His head just couldn’t get past the fact that she belonged, by virtue of her skin colour, to the group that did everything to strip black people of their dignity. Why would she, anyway, of all people want help from me? His thoughts raced in his head. The tiredness he had started to feel had left him. All his energy was focused on the pale girl in front of him.

“Please,” she said.

“But how will my giving you ten rands really help you? Tomorrow you’ll be hungry again,” he said.

“I just need ten rands. That’s all.”

He looked about him to see if the white girl had caused a scene for all to stare. As it was always the case, Joburg couldn’t care less. Everyone went on with their business as usual.

“How about I share my lunch with you?”

“Will you do that? Thanks.”

“OK, come.”

They walked past the road onto the pavement to where he had parked.

“Get in,” he said.

Her eyes were sky high. She stared at him.

“You want to eat or what?”

She said nothing for a while. She chose to rather just smile hopefully.

“OK,” she finally said.

He set the table nicely for the two of them and warmed the food.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a shower before we eat?” he asked.

“Please. Where is the bathroom?”

“Just there,” he pointed her to the direction of the bathroom.

She walked out of the bathroom and joined him on the table. Her skin looked beautiful without the greasy dirt on it. She smelled quite better than when they met earlier. But what took his heart away was the smile she produced as she sat down. The same smile that she wore when she looked at him through the restaurant window.

“Thanks once more,” she said.

“You are welcome,” he said with his eyes locked on her face. “How did a beautiful girl like you end up on the streets?”

“I just happen to live there OK,”

“No really, how did it happen?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,”

“I think I deserve to know since I helped you,”

“Look here man, you don’t deserve anything OK. Just because you gave me food doesn’t make me your property,” her tough smile was beginning to waver.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s typical of you. All of you are like this,”

“Who, black people?”

“No. I mean you men. You know what? I’m leaving. And so you know, I don’t owe you anything OK?” she stormed up from her chair.

Her demeanour had changed drastically. She started to become way too defensive, the smile she had worn a few minutes earlier had faded away.

“Whoa! Stay please,”

She bolted out of the door, leaving Thato in a deep state of bewilderment.

The picture of a skinny girl in shabby clothes just couldn’t get out of Thato’s head. The image of an innocent girl who looked as though she had carried the weight of the entire world on her shoulders was just too strong to escape his mind. She needed to be freed. She needed his help. He just had to be there for her. There was something captivating about her. There was something that couldn’t let him forget her just like that.

He drove around the streets of downtown Jozi. The scorching hot sun of the day that shone at the top of the city didn’t do much to dissuade him from his mission. His mission of seeking a white girl with baggy clothes was much bigger than any bad weather condition or consequences thereof. He drove slowly with his eyes searching around, searching for the girl he had met the previous day. It had been two hours and the sight of a girl he never cared to ask the name of was nowhere to be seen.

***

Tell us: What do you think Thato will do to help the girl? Would you trust bringing a homeless person into your home?