Lookin’ Good by Whina Pomana

Commissioned by Ōtepoti Writers Lab.

Lookin’ Good

By Whina Pomana

‘Alright, now, is that everything? Phone, wallet, keys.’ I pat a pocket for each word and jingle the keys just to make sure. ‘Anything else I can get while I’m out. Jacket.’ I click my fingers and point to the leather jacket slung over the back of the chair. ‘Kia ora, darling,’ I say as I sling it over my shoulder instead. I am its third wearer, and far from its last. I say a silent thank you to the cow who keeps me such good company, and we step out into the sunlight.

‘Keys.’ I fish them out, lock the door, register the click, and test the handle anyway. Keys back in the key pocket. Birds swoop by me as I walk, a mix of songs and chirps and whirls of iridescent feathers, flapping wings, flashy tails. The young ones’ voices are coming through as quickly as their downfalls. I whistle a waiata to pass the steps and listen to the manu pick their favourite notes to sing back. My boots crunch the roadside gravel.

The bus and I pull up to the stop at the same time. ‘Kia ora,’ I greet the driver as I wrestle the right card out of my wallet. He makes a sound that isn’t really a word, which I guess is fair. I’m tired too. I take a window seat through the postcard landscape to see an old friend for the first time in … long enough that I’ve lost track. We meet up at The Usual Spot, our student-days favourite coffee place.

Ceri is easy to find. Spiked jacket, half their head shaved and tattooed, lava-bright hair flowing over their shoulder. Dark sunglasses with a third lens on their forehead. Those are new. And really cool.

‘Keisha!’ They grin and wave me over. I take three steps before they cross the room and sweep me into a bone-crunching hug, lifting me clean off my feet. I smile into their shoulder and hug them back just as hard. They reunite my boots with the floorboards and take a step back, striking several poses and gesturing to their face.

‘I wanted you to get the whole look,’ Ceri smiles, removing the sunglasses. ‘How good are these?’
‘They’re amazing,’ I say, embracing them again. ‘And it’s so good to see your face, e hoa.’ Ceri laughs, all three of their eyes crinkling at the corners.

‘Oh man,’ Ceri leads me by my hand back to their table. ‘I’ve just come from seeing family and—they’re fine, don’t worry.’ They catch the slight shift in my eyebrows. ‘It’s just so nice to hang with someone who already gets it, you know?’

‘Oh, for sure dude, yeah,’ I say, scanning the menu for safe foods. ‘Whānau were okay? You wanna talk about ‘em?’ Ceri’s three eyes dart toward the ceiling as they exhale a short breath.

‘I got to tell my witchy Aunty that my third eye is open, which she loved.’

‘Was it the amethyst I gave you?’ I smirk. Ceri grins at a memory.

‘You know, I actually don’t know.’

‘What?’ I tilt my head and watch their smile soften.

‘I missed your border-collie head tilt, bud.’ Ceri waves their hands and bounces a little in their seat. ‘But listen, like I know there’s more to it than that but I for real can’t tell you the amethyst had nothing to do with it.’ They pause. ‘I am about to go on a whole tangent about amethyst, my guy, what did you ask me again?’
‘You can go on a tangent, I was just asking if you wanted to talk about family things.’

‘I … I love them. And, like, they are fine. They don’t really get it, but they don’t need to, and they’re mostly all chill and they love me anyway and oh my god I am so tired of answering questions that have nothing to do with anything.’

‘Yep.’ I bark a laugh. ‘Did you clear the whole bingo card?’

Ceri glances sideways, then leans in. ‘I got so many bingos my sister started playing.’ They grin. Their new smile lines blend with the lines just starting to settle into their forehead.

‘Oh, that’s so good!’

‘Right? Dad went off on a bit of a “you’ll turn her into one of you”—'

‘—only if she was gonna be anyway,’ I mutter.

‘—after some beers, right, exactly, that’s what I should have said but what I did say was—'

‘Can I getcha’ll anything to drink?’ A waiter holding a tablet has appeared beside us.

‘Whoops, yes you can my friend, thank you.’ Ceri runs a finger over the menu, stopping on, ‘yeah, hot chocolate with caramel, please.’ I smile. Still the same order.

‘You know I have to double check the menu anyway,’ Ceri says sheepishly to me, brushing their hair behind their ear.

‘I know, bud. I just missed you, too.’ I look up at the waiter. He has two eyes on me and another, in the hollow of his throat, on the tablet.

‘And for you?’ he asks.

‘A pot of English breakfast, please. Ooh and chips for the table.’

‘Caramel hot chocolate, English breakfast tea, chips. Coming right up.’ He smiles, the eyes in his face wrinkling at the corners. ‘Let me know if you need anything else, I’ll keep an eye out.’ The eye at his throat blinks as he turns to leave.

‘Okay, that looks really cool.’ I say to Ceri, nodding after the waiter. ‘Both of you. Am I allowed to tell you, you look cool? I’ve been thinking it the whole time, but I didn’t wanna bring up looks in case—'

‘Aw! Babe oh my gods no, please tell me I look cool,’ they laugh. ‘I’m honestly pretty stoked with it, it’s just been weird getting used to seeing extra stuff.’

