri could blame him, since Tane at least had less chance of getting the shit beat out of him at the Campbell place. Tane's family was a bunch of green-fingered bogans, always smoking a joint, and in and out of jail. They were choice people, Tane's family. Not that some of Amiri's uncles were much better, just ask some of his cousins.
"'Least you're still talking to me." Amiri stared down at the water, not wanting to meet Tane's eyes.
"What, 'cause you're one of those homos and your mum caught you with some guy's dick down your throat?" Tane bumped Amiri's shoulder, almost pushing Amiri into the drink. "Cheer up. 'Least you didn't get a girl up the duff."
Amiri snorted. "That'll be 'Rini, if anyone." His younger sister Airini wasn't even two years younger than he was, and she'd already sexed up more boys than Amiri. It was only a matter of time before she got caught, just like their mum had, nineteen years ago. At her angriest, Mum had no qualms about reminding Amiri that it was his fault she ever married Dad. Then again, she was the one who stuck with him, through poor and poorer,
'til she finally decided to go back home to the South Island.
"I still can't believe you been back just a few days, and your dad's shipping you off again," Tane said, his voice all mournful. "I'm losing my best mate again. And we swore, yeah? Always swore we'd never leave each other."
"Well, tell my dad I'm not bunking responsibility up here, and maybe he'll let me finish high school with you at Tikipunga." Amiri looked sideways at Tane, still surprised that his best mate of near fifteen years had grown big as any All Black. Tane'd even be handsome if he didn't have ears that stuck out like the handles on his baby cousin's sippy cup.
"Yeah, don't he got some auntie down there? Married some big Pakeha fulla?"