“Talk about high fibre food, Jake, you were chucking down that chicken,” said Clarence.

“Lucky for you to say. You bloody ate Snax, ay, while I had a decent meal at the expense of a beautiful woman,” Jake said.

“Beautiful woman,” Clarence cackled. “I thought your uncle came and took you around during lunch and bought the food.

“Wait, your uncle’s a woman, wow I didn’t see that coming.” Everyone laughed loud and drawing threats from the neighbours.

“Oi pasim maus ya bloody idiots.”

You could tell the neighbours weren’t happy about being trapped without water for the whole day and, as if that wasn’t enough, Jake and his posse were disrupting the neighbourhood in the middle of the night.

Then, just as the clock struck 12 midnight, the water gurgled back and the street erupted with joy.

Jake hurtled across the corridor to the toilet and could be heard groaning with relief.

“Oh yeah that’s some good shit right there, don’t no one go there for a while.”

“Dude it’s like something crept in there and died, someone grab the air freshener.”

It was like a house full of small kids, messed up rooms, dirty clothes in corners, the smell of dirty socks.

“Guys, this place is a mess,” mum lashed out in fury. “I can’t believe you live like this and still be called human beings.”

Her eyes were like fire, then slowly softening into a sigh.

“I give up, seriously I can’t talk sense to you guys. I hope one day you have kids and they give you headaches like this.”

The boys rolled out of the house to find some buai and a smoke.

“Bro balus pudaun oh? Is that pay cheque cleared?” Junior asked struggling to light his spear.

“Nogat ya, it’s still hovering above the trees,” Jake replied.

“Painim koins ya, mi bagarap lo smoke ya,” Jake said throwing away the rolled smoke, “I’m really dying for a smoke.

“Bro, I don’t even have five toea for busfare.”

It was like the boys had never left each other, after five years at various tertiary institutions they’d all came back to their humble street.

Everybody was getting married and moving on, and the boys where still there hanging around like adolescents.

“Where the hell is Clarence?” Jake asked. “I’m starting to think his girlfriend is pushing all the buttons.”

“I think he has used all the excuses known in PNG, probably needs a new excuse,” Junior replied.

There was a bit of jealousy.

Clarence was the only one who seemed even slightly serious about the future.

Junior and Jake enjoyed wasting their money same speed and surviving on their wits, but mostly their parents.