At 07:48, the train arrived in Durban station. A lot of people stepped down and hurried out of the train, bounding up the steps and out of the railway station to their different destinations. Dumi was going to the institution in Umngeni where he was studying security. He crossed the road and walked towards his school. He still had that folded piece of paper in his hand. He didn’t know if he wanted to have a look at it or not, so instead he shoved it into his pocket and made his way to his classroom.

Generally, classes started at 08:30. He was a few minutes early. He could have used the time to call his girlfriend, but instead he just sat and stared at his phone wallpaper.

A short while later, he heard voices coming towards his direction. Three ladies walked through the door. He knew one of them from his class.

“Hey, don’t tell me that you slept here, dude…” said a girl who he knew as Pearl. Dumi just lay there with his head buried in his arms. He didn’t say anything.

“We all know that you’re never early,” Pearl continued teasing.

Pearl and Dumi were the youngest in their class. They actually shared the same birthday – the 29th of October 1996. Pearl was friendly and liked to talk a lot. She talked with almost everybody when she got the chance. Dumi, on the other hand, was always quiet. He only spoke when he really had to. That’s why he never bothered to respond to Pearl. He also had a lot going on in his mind today.

“Hey, Dumi, are you okay?” asked Pearl as she moved closer to him.

“Yes, Pearl, I’m alright. Sorry…” He twisted his lips as if he was smiling.

“Oh okay, if you say so,” said Pearl, as she turned to walk away.

“Hey, wait!” Dumi said as he stretched out and grabbed her hand. He got up to face her. “What are you doing at lunch? Can we spend it together?”

“As in, a date?” Pearl joked.

“No! No, why would you think that? It won’t be a date,” said Dumi, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Of course,” Pearl replied with a smile. “That was a joke. Anyways, I also wanted to propose something to you.”

“Ayt, cool then…” Dumi smiled too. “Anyway, what did you mean when you said I’m never early?” he asked as he went to sit at his desk.

Pearl didn’t answer. Instead, she introduced Dumi to her friends, Zola and Thando, who just stood there by the door, quiet as statues.

When the bell rang at 08:00 everybody went to the usual spot where they met before starting class. There weren’t many discussions or announcements. It only took 20 minutes, and then they went to their classes. The passage leading to the classes was very small, so Dumi usually waited until everyone else had gone in.

“You see? That’s what I meant by ‘never early’,” said Pearl, who was standing behind Dumi.

“Prrrrr, really?” Dumi asked as he turned around. “At least today somebody likes to be late with me.”

“Well yeah, why not?” Pearl said, as she flicked her Barbie-doll eyelashes and searched for Dumi’s hand. She gripped onto it. He tried to pull away but it all just seemed awkward.
When the passage was clearer, they started walking to class hand in hand.

Pearl sat at the front desk in the same row as Dumi, who sat right behind her. When Mr Nkomonde, their instructor, was done distributing the question papers and answer sheets he told everyone to start writing.

Pearl turned around to face Dumi and whispered: “Good luck, Dumi.” She then looked around the classroom and whispered: “Good luck, everyone…”

At lunch time, as promised, the two of them made their way to Game City Mall. On the way there they talked as if they had known each other forever. They roamed around the Mall trying to find the cheapest meal in the fast-food restaurants around Game City. Finally, they sat at a table in Chicken Licken, not because it was cheaper, but because it was quieter in there.

There was an awkward silence between them for a moment.

“So, uhm…can we just order in the meanwhile?” Pearl asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, sure, what are you having?” replied Dumi as he scanned the menus on the wall.

“No, I should be asking that!” Pearl protested. “I’m paying today. Next time it’ll be on you.”

“What next time?” Dumi asked, acting surprised.

“Relax, boy, you’re still going to have me around,” laughed Pearl. “So let’s just order.”

“Ayt, I’ll have the chilli chicken burger and regular fries…” said Dumi.

Pearl got up, made the orders and came back with the food.

“I ordered the same thing for me too….” she said, putting the tray down on the table.

Dumi straightened his right leg and leaned backwards. He shoved his hand into his pocket, took out his cellphone and put it on the table. While he was doing that, the folded piece of paper also dropped onto the table and Pearl quickly snatched it before Dumi could stop her. She unfolded it and read out loud: “0837628833 – Call me.” She looked up at Dumi after she had finished reading it.

“Who is she?” she asked. The expression on her face had changed and she looked angry now.

“Just a girl I met on the train this morning,” Dumi replied. “She gave that to me, now please give it back.” He held out his hand.

“If you’re going to call Zoleka, I’m taking the food that I ordered and you can get yourself your own food,” said Pearl, putting her hands on the small white tray with their food. “So choose quickly, which is it going to be?” Her eyebrows were raised.

“That’s just childish, you know. You can have your food, I’m outta here,” said Dumi, throwing his hands in the air as he stood up. He thought of something and stopped. “Whoa, wait a minute, how do you know it was Zoleka who gave this to me?” he asked her, confused.

“Uhm, sorry, Dumi…” said Pearl, avoiding Dumi’s eyes. “Please sit down, the food is yours, you know I can’t take it. Zoh is my twin sister.” She paused and gestured to Dumi to sit down. “So yeah, she’s my twin. We just don’t see things the same way. It’s a long story and now is just not the right time,” Pearl said, trying to reason with him.

“Oh I got time,” said Dumi, sitting back down in his chair.

“Look Dumi, I’m not sure if you can take it, and today is just not the day. It’s important that you don’t push,” Pearl said. “You remember when I said I needed to propose something to you?”

“Well, yeah, what did you want to propose?”

“We’re hosting our biggest annual church ceremony tomorrow. I really recommend that you come by. It’s for your own benefit.”

“For my own benefit? How so?” he enquired.

“Let’s eat up. Soon you will know everything. Just come with me to church tomorrow.” She bit into her burger and continued talking with food in her mouth, but it wasn’t ugly. “To start with, I should warn you to keep your distance from Zoleka if you don’t want trouble. She can be worrisome.” She pointed at Dumi with her index finger, emphasising the warning.

They finished eating and went on to the train station for their ride home. When the train arrived, they chose to sit in the first coach after the driver’s section. This coach was usually untidy and dark, as some of the windows were sprayed with black spray paint. The coach was usually full of men smoking marijuana.

They sat there, talking about everything and anything. They exchanged numbers. There were a number of times when Dumi had to stop Pearl from trying to kiss him. When the train pulled to a halt at KwaMashu station, the two of them got off and promised to see each other again the next day.

Tell us what you think: Why is Pearl insisting that Dumi can’t call Zoleka? Should Dumi trust Pearl?