It was the great gathering of the lads at Arwen that Tui predicted. The return of the Tea boys to Mrs. T. All were there with the exception of Nikau who as medical students are, tied to his studies and commitments.
The day was a great event full of happiness and chatter. It all began at morning tea. All sat at the long table catching up with one another. It was here that the phrase ‘Mrs. T and the T boys’ was hatched.
It was Jacob who suggested in anticipation of the tea to exclaim,” what else but tea for the tea boys.” In reference to their adventures their first adventures with Justine.” And from Mrs. T.” Replied Ben
Justine found her largest tea pot and made a ceremony of it. It was an old one that went back to the days when tea and scones was a morning tea staple for farm hands. Justine had recently found it in what had once been a scullery and had cleaned it up. The tea boys were really impressed not having seen a tea pot quite that large before.
Unfortunately, there were not any scones this day, they had to make do with chocolate biscuits but Justine promised in future they would get fresh baked scones. Completing morning tea, they set to work at Justine’s direction. With the garden the worst for wear, much was just dug up, and all the foliage heaped into an area destined for composting. Justine reluctantly resorted to weed spray in preparation for mulching and matting.
Joshua had brought a mulching machine from his farm, so trees and bushes were fed in and piles of mulch created for spreading.
After a full day of hard work including lunch under the fig tree, they down tools and gathered around the brazier in the garden, wrapped up for the cold while Joshua manned the barbecue and Tui and Justine the food. Eventually they settled down to earnest discussion as a stream of smoke lifted from the brazier and hung in the cool winter air. Each discussed their studies, aspirations and love life. Ben, Jacob and Noah were fascinated in Tui, Shayne and Joshua’s opinions on ecology and the environment. Especially Joshua’s take on permaculture. In their collective minds there were business opportunities here for some start up combining new technologies with what must be the way of the future.
They talked about the ‘what if’s’ of Joshua leasing Justine’s land. Justine listened, not contributing much but feeling emotionally charged by their passion and enthusiasm. She felt a rekindling of desire for Arwen inspired by what they had to say.
They all agreed that they would spend another day in the garden and get together once again the following evening to talk more. The night continued in a more party atmosphere as the music and beer took its affect.
The whole group spent the night sleeping on couches and spare beds. The following morning Fleur was awake very early making sure that everyone was awake too, super excited with all these young people who had invaded their house. Later in the morning after a productive spell of work they took a pilgrimage to the forest pool. They went via the wetland so that Tui could described the ecology of it and what she had recorded, then they walked up to the clearing where stood the giant Totara. All stood silently before it in reverential awe. Tui broke the silence in announcing she was giving it a name.
“I am calling it “Rakau Whaea.” `
“What’s that?” Asked Ben.
“Mother Tree.”
“I approve,” spoke up Justine who was then obliged to tell them what that meant.
Once they reached the pool there was a dare that all take a midwinter swim. So, all stripped naked and did just that. Tui and Justine taking turns with Fleur who was desperate to join. It was exhilarating for Justine to see them all naked together again, but this time sex was not the theme. To Justine it seemed that the shackles of shame and guilt from their earlier encounters were released. This seemed like another new turning point in her life.
They returned in a hurry chattering and narrowly avoiding the nettles as they ran back through the bush to the house where towels were handed around.
“I think I will definitely use Rakau Whaea as my yoga spot.” Announced Justine.
“So, you are not selling Arwen then?” Replied Tui.
“I can’t let down my family can I.” Justine smiled at the lads. There was a series of high fives all round as the conversation resumed on the subject of yoga, finishing with Justine and Tui giving the lads a 101 on the subject.
*******
The Trip
The next few months saw Justine spending more time at Arwen often bringing her city friends. Tui was also there often. Tui’s program for her study required her to be monitoring the changing biodiversity of the pond during a complete yearly cycle. Much of her other study could be undertaken remotely online so in the second half of the year she was either with her Aunty or at Arwen.
Justine’s city friends suspected that the relationship between Justine and Tui might be something more than that with a visiting researcher, but nothing was said. Justine and tui’s actual relationship remained platonic. They began to socialize locally together, do yoga together under Rakau Whaea, read, work and study together. There was some affection, but a line remained in their togetherness. When Justine worked in the garden, she never did it naked in front of Tui not wanting to encourage anything more in the relationship rather than what it was.
Justine felt a new need for a challenge with her work. Her discussions with the Tea boys had her mind buzzing. She had been more involved with complex systems at the institute and in her associations in this area at the university. That and the work she had done privately with the economic intelligence and forecasting institute had been noticed and she was informed that she had been earmarked as a possible head of a new departmental research programme. She was asked if she would apply once it became available. This would open up a whole new field for her. It would give her an unprecedented opportunity to advance the ideas she had be mulling with. It would give her the people and resources she wished for. Eventually the position was hers and as a result it ended the long association with the institute as she joined the university in a full-time position of some responsibility.
Toward the end of the university year Tui had to return to university and before going, the subject of Justine’s mother taking LSD arose. Tui had tripped herself and Justine grilled her on it. Not long before Nola had died, she had discussed her experience of LSD at length with Justine as she did with much of her life in the sixties.
Justine had just settled into her new university position and was in the process of planning the research program. Mentally she was brimming with ideas but at an impasse to bring them together into a coherent research program. It was the same with her private life where she was moving but to what?
She felt she needed a mental and intellectual jolt and remembering what her mother had said and what Tui thought, she was curious to what opening the doors to perception might bring before she was totally absorbed into her program. LSD might provide that mental jolt.