‘Tell me about it, the perspective shift is ridiculous.’ I run my fingers through the short back of my short back and sides haircut. All three of Ceri’s eyes widen.

‘Oh, that must have been so wild for you! And I never even asked! I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch.’

‘Dude. Honey.’ I reach across and put my hand on theirs. ‘It’s me. I haven’t been in touch either, you’re fine. Tell me about your third eye opening! Was it everything your Aunty said it’d be?’ I squeeze their hand. They squeeze back.

‘One hot chocolate with caramel,’ interrupts the waiter, placing a large mug next to Ceri.

‘Chips for the table, and one English breakfast tea.’ He sets a basket of deep-fried carby goodness next to a small tray with a teapot, a mug, and a tiny milk jug. We say thank you, he says enjoy, and his throat eye blinks again before he leaves.

‘I hate that it’s called that,’ I say, pouring my tea.

‘English breakfast?’

‘Yeah. Makes me feel like a coloniser that it’s my favourite. Or like I’m assimilating.’ We’re still holding hands. They squeeze mine. I squeeze back.

‘Hey man, they took enough of your stuff. Take theirs.’ Their third eye blinks.

‘Does that work as a wink? Or does it look like I don’t know how blinking works?’ ‘That was a wink, for the record. Steal English stuff.’ They squeeze my hand again before taking their mug in both palms. I smirk and stir sugar into my tea. My head tilts as I consider my friend’s face, watching their smile lines deepen again as they sip their drink.

‘I didn’t read it as winking. But now that I know, I’ll know. Wait, was that guy winking at us?’ The smile lines crease.

‘Winking at you, you mean? Yeah, I think so, friendo.’ Ceri raises their eyebrows twice, which always makes me smile, and it looks hilarious around their new eye. All three eyes sparkle and they waggle their eyebrows at me while I try not to laugh.

‘Yeah, you like that? You can laugh, e kare, I know I’m funny. Check this out.’ They cross their eyes, all three pointing inward toward their nose.

I snort. ‘Wait, wait, wait, wait, watch, look.’ I feel their hand on my wrist and watch their third eye slowly look up, first to my face and then the ceiling. They blink all three and shake their head a little, hair flicking like flames.

‘It’s good to see you, dork.’

‘You too, nerd.’

We settle back into our seats, drink our drinks, and eat the chips, and catch each other up on all the life that’s happened since our last kōrero.

‘Bro, I would have sworn to you I never really touched my forehead unless I was washing my face or something, but apparently,’ Ceri points at their face, ‘I touch it all the time, I keep poking myself in the eye! These bad boys have saved me.’ They put their triple-frame sunglasses back on.

‘And they look so cool on you. I kinda want some. It wouldn’t quite be the same, though.’

‘Just wear them anyway, who cares? You’re allowed to like a classic third-eye look.’

‘Fair point. Maybe next time we do this we’ll match.’ I finish my tea and see my friend’s fingers curl through their hair, the way they do when they’re searching for the right words.

‘Does it get less weird? I feel like how puppies look when they get all gangly and don’t know where to put their legs.’

‘Okay, first off, that’s adorable. You know that’s adorable. We love an awkward puppy phase. Second, yes. It gets less weird.’ I reach across the table to take their hand again. They hold mine in both of theirs, rubbing their thumb over my knuckle. I add my other hand to the pile and watch a smile start to play at the corner of their lips.

‘I used to keep my extra closed most of the time,’ I say. ‘If I kept it open too long my head would spin. And oh my god you are so right about poking yourself in the eye, it’s like trying to heal a piercing. “I won’t bump it, what would I even bump it on? Oh, everything?”’

Ceri grimaces, smiles, nods. ‘Didn’t know I touched the back of my neck all the time for stim reasons ‘til I was jabbing myself in the eye about it,’ I continue, ‘but it gets easier, and you get used to it, and it’s actually pretty handy.’

‘You know what else is pretty handy,’ they say quietly, squeezing my hands. I smile and squeeze back.

‘Do the sunglasses help the weird, too?’ I ask them. ‘Or just the eye poking?’

‘They help the weird. Sorry, I’m not trying to be rude, just trying not to be overstimulated.’

‘Don’t you dare be sorry, you know I do that with my regular eyes. Wear the helpful awesome-looking glasses. See if I care.’ We fall silent for a moment. It’s nice sharing space with them again.

‘How did you get used to it?’

‘A little at a time.’

‘Keisha, don’t make me roll all three of my eyes at you. Because I can do that now and I absolutely will.’

‘Listen, hun, I handled it like a breakup. I did the whole get a new haircut, change half your wardrobe, and rearrange the house bit. It took a minute. And, like, okay, maybe I was a bit dramatic—'

‘You? Never.’

‘Shut up!’ I grin. “But, like, I think I worked out alright. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, which is more than I can say for these two, up front.’ I cross my eyes. Ceri laughs like music.

‘You’re gonna be just fine, my love.’ I squeeze their hands. They squeeze back.

‘You seen the world lately? All things considered, I think we’re allowed to be a bit dramatic.’