“Well, tell Win and Will they must come around sometime soon. We’ll get the spa pool going and have a barbecue, if this gorgeous weather holds. Ronan! Ronan, down! Can’t you hear him barking? I must go take care of this beast of ours.†Helena is the middle Wellington sister. She takes after their fair, […]
Entries Tagged as 'shortfic'
Perfect Anywhere But Here
March 15th, 2010 Comments Off on Perfect Anywhere But Here
Tags: helena · hutt valley
Who Is Will?
March 10th, 2010 Comments Off on Who Is Will?
That night, Winona lies next to Will, under the red and burgundy quilt. He’s asleep as if jet lag didn’t exist. Winona is not so lucky. She lies there, staring at his shoulders while he sleeps on his side. Everything that’s wrong and right about Kiwi men is wrapped up in Will’s history. He’s a […]
Meet Walter Wellington
March 8th, 2010 1 Comment
Winona’s father, Walter, blocks Will when he tries to go into the kitchen to help with dinner. “Come and have a drink, you look bloody exhausted!†Walter is shorter, rounder, younger, and jollier than his wife Wilhelmina, and still working for his own government department. Less outdoorsy than most New Zealand men, he’s a Corgi […]
A Kelburn Matriarch
March 5th, 2010 Comments Off on A Kelburn Matriarch
Winona’s mother, Wilhelmina Wellington, is one of the Junoesque figures that make Wellington tick. She doesn’t know everyone, but it can seem like she does. Her puissant confidence usually browbeats anyone into awed compliance. Retired two years ago from the Ministry of Justice, she now volunteers at City Gallery, fundraises for Women’s Refuge, and focuses […]
Tags: kelburn · old city · wilhelmina
The Lay of the Land
March 3rd, 2010 Comments Off on The Lay of the Land
Winona trembles with recognition as they are driven away from the airport. (Her father’s news, that the construction under way at the airport is to construct new terminals shaped like gigantic copper rocks, was so surreal that her jet-lagged mind has gently suppressed it.) It’s all so small after London, so clean yet shabby after […]
Tags: Cuba street · geography · newtown · winona
The Great Leap Backwards
March 1st, 2010 Comments Off on The Great Leap Backwards
They’re at the end of a 24-hour plane flight, at the stage where to have to stay seated five minutes longer in their economy seats is to explode. They are experienced travelers by now – that’s what a three-year OE is supposed to be for. They know their shared travel time is best spent in […]
Tags: airport · Wellington · will · winona