“Of course I listened,” I said, but I was starting to smile. “When have I not listened?”
She was laughing, and she was still crying, too. “Show me … how everything works.”
So I did. It had taken some creative thinking to fit a luxury bath into the space that had been a former attic, but I had creative thinking. Oh, and I didn’t have CTE, either. My t-tau proteins were exactly where they should have been, and with Daisy’s monitoring, the migraines were down to one a month. I was good to go. Good to live my life.
I said, “Subfloor heating, of course. Bidet toilet. I’d show you, but last time I did that, it sprayed straight up and all over my jeans. Bloody embarrassing. Your cousins laughed like hyenas. It’s got a remote.” I took it off the wall-mounted holder. “You can experiment for yourself. The seat’s heated. That’s nice, anyway.”
“Yes,” she said. “It is.”
“Extra-deep sinks,” I said, “and high faucets, in case you want to … dunno, actually. Do something. Women like them, I’ve heard. Wash your hair, maybe.”
“Or wash lingerie,” she said, “if somebody, say, gives me pretty things for Christmas. Or my birthday.”
“Or because he wants to see you in them,” I agreed. It distracted me a little. I’d bought her a couple very filmy items for Christmas, and she’d worn them. Yeh, she could wash those.
“Soaking tub,” she prompted.
“Yeh. Soaking tub. With this tray thing, so you can lie here and read. Drink wine. Whatever.” Another distracting thought. “And a shower.”
“With eight showerheads,” she said.
There were shelves, too, for white towels, because she liked those at the Wanaka house, would roll them up lovingly and arrange them. Cabinets and drawers under the sinks, so the benchtops could stay clean and open.
“You made a window here so I could look out of the bath at the trees,” she said.
“Or the stars,” I agreed.
“And you put my orchid on the windowsill.” She turned a shining face to me, and there were no more tears. “Gray. Thank you. This is the most beautiful thing anybody’s ever done for me. It’s more than that. It’s the … it’s everything.”
Now that we came to it, I was nervous. “It’s not quite everything,” I said. “It’s the first thing.”
“No,” she said, “the first thing was when you pulled me out of the river.”
“Thought it was when I pushed you into the river,” I said. “That was the story I heard.”
She laughed. “Well, that too. I’m glossing over that, though, and moving on to when you helped rescue my sisters, and then when you helped rescue Frankie again. And then when you drove up there with me to get Prudence—Priya. Oh, and gave all my relatives jobs. There’s that.”
“Not taking credit for that one,” I said. “That was pure self-interest. And would you let me finish? I’m trying to make a declaration here.”
“Oh, by all means,” she said. “Go ahead.” Though she looked nervous.
Oh. That was why all the talking. She was nervous. I put my arms around her and said, “This is us, that’s all, same as it ever was. You and me, doing it together. Step by step.”
“OK,” she said, and took a breath. “Right. Ready.”
I reached into the top drawer of the vanity and pulled out the box, then opened it to show her. A single diamond, emerald-cut and bright as the sun, set on a slender gold band studded with tiny, winking diamonds like stars. Simple and straightforward and feminine and beautiful. Like a daisy. I let her see it, and then I got down on one knee.
In the bathroom I’d built for her.
“Daisy Nabhitha Kittredge,” I said, taking her hand in mine, “I love the hell out of you. Will you marry me?”
She said, “I could want a baby. Don’t know why. They’re nothing but trouble.”
Now, we were both laughing. “We can have a baby,” I said. “We can have three. I’m not going to lose my mind, remember? I’ll be around. That means half the trouble will be mine.”
“Even if she’s a girl?” she said. “Another girl?”
“Hey,” I said. “Don’t knock girls. Girls are awesome.”
“They’re sweet,” she said, “and they smell good.”
“That’s right,” I said. “They’re strong, too. Girls kick ass.”
“A girl, then,” she said, “and a boy. But only because half the trouble will be yours. And only because you’ll be such a good father.”
“I’ll be an old father,” I said, “if you don’t let me up off this floor. Quartz tile. Hard as hell.”
Her face was lit up like Christmas. She was laughing, and so was I, when I put that ring on her finger, and when I took her head in my hands and kissed her, she was smiling still.
Daisy Nabhitha Kittredge. That was her name. She’d chosen it herself.
Maybe she’d even change it.
Explore More
Tunnel Beach, Dunedin
Wanaka, New Zealand
Wanaka Lavender Farm (NOT run by a cult!)
That Wanaka Tree
The Escape Song (Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves)
Exhale (Daisy’s song)
A beautiful yurt
A Kiwi Glossary
A few notes about Maori pronunciation:
The accent is normally on the first syllable.
All vowels are pronounced separately.
All vowels except u have a short vowel sound.
“wh” is pronounced “f.”
“ng” is pronounced as in “singer,” not as in “anger.”
across the Ditch: in Australia (across the Tasman Sea). Or, if you're in Australia, in New Zealand!
agro: aggravation
air con: air conditioning
All Blacks: National rugby team.
ambo: paramedic
Aotearoa: New Zealand (the other official name, meaning “The Land of the Long White Cloud" in Maori)
Aussie, Oz: Australia. (An Australian is also an Aussie. Pronounced “Ozzie.”)
