Everything would be fine, Thuli told herself.

And then, near the corner, she saw Mr Mokae’s car again. He was sitting there, watching the vineyards, his eyes trained on the small wooden shed where her father had his office. What did he want? And who was he talking to on the phone?

She was almost tempted to go up to him and say hello. But then he pulled away, not quite as loudly as he had done that morning, but very fast.

Inside Mpumi Mokae’s car.

Mpumi is on his phone.

We only hear his side of the conversation.

• Yes sir. Definitely.

• It will all be in place by this afternoon.

• I will call you just before, when I have it all set up.

*****

Sebastian walked up the drive, his heart light with happiness. He’d just texted Thuli and she’d agreed to meet him again. After study group of course, never before, and definitely never instead of. There was something so special about that girl. She wasn’t scared to speak up, she wasn’t impressed by anything Sebastian owned, but when he cracked a joke, her smile was as wide as the sky.

As he reached the front door, he paused. Thuli had laughed when she spoke about her house. “Sebastian, our whole house would fit inside your sitting room.” At his expression she’d punched him playfully on the arm. “What? You don’t believe me? You’ll have to come and see one day.” Then she’d blushed. “That’s if you want to of course.”

Want to? Sebastian had wanted to plant a kiss on her cheek right there and then. Want to? He could think of nothing better.

He opened the door, still lost in his thoughts about the coolest girl he had ever met in his life.

It took a while for his father’s voice to penetrate his happy haze. Usually his dad kept the study door firmly closed, but today it was open a crack and his father’s hushed words made their way into the hallway.

• Yes sir. I have put everything in place.

• Meetings and strikes like this – they can’t be allowed to happen. It’s all under control.

• Twenty men, sir.

• Yes, sir. Infiltrators. They’ve been used before for this kind of work.

• They’ll look just like the rest of the mob.

• Weapons? Mainly sticks, sir. We don’t want any fatalities. Just enough unrest to disrupt the meeting.

• Yes, exactly sir. Make sure that no-one can trust them to hold a peaceful strike.

Sebastian stood still, his heart beating fast. Was his dad really doing what he thought he was doing? Planning to sabotage the strike? His father’s next words confirmed his worst fears.

• Moses Khoabane? Oh, don’t you worry sir. I have something special planned for him.

His father’s voice had turned ugly and sharp.

• He’s very likely to be one of the few who will land up in hospital. He should have taken the deal he was offered.

• Yes sir. Absolutely. Sometimes these people need to be shown the writing on the wall.

Sebastian crept to the foot of the stairs. Luckily the carpet was deep and plush. His father would never hear him as he climbed them, quickly and quietly.

Need to meet you.

His fingers flew across the keypad.

At the mall. Now! Urgent.

Thuli’s response flashed onto the screen within in seconds:

???

No time to talk. Just be there.

And then, to make sure that Thuli took him seriously he added,

About your father and the strike. Big problem.

*****

“So that’s what I heard,” Sebastian said quietly.

Thuli’s face was ashen. “You mean your dad? I mean, he’s prepared to…? I can’t believe it.”

“Nor can I,” Sebastian said miserably. “I’m so sorry, Thuli.”

“Sorry? It’s not your fault that your dad’s a…”

“A sellout? I know,” said Sebastian. “But still, I feel–”

“Now isn’t the time, Sebastian,” Thuli said urgently. And then the totally unexpected happened. She reached up and kissed Sebastian quickly. On the lips. “Probably not the time for that either,” she said with a huge smile. “But, seriously, Sebastian. Do you realise how awesome you’ve been?” She looked at her phone. “We don’t have much time; we have to move quickly. Get to my dad before they do. Before it turns into something terrible. Come on! The meeting’s in the community centre. If we run, we can get there.”

Thuli leapt up from their table at the Mugg & Bean and sprinted for the entrance. “Run, Sebastian, as fast as you can.”

She was moving so fast, she didn’t see it. The sign that said ‘CAUTION, WET FLOOR.’

She skidded. It all happened in slow motion, Sebastian reaching out a hand to grab her, to break her fall, but he was too far away. Nothing could save her. She felt a sickening crunch and her ankle twisted under her, and then she was on the floor.

She looked up at Sebastian, blinking away tears of pain.

“Can you walk?” he asked anxiously. He held out a hand and Thuli scrambled to her feet. She felt her leg give way beneath her, but this time Sebastian was there to hold her up.

“Not a chance,” she said. “Go, Sebastian, you have to get to my dad.”

“What about his phone?” Sebastian asked. “Can’t we text him?”

“We can try,” Thuli said, “but the reception’s terrible there. Just go. Run as fast as you can. Tell him what you told me.”

“OK.” Sebastian bent down, and he would have kissed her cheek, just like he’d always dreamed of doing… He would have, if an astonished voice hadn’t stopped him in his tracks.

“Thuli? What on earth…? And who’s this? Sebastian? Sebastian Mokae?”

“Oh, Mom,” Thuli cried, and promptly burst into tears.

*****

For someone who believed in sticking to the rules, Phindile Khoabane certainly knew how to break them in an emergency. She pressed the hazard light button on the dashboard of the old Toyota and pulled out of the parking lot at speed. “Hold on tight, kids.” The old car shuddered and shook as she sped along the road.

“OK give me all the details, Thuli, Sebastian. Now.”

***

Tell us what you think: Has Sebastian betrayed his family? Or has he done something honourable?