]T USED 'IO BE GREEN ONCE

PATRICIA GRACE
bow darns and cut-up togs and holey fruit was nothing to what
we suffered because of the car. Uncle Raz gave us th"e car be_

It (-Ised' to be Green Once cause he couldn't fix it up any more, and hi'd been fined be_
cause he lived in Auckland. He gave the car to Dad so we could
drive our cream cans up to the road insteacl of pushing them
up by wheelbarrow.
It didnt matter about the car not having brakes because
the drive from our cowshed goes down in a dlg then up to the
:l.'3 gate. Put the car in its first gear, run it down*from the shed,
W: ;Hi.ndi'.i,lrl#l1*i: : i*:.yl; iitj*
[ making-two
and pick up a bit of speed, up the other side, turn it round by the
our tott"ij
clothes, op-uld
'*imTilg-':gt togs trom cream stand so that it's pointing down the drive again, foot off
sister' attd bov s
from the t5p half for tny
;il;h;;' ru ::"tl;l;.n:l ffl
the accelerator and slarn on ihe handbrake. Dirl peg.gecl a
tn? bot,,i* harr ror ;l
- qirl's togs
board there to make sure it stoppecl. Then when
the togs to scn -"'j'ilft"rl
il; M;; macle them take wasn't going to the cans out on to the stand he'd-back up a little and slide off
on the road bv '"' ;;;;;Jv'ir"? 9":':h" I didn't blame my srster down the drive - with all of us throwing ourselves in over the
school' She wasn't Jil;;;#*ing' .'t'"t ti.iili sides as if it were a dinghy that hacl just"been pushed our into
gh'':L
b caus e th e to gs *
"';;; rtt"t""rtn"*"';'j1#'i
e
how to get her up ott
t : ::J:il: the sea.
The car had been red once because you could still see some
wrong
loucllv, 'Get up 'ff th;;;;;i' *y giti' There s
was a kid and I
I 'othing patches of red paint here and there. And it usecl to have a top
with ihose togs' I atiit:' rt"i
'I'"t.,".lntn backside and get too, that you could put down or up. Our uncle told us that
had to swim in -y ""ini"gr.
c"i np!ffy,r.,r to shame when he gave it to Dad. We were all proucl about the car having
Jta't'rit.t"ew how
to school.'Mum's d:ilffi;L"
p"i rlff *te 1o.?d before our mates carrle had a top once. some of the young.i ki,rt skited to their rnate!
us. \.4/e all draggecl "p school bus so about our convertible and its top thnt went up and down. But
al.nq and l"'""d 'noi"'l
i#3 r'i"n;9nl].1:,n 'h' that was before our mother staried shaming us by driving the
il;1,x"":i1l';::T""rTl11'ei:?;H'ill"fis'rDa'lrused'lopick car to the shop.

u1, th e .,,., or
"-1iil;;
ou t
:: Abrts
rottcn
;*
Til :',il:J:?J J;t"tr
l
We growled at Mum and we cried but it made no differ_
ence..'Y<ru kids always howl when I tell you to get our shop_
out the
;il;; Mum would dig
W; aia'-tt notice much atusfirst'
ping,'she said.
to ui tt-' take for prliffiil' road yelled out to
one lW.'X get it, Mum. We wont cry.'
not undl Reweti t"l--J"*" the
trears?' We didn't jY".*.""': cry -Mum. We'll carry the sack of poratoes.'
.r.rtritt14, 'H"y yo"-fu[]i *t'c,.'|tt't yot"*" *"t"n't allowed 'And the flour.'
ri'ii'ntti tu'-t"rt because
lt,rvc rrrvwhe" tt' said she wasn't 'And the bag of sugar.'
sclto,l b.rgs u'til ;:";#;
tiigh-"I."nt:Mt* 'And the rolled oats.'
we went to high scho',l
buvirtg {t^trtectt ";ti.,:l';;g''"oT"l l,t of us gave Reweu 'lt 'And the tin of treacle.'
*nole
we c'ultl tttut 'nnli"tt''T-rt" 'We'll do the shopping, Mum.,
;;"i**'ltffi::T$ is mainrv about the car'
and abont But Mum would say, 'Never mind, I'll do it myself., Ancl
rrfter that she wouldn't listen anv rrlore.
t#{J;;;iiii''" ti'""'The shar.e of rain-
Mum anclho' 'ht
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r34
 |'

PATRICIA GRACE
I-I- USED TO BE GREEN ONCE
How we hatecl Wednesdays. We always tried to be sick on t$e kerbing and pull on the handbrake.