Babygro: onesie
bach: holiday home (pronounced like “bachelor”)
backs: rugby players who aren't in the scrum and do more running, kicking, and ball-carrying—though all players do all jobs and play both offense and defense. Backs tend to be faster, leaner, and more glamorous than forwards.
barney: argument, fight
bench: counter (kitchen bench)
berko: berserk
Big Smoke: the big city (usually Auckland)
bikkies: cookies
billy-o, like billy-o: like crazy. “I paddled like billy-o and just barely made it through that rapid.”
bin, rubbish bin: trash can
binned: thrown in the trash
bit of a dag: a comedian, a funny guy
bits and bobs: stuff (“be sure you get all your bits and bobs”)
bollocks: rubbish, nonsense
boofhead: fool, jerk
booking: reservation
boots and all: full tilt, no holding back
bot, the bot: flu, a bug
box of birds: everything’s fine (this is more of a rural South Island saying)
box of fluffy ducks: everything’s even finer
Boxing Day: December 26—a holiday
brekkie: breakfast
brilliant: fantastic
bub: baby, small child
buggered: messed up, exhausted
bull's roar: close. “They never came within a bull's roar of winning.”
bunk off: duck out, skip (bunk off school)
bust a gut: do your utmost, make a supreme effort
caravan: travel trailer
cardie: a cardigan sweater
chat up: flirt with
chilly bin: ice chest
chips: French fries. (potato chips are “crisps”)
chocolate bits: chocolate chips
chocolate fish: pink or white marshmallow coated with milk chocolate, in the shape of a fish. A com
mon treat/reward for kids (and for adults. You often get a chocolate fish on the saucer when you order a mochaccino—a mocha).
choice: fantastic
chokka: full
chooks: chickens
Chrissy: Christmas
chuck out: throw away
chuffed: pleased
cinder: gravel
collywobbles: nervous tummy, upset stomach
come a greaser: take a bad fall
cot: crib (for a baby)
crook: ill
cuddle: hug (give a cuddle)
cuppa: a cup of tea (the universal remedy)
CV: resumé
cyclone: hurricane (Southern Hemisphere)
dairy: corner shop (not just for milk!)
dead: very; e.g., “dead sexy.”
dill: fool
do your block: lose your temper
dob in: turn in; report to authorities. Frowned upon.
doco: documentary
doddle: easy. “That'll be a doddle.”
dodgy: suspect, low-quality
dogbox: The doghouse—in trouble
dole: unemployment.
dole bludger: somebody who doesn’t try to get work and lives off unemployment (which doesn’t have a time limit in NZ)
Domain: a good-sized park; often the “official” park of the town.
dressing gown: bathrobe
drongo: fool (Australian, but used sometimes in NZ as well)
drop your gear: take off your clothes
duvet: comforter
earbashing: talking-to, one-sided chat
electric jug: electric teakettle to heat water. Every Kiwi kitchen has one.
En Zed: Pronunciation of NZ. (“Z” is pronounced “Zed.”)
ensuite: master bath (a bath in the bedroom).
eye fillet: premium steak (filet mignon)
fa soifua: goodbye (Samoan)
fair go: a fair chance. Kiwi ideology: everyone deserves a fair go.
fair wound me up: Got me very upset
fantail: small, friendly native bird
farewelled, he'll be farewelled: funeral; he’ll have his funeral.
feed, have a feed: meal
fizz, fizzie: soft drink
fizzing: fired up
flaked out: tired
flash: fancy
flat to the boards: at top speed
flat white: most popular NZ coffee. An espresso with milk but no foam.
flattie: roommate
flicks: movies
flying fox: zipline
footpath: sidewalk
footy, football: rugby
forwards: rugby players who make up the scrum and do the most physical battling for position. Tend to be bigger and more heavily muscled than backs.
fossick about: hunt around for something
front up: face the music, show your mettle
garden: yard
get on the piss: get drunk
get stuck in: commit to something
give way: yield
giving him stick, give him some stick about it: teasing, needling
glowworms: larvae of a fly found only in NZ. They shine a light to attract insects. Found in caves or other dark, moist places.
go crook, be crook: go wrong, be ill
go on the turps: get drunk
gobsmacked: astounded
good hiding: beating (“They gave us a good hiding in Dunedin.”)
grotty: grungy, badly done up
ground floor: what the U.S. calls the first floor. The “first floor” is one floor up.
gumboots, gummies: knee-high rubber boots. It rains a lot in New Zealand.
gutted: thoroughly upset
Haast's Eagle: (extinct). Huge native NZ eagle. Ate moa.
haere mai: welcome (Maori; but used commonly)
haka: ceremonial Maori challenge—done before every All Blacks game
hang on a tick: wait a minute
hard man: the tough guy, the enforcer
hard yakka: hard work (from Australian)
harden up: toughen up. Standard NZ (male) response to (male) complaints: “Harden the f*** up!”
have a bit on: I have placed a bet on [whatever]. Sports gambling and prostitution are both legal in New Zealand.
