Uncle Rawiri

Uncle Rawiri left to go travel when I was four all the way up until I was eight. I remember I missed him very much during those times. He was like a second father to me. He said that he wanted to see the world around him. Both Nanny Flowers and I thought I was so silly for him to want to see the world. We thought he had everything he could possibly want to see right here in Whangara. But he obviously didn’t think so because he didn’t come back for another four years. He first went to Australia. He said a lot of his cousins live there. Then he went to live with his friend Jeff in Papua New Guinea. I remember I was six when Uncle Rawiri called us up to tell us that he was going to move to Papua New Guinea. Nanny Flowers cried when she heard the news on the phone. She was the one that was anxious for her son to return home. I remember her saying, “Don’t you be making any promises about next summer. Otherwise I will be going to the bus stop everyday to see if you are on it.” Although it seemed that she was the one missing him the most, I was probably second in line waiting to see him. I missed being able to see his familiar face, smelling that familiar smell, and hearing that familiar voice.