Dumi was sitting quietly alone in one of the empty carriages in the train. There was a cold breeze outside, as it was a winter morning. He wrapped his arms around the backpack on his lap. The train was supposed to depart at 07:05.

A WhatsApp message came in on Dumi’s phone, making him jump. He had been asleep. The message was displayed on the screen. It was from his girlfriend, Zeh.

G.mrng, we seriously need 2 talk, please call me ASAP.

Dumi quickly glanced at the watch on his left wrist. It was only 06:47 a.m. This got him worried and wondering.

“What’s there to talk about at this time of the day?” he thought to himself.

After hesitating for a while he reluctantly scrolled through the contacts on his phone, looking for his girlfriend’s number. He pressed the dial button.

After only a few rings she was shouting and screaming at the other end of the line, giving Dumi no time to say a word. So he just listened, even though he couldn’t hear everything she was saying. Finally he decided to end the call. He texted her and lied, saying that the call had been terminated due to insufficient airtime.

So sorry hunnie, ran outa airtime. We’ll talk again in a bit.

The carriage was almost full when Dumi climbed into the train. He sat opposite a girl in a black and white school uniform. She had her eyes glued on Dumi, as if she wanted him to see that she was staring at him, but Dumi’s mind was still a little disturbed. He had just been yelled at. He could still hear his girlfriend shouting and screaming.

His confusion grew into fear as the questions ran through his mind. What was she really upset about? Was she going to give him the chance to talk to her about this? Was she going to end the relationship? This was the first time in four years that his girlfriend had gotten mad at him like this. She was a strong woman.

When the train started moving, Dumi decided that listening to music was the only way to escape his current mood. When they got to Thembalihle station, he lifted his head up again, only to find that the girl opposite him was still staring straight at him. What an absolute weirdo, said Dumi to himself as he shook his head.

But then again, something was forcefully driving his attention towards this bizarre girl. He couldn’t look away from her for longer than a minute. Still maintaining eye contact, the girl smiled a silly smile and waved at him. Before he could react, the girl got up from her seat and strode two steps across to slouch on the seat next to Dumi’s.

She was slender and tall, and she had dark brown chocolate skin. When she was seated, she reached over and removed the headphones from Dumi’s ears.

“These will kill your hearing,” she said to him, before slowly putting the headphones over Dumi’s backpack, which was on his lap.

“Uhm, sorry, but I’m really not in the mood for this, okay? Could you just please excuse me?” said Dumi, showing zero interest in her as he tried to get his headphones back to continue to listen to his music. The strange girl held his hands and pushed them down again.

“Please tell me that again. I mean, everyone on the train can see that you’re not okay. I wish I could ask you why,” she said with a serious facial expression this time.

Maybe she really cares, thought Dumi to himself.

“Well, it’s nothing you wanna know about, and besides I don’t think we know each other,” he replied. His tone was a little calmer this time.

“Oops, I’m sorry, my name is Zoleka,” she said. “I’m from C section here in KwaMashu. And you are?”

“Dumi…wait, Zoleka who?” He stopped to think. “You’re one of the girls who always make a lot of noise every time they get on the train?”

“Well, yeah. I guess everyone knows that bad side of mine. So yeah. You were still telling me about yourself,” she said shyly.

“I’m Dumi, from K section. I love music a lot, and I also like spending a lot of time alone. I don’t like talking much and I kinda hate people.” He stopped and looked at her. “It’s nice meeting you.”

Zoleka’s smile didn’t seem to fade, even after hearing what Dumi had said.

“Oh okay, that’s weird though,” she giggled. “But it’s good to know you too, Dumi…”

“Well, yeah, though I only know your name. But it’s alright,” Dumi said. His mood had greatly improved in the last 10 minutes.

Zoleka got up as the train was about to reach her station.

“I’ll see you soon, hopefully. Please take this,” she said, as she handed him a folded piece of paper. With a last smile she left the train, leaving Dumi with his mixed emotions again.

Anyway, he knew he’d be at the Durban station in just a short time. He tried to relax and clear his mind. He wanted to forget about his girlfriend Zeh and all her drama for just a few hours. He was writing his last assignment of grade B for security, and so he needed to focus.

Tell us what you think: What are your first impressions of Zoleka? Should Dumi have acted differently towards her?