have a go: try
have a nosy for… : look around for
head: principal (headmaster)
head down: or head down, bum up. Put your head down. Work hard.
heaps: lots. “Give it heaps.”
hei toki: pendant (Maori)
holiday: vacation
honesty box: a small stand put up just off the road with bags of fruit and vegetables and a cash box. Very common in New Zealand.
hooker: rugby position (forward)
hooning around: driving fast, wannabe tough-guy behavior (typically young men)
hoovering: vacuuming (after the brand of vacuum cleaner)
ice block: popsicle
I'll see you right: I'll help you out
in form: performing well (athletically)
it's not on: It's not all right
iwi: tribe (Maori)
jabs: immunizations, shots
jandals: flip-flops. (This word is only used in New Zealand. Jandals and gumboots are the iconic Kiwi footwear.)
jersey: a rugby shirt, or a pullover sweater
joker: a guy. “A good Kiwi joker”: a regular guy; a good guy.
journo: journalist
jumper: a heavy pullover sweater
ka pai: going smoothly (Maori).
kapa haka: school singing group (Maori songs/performances. Any student can join, not just Maori.)
karanga: Maori song of welcome (done by a woman)
keeping his/your head down: working hard
kia ora: hello (Maori, but used commonly)
kilojoules: like calories—measure of food energy
kindy: kindergarten (this is 3- and 4-year-olds)
kit, get your kit off: clothes, take off your clothes
Kiwi: New Zealander OR the bird. If the person, it’s capitalized. Not the fruit.
kiwifruit: the fruit. (Never called simply a “kiwi.”)
knackered: exhausted
knockout rounds: playoff rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, final)
koru: ubiquitous spiral Maori symbol of new beginnings, hope
kumara: Maori sweet potato.
lifestyle block: A rural section (piece of property) for urban dwellers (the “lifestyle” isn’t that it’s fancy; it’s the opposite—that it’s a place you can own animals and do a little farming. It’s the Kiwi lifestyle.)
littlies: young kids
lock: rugby position (forward)
lollies: candy
lolly: candy or money
lounge: living room
mad as a meat axe: crazy
maintenance: child support
major: “a major.” A big deal, a big event
mana: prestige, earned respect, spiritual power
Maori: native people of NZ—though even they arrived relatively recently from elsewhere in Polynesia
marae: Maori meeting house
Marmite: Savory Kiwi yeast-based spread for toast. An acquired taste. (Kiwis swear it tastes different from Vegemite, the Aussie version.)
mate: friend. And yes, fathers call their sons “mate.”
metal road: gravel road
Milo: cocoa substitute; hot drink mix
mince: ground beef
mind: take care of, babysit
moa: (extinct) Any of several species of huge flightless NZ birds. All eaten by the Maori before Europeans arrived.
moko: Maori tattoo
mokopuna: grandchildren
Moses basket: bassinet
motorway: freeway
mozzie: mosquito; OR a Maori Australian (Maori + Aussie = Mozzie)
muesli: like granola, but unbaked
munted: broken
naff: stupid, unsuitable. “Did you get any naff Chrissy press
ies this year?”
nappy: diaper
narked, narky: annoyed
netball: Down-Under version of basketball for women. Played like basketball, but the hoop is a bit narrower, the players wear skirts, and they don’t dribble and can’t contact each other. It can look fairly tame to an American eye. There are professional netball teams, and it’s televised and taken quite seriously.
New World: One of the two major NZ supermarket chains
nibbles: snacks
nick, in good nick: doing well
niggle, niggly: small injury, ache or soreness
no worries: no problem. The Kiwi mantra.
not very flash: not feeling well
Nurofen: brand of ibuprofen
nutted out: worked out
OE: Overseas Experience—young people taking a year or two overseas, before or after University.
offload: pass (rugby)
oldies: older people. (or for the elderly, “wrinklies!”)
on the front foot: Having the advantage. Vs. on the back foot—at a disadvantage. From rugby.
op shop: charity shop, secondhand shop
out on the razzle: out drinking too much, getting crazy
paddock: field (often used for rugby—“out on the paddock”)
Pakeha: European-ancestry people (as opposed to Polynesians)
Panadol: over-the-counter painkiller
partner: romantic partner, married or not
patu: Maori club
paua, paua shell: NZ abalone
pavlova (pav): Classic Kiwi Christmas (summer) dessert. Meringue, fresh fruit (often kiwifruit and strawberries) and whipped cream.
pavement: sidewalk (generally on wider city streets)
pear-shaped, going pear-shaped: messed up, when it all goes to Hell
penny dropped: light dawned (figured it out)
people mover: minivan
perve: stare sexually
phone's engaged: phone's busy
piece of piss: easy
pike out: give up, wimp out
piss awful: very bad
piss up: drinking (noun) a piss-up
pissed: drunk
pissed as a fart: very drunk. And yes, this is an actual expression.
play up: act up
playing out of his skin: playing very well
plunger: French Press coffeemaker
PMT: PMS
pohutukawa: native tree; called the “New Zealand Christmas Tree” for its beautiful red blossoms at Christmastime (high summer)
Kiwi Strong (New Zealand Ever After Book 3) Page 42