Welcome to Coral's Writing space

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I was out on the surf, riding small waves. It was about 6 am but the tide was heading in, so I thought fuck it. Seen this big bertha come rising out of the water, curved and etched as delicate as a carpenter shaves his furniture. I seen this shark fin too. A white pointer. It slowly pointed out of the peak of the wave like a baby tooth. Waiting. I jumped that wave and surged that tunnel through, then I noticed something to my left. A 7-legged octopus with a stumpy leg. I thought oh shit, an octopus and a shark, which will get me first. The shark came torpedoing through the water towards me, maybe to get me, maybe to get the octopus, I will never know. 

But suddenly, the octopus reached out with its bung arm, up from underneath the surfboard, while I was racing the shark away from the reef. Next minute, the board flips out from underneath my feet, my hair, arms and body become like jelly and they flubber around into the surf. Just as I crash through the wave the surfboard glides through and smacks my face. That’s how I got my black eye. Isn’t a beaut?

Mums jaw dropped in shock and horror. Now if you knew mum, you would know it wasn’t because I had a black eye. It was for my, how one would say… extravagant story. There was no shark, there was no surfboard… most disappointingly there was no octopus either. See, the kids at school found out I liked chicks and guys. I didn’t care, why should they? Anyways, a kid called me a faggot and swung his skateboard at my face. I did fight back, I ain’t no wuss but I’ll yarn about that later. Getting back to mum, she loves me, accepts me and tries to be the best. Probably why I didn’t have to have a coming out of the closet situation. But if I told her what really happened? She might be 5’1 but bloody hell, when she slaps ya for something stupid, your ancestors feel it. Plus, she doesn’t need to worry about that, she’s got other things to do, such as organise Sorry business for Uncle. We don’t say his name in my mob’s culture out of respect to his spirit.

Mum grabbed out a pack of frozen peas from the deep freezer and chucked them across the counter.

“Ere’ chuck this on ya face”.

Mum must have realised what had happened because she left the kitchen dialling. Shit. The kid that swung the skateboard is in worse shape than me. The school nurse had to give him the green whistle because his head was the shape of an eggplant. To be honest, after he swung that skateboard, I may have grabbed it off him and swung it like a cricket bat… and he may have dinted the ground… and may have gotten knocked out. Now, I’m no doctor, but I am hoping it knocked some sense or nonsense out of him. Whichever works against removing his homophobia.

“Oi, get ere’ now!”

Mum must be off the phone. Half an hour later of being scolded and a wooden spoon to my arse she drives us down to the school. She is a pretty fiery person. If you are into star signs and that, she is a typical Leo. Just like a lioness she will defend her cub.

As I enter the room after mum, the Principal, Social and Emotional wellbeing officer and my teacher all stop yarning and glare at me.

“Sit down” the Principal said.

So, turns out, I am now suspended for a week which meant mums house will be spotless and there will be no weeds in the yard. On the bright side, my best mate can still come over, only because mum and his mum are also best mates and love a bottle on a Friday arvo.

How I found out I was bisexual is a bit of an odd one. You know how kids’ ‘experiment’? Well, my best mate and I experimented, and it kinda just kept on while we got with other people. We’ve been best mates since Primary and luckily this year, we are both in the same year 9 class. His family isn’t as accepting or open as mum. His dad for example didn’t vote for Gay marriage because “Gays aren’t in the bible, so why should they get married?” or his confusion on “Who wears the dress and who wears a tux?”. So, our stuff is kept on the downlow. It’s even hard in my mob’s community, being in the LGBQTIA+ Brother Boys and Sister Girls circle. There seems to be some big shame around sexuality, especially when you’re a teen. Everyoneknows everyone’s business. Like, once Uncle Terry went to the local Co-op for a check-up about some tinea or something. Next minute, everyone in town was sayin’ that he was at the Co-op because he caught herpes from Grant down the road. All this because him and Grant are dating. Who cares about herpes anyways. It’s just a sore that comes and goes. I reckon if they weren’t open about their Kweerness, then they wouldn’t get rumours spread about them like butter on hot damper. That’s why I try and keep my stuff private. But somehow it got around to that kid at school, and the only other person that knew was my best mate. I am Blak, I am Kweer, and I am proud, but I never thought I would be questioning my own best mate’s loyalties.