Try The Heights

I believed E and K must have been fraternal twins, since the two boys, had the same last name and lived at the same address, both were in the same class yet did not look exactly like the other. But regardless of their physical appearance, it was their behaviour that showed distinct similarities. They came (apparently), from a wealthy background (compared to the rest of us). They came from the ‘Opoho Hills’, The affluent area, or so they constantly inferred. It used to annoy many of us, we poorish plebs, who lived in the ‘Valley’. Down in the deep dark valley. It is funny how in New Zealand and Australia, it is usually on the hills where the affluent choose to live. Building their large extravagant, and lets be honest, largely unnecessary mansions. So, either they overlooked the poor, or at least the lights of the city at night (knowing the poor were down there somewhere), or, they had complete privacy. But as seen in many other countries overseas, the ghetto’s are built up the hills, overlooking the valley where the rich reside. Strange. The rich look out to hills lined with the shacks and buildings of the poor. Perhaps in the smoky haze created by the cooking fires of the poor, the hills become softly shrouded and form a visual, soft focused pattern, which at a distance blends the buildings appearances. Or else, the rich (who are possibly older by the time they acquire their wealth) have poor eyesight and cant see the details of the buildings but just the shapes of the hills?

Whichever it was, the twins claimed they lived in the rich neighbourhood. And only came down to this school until there was an opening at the private school (A year later they would still be saying the same thing. Funny that?) Being rich also had another effect. Rich people attracted a special species to their side. A particular species, a type, of ‘person’, whose own shallow character, definitely has certain ‘parasitic’ qualities in their nature and behaviour. In nature (the real nature of the wild) the relationship is usually between different species (the same as ‘symbiotic’ relationships) But, not in this case. These persons survival depends on the main subject of their interest.  This species can also be found around the most popular sporting people of the school and sometimes the dangerous people (even at primary school they existed. A few even ran a bit of a ‘protection’ racket at one of my earlier schools.). Each sub species in this group behaves and is attracted to that particular host, from whom they receive the most support. Once attached. They seldom fall away. They are the ‘Hangers on’ (popularly named now, ‘The Entourage’) These are those who ‘pander’, ‘fawn’, ‘grovel’ and ‘flatter’ to their host. Feeding on the favourable attention of their selected host. This was, when we were only about nine years of age. So even the ‘hangers on’, were still in the early stages of learning the necessary skills of…hanging on.

(Continued tomorrow)