He placed a one kina coin on the plastic mat on which the vendor displayed her wares.

The items were dominated by buai, daka, cheap candy and Asian counterfeit cigarettes.

“Ah, my brother, thank you,” Philibert leaned over the mat and selected 40 toea worth of buai and daka.

Les Nomo and Philly Delpia had lived all their lives on the same street. They’d been to the same school. Their lives revolved around each other.

They saw children growing up. They saw adults growing older. They had said goodbye to some of their peers who left this town and never returned. In this life, it seemed they were stuck here.

But in some respects they lived very different lives. Les had been married for some years while Philly was still waiting for that elusive opportunity.

While Philly shelled his betel nut and looked for some kambang to chew, Les recalled a day some years back, just before he was married.

They were together looking for buai to chew, when Philly gave embarked on a man to man talk on the challenges of family, relationships and life.

Les suspected then that pasin blong em was to be philosophical and enlightening on issues and topics because of his love of reading.

“Lucky you, my man,” Philly teased, “you will now keep warm next to a woman for the rest of your lives. She’s a beauty. My brother, yu win stret, mi harim olsem pasin kilim em.

“Lukautim em gut. She’s gonna be your helpmate, confidante and soulmate till death do you part.

“Remember, ‘two free flowing rivers are about to meet and join as one single river. There’s gonna be whirlpools, waves and tides, and undercurrents na ol displa kain samting.

“Just make sure when the storm sets in, you don’t lose focus on what you felt for the first time when you realise she is the one for you,” Philly continued.

“Look, I don’t want to sound like I’m intruding into your private affairs but, from a brother to another brother, go easy on the procreation thing.

“Wokim step ladder maski, plenim famili na stap. You know, the price of goods and services is increasing every year. It’s gonna be a tough and expensive world out there if you want to raise a big family.

“Just look at what our society has become now,” Philly’s tone was now serious. “Family breakdown, separation and divorce, orphaned street kids, children begging on the streets.

“School children peddling cheap Asian goods, daily reports of relatives abusing and molesting children, child prostitutes, so many things affecting our children.

“It’s disheartening to see and hear about these things happening. Yumi save tasol long kamapim na lukautim, nogat. This is injustice to our children, our future generations, our country and humanity.

“Mi toktok long yu long plenin sindaun blong yu bikos mi no laik long lukim ol, blong mi stret, bai go daun long displa kain rot.”

Philly’s monologue was interrupted by the buai vendor.

“Em yah, pikinini! Reverse change blong yu!” the vendor called out to Les, coins in her hand.

Philly took the coins and passed them to Les.

“Yeah, bro,” he continued, buai in mouth, “for the last couple of days, you know, I was with the boys, holim wanpla six o’ twelve nambaut na putim ai long yu but somehow mi no lukim yu.

“Yu save what are brothers for! My man, we’ve been together since primary school. We grew up on this street, yu save, laik ol save tok ‘brothers from another mother’.”

“Bro, mi stap,” Lesly put in another betel nut in his mouth, dabbed mustard into the lime container and bit off the lime-coated mustard with stained teeth.

“Yu save, ol meri koros tumas long mipla raun nambaut olsem na mi stap tasol long haus.

“Yumi laik raun liklik na go bek long haus em mipla go insait long bush fire stret.

“Olsem na bro, mi stap, yu save, hait long haus tasol na stap. Just doing my bit to avoid flaming the embers in the house,’ Les chuckled.

Philly raised his arm in feigned surrender.

“Hey brother, no offence, okay! I’m just a little bit concern taim mi no lukim yu raun nambaut.

“Your marriage life is your marriage life, but try not to spend too much time being idle in the house, you get what I’m saying?

“How are the kids?”

“Ol stap wantaim mama blong ol,” Les sounded tired. “Ol bikhet nambaut na mi toktok go les na mi kam olsem sekim sampla buai.

“OK, yu wetim mi stap mi go painim sampla Twisties blong ol na mitupla raun go long haus,” said Philly”

“OK, thanks brother.”