Weclnesdays, or to miss the bus. But Murn would be up early remembered all the ,lr1"g: ,h.
I dont know how she
yelling at us to g'et out of becl. If we didnt get up when we were h.d tn b"y _ f only loow that
by the time she'd finishJd,
tolcl she'cl clrag us olrt ancl pull down our py'jama pants and set and it \^.as a soueeze-for her"";o;;;',
thrt car was filled
our bunrs on the colcl lino. Mum was cruel to us. r";";i;,; the <lriver,s sear. Bur
Whoevcr r.vas helping with the milking had to be back ;::Jru "u"ryn'hing,rr.r",
,ll'l"iii ,"'rrr-, out on the way
quickly fi'orn thc shed for breakfast, and we'd all have to rush As soon as she'd left the srore she,cl
through our kai rnd get to school. Wednesday was Mum's day beg.in hooting again,
to let the wholedistrictl<now;h;;;.;;" her way. Evervbodv
f<rr sh<4rping wruld
As soou as she l-rad everything tidy she'd change into her
be our on ttre to g., ih"i,,[;j,pi"g.,l,io#;;r#"il
or just to watch our Loaf, go chuffing past'
goocl putple clress that she'd macle from aJapanese bedspread, rve'heard h;;;;;j;ilother w" alwavs hicl #
pullon her floppy-brimmed blue sunhat and her slippers and The first time Mumb car ancl the
galoshcs, ancl g;o out and start up the car. school bus met was when
ll,"I y"'" b_gf approa.hi"; ; ;;,;-,".y'tuag" from
opp<,site
We tried eveq/thing to stop her shaming us all. drrections. We had to- ask t-he driver ,i, ,ro1,
'You've got no licence, Mum.' and give way ro
Mum because she had no br;G.
'\44rat do I want a licence for? I can drive, can't I? I don't everyone soon got to know
W";;re all ashamed. But
Mrun ancl her car ancl they rl,v;;;
neecl the proof.' stopped whenever they saw her
'You got no warrant.'
c,rrri'f. n"Jy.,,'r.";;:M;tJ
never ever had an ,ccldent jr.r hel.
'Warrant? What's warrant?' she threw a side of rnumon
.rri."..p, for once when
out !!' Uncle
- -- to v rrLrL peta
r and it knockecl
"lhe traffic man'll get you, Mum.' him over and broke his leg.
"Ihat rat. He won't come near me after what he did to my After a wl-rile we walking home from school on
nicce. I'll hit hirn right over his smart heaclwith a bag of riwais Wednesdavs ro Eive Mr- -staried
rncl I'll hit hirn sornewhere else as well.' \4b could never r,vin
;
hef<rre us, and so"u e wouldnt s;;;i
;i,;;;:. of getting horne
U? ;n ifr"'t,u. *h"n it had
an arp;ument lvith Mum. and let h91.past. The boys .lid;lli-k;lrJ'i,rg.o to stop
Off she'cl €fo on a Wednesday morning, and once out on we girls didn't mind because walk home but
the roacl she'd start tooting the horn. This didnt sound like a was a new teacher at.o.urschool
Mr.i;;6;llk",l ho,,," too. lle
ar_rcl h" stayecl not far from
horn rrt all but rnore like a flock of ducks coming in fcrr a feed.
'l'lre re ason for the horn was to let all her mates and relations 'n'l:.::]:i! Y: d'r' th"ush; h-;;;;i.ary n",t.
Dur one dav, rr had to h?pp"t.
When I heard the hontr-ne
rlong thc way know she was coming. And as she passed each and tootirrg beh;nd me I wish'ed
,nr.r-t_,,,1. would appeer iir
oncli housc, if they r.vanted anything they'd have to run out and
clll it out lourl. Mum couldnt stop because of not having any
the gror-rncl"ancl t'at I would
fallirl;;;;*ppear for ever. As
Mum carne near she ,rr*.a ,rniling,r'A_litry
blllies. 'lr liiri,' c';rch would call. 'Mauria mai he riwai,'if they head off. 'Anvone wants a ,ia",,rh? and yelling her
wante(l spuils; 'Manria rnai he paraoa,' if they wanted bread.
y.i"a-:tt,.y,tt have to run
and jump r'n.;
'Mauri:t nrai lie tarau, petrei te kaita,'hand spread to show the We all mrned our heads the other
size of the pants they wantecl Mum to get. She r.vould call out
way and hopecl Mr
Hadley wouldn't notice ,t,"
-irt, _",fr*
to each one and wave to them to show she'd understood. Arld "r, brl;;;;
velling and to,tinE. and the "", lr'.i nr, injurnping
it, and her
when she nealed the store she'd switch the motor off, run into rnd down. But insrlacl, M;ilji;;;""r. up
after rhe car a'rl
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r37
 PATRICIA GRACE IT USED TO BE GREEN ONCE
leapt in over the back seat on top of the shopping' Oh the awayr excepr forMum. Mum
gtayed inside where she couldn,t
shame.
watch, but we all stood outside JJ"-fr""r.a.
But then one day something happened that changed "Y."y- We all chanoed, as though we wer"
,"rlfy somebody. but
thing. we arrived home to find-Dad in his best clothes, walking there was one thlng I n-ot;""E.
Mr^ jra"t change
at ali, and
to"tia and grinning, and not doing anything t-t}: g:t:iiq-m" neither did Dad. M"um had
r'tt-rigl,,, and a couple of
cows in, or irendin-g a gate' or digging a drain' We said,
'What new dresses, md , ";;;;;
ofgrtorh"r-,o'pu, ou", her slippers.
are you'laughlng at]Oad?' 'Whal are you dressed up for? Hey And Dad had a new ":il_rl,
modern i-,rllt ing. shia and a ffactor
some other gadgets for the frr_. gir and
Mum, whai's the matter with Dad?' Mum
- and Dad
just won change. They - didn,t
'Your dad's a rich man,' she said' 'Your dad, he's were the same ,l*rvr.
lottery.' Mum still went shoppi1rs ",
--- -' thousand dollars in a
fifw f,ir"dnesday. But instead of
Arfirrt *e couldnt believe ii' We couldn't believe it' Then lravils to do all the shoppirig"y"ry
h"r'r.ii;;'was able to take all
hug- her friends and relationr:;t,fih;;
we all began running round and laughing and yelling,and si; i';d ,o ,,r* out earlier
and bags,' we said' so she'd have time to.pick
sing M;m and DaJ. 'We can have shoes
?X"'* .totttes and swimming togs, and proper apples and we used to be when Mr- "u"ryon..,f
;;;;;. il;;;;;
*"nt prrr.l,n i"r same old sunhat
and her ."trJ;;;, ;;; ,rr"_ ,l-r*ri;;;
nears.' Then do vou know what Dad said? Dad said, 'Mum can heap of friends and
calling out to us.
irru. . new car.'this really astounded and amazed us' We went
numb with excitement foifive minutes then began hooting and Mum sometimes forgot that the new
car had brakes, espe_
ciallywhen she was appioaching,rr"
shouting again, and knocking Mum over'
coming the.opposite way in th."r"hooj
UriJ;;;il;;;:;;
"iabrrs. She
'A new car!' would start
tooting and the bus would t .""
'A new car?' ,o lrrti or,", and let her
through. That's when.all_ou, ;;"1;;
'Get us a Packard, Mum.'
'Or a De Soto. Yes, Yes.'
would srartwayinEand calling;;;il;;e ""#'rrr,"l", and friends
of them couldnt
wave becaus" *"fu"::.:oo s{uashed
Get this, get that . . '
tr.yj. just yell. Iio* ,nr-,ng. fr/i".pr" and shopping,
W"ll, Mo"- bought a big shiny green Chevrolet, and Dad
There were alwavs rope, errerywhere
sot a new cowshed"with everything modernised and water over Mum,s new car
firfri"g """rywhere. We all-goi o," t"- clothes - shoes' bags' holdrng bags of things.*a"not"idrJi"r
The boot was alwav"s hanging;p;;;;;;"
to,rr" roof and sides.
iogt -;"a *" r.rr,"d taliittg po;h lunches to school' Sand-
it was roo tull to
"rr.rr cordial, crisp apples and close - things ,rsed io arop'ou",
o[;; ,fu ;ffi all the time. And
*i"h., cut in triangles, bottlei'of the new car - it used to be g*;;;";i."rrrr"
nears. and vellow bananas. if you look
'--^iJ ,oi"ehow all of us kids changed. we started acting like you can stiil see somJpatche,
;i'g;;"" paint here ancl
:i."rr:tl
*. *"r" somebody instead of ordinary like before' We used to
whine to Dad for money to spend and he'd always give it to
us'
Every week we'd nag Mum into taking us to the plctures' or It
tn. ..lrt ,ii"a we'd go"ourselves by taxi'-We got flash bedspreads
and a piano and we really thought we were neat'
-
fu for the old car - we madi Dad take it to the dump' pe
never wanted to see it again. We all cheered when he took
it
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