When Thembi turned fifteen earlier that year we pleaded with our parents to let us spend a day in Edison, a town forty kilometres away, much bigger than Sibaya but significantly smaller than Golding where Joe was rumoured to be staying. After weeks of nagging and bargaining, our parents finally caved in to our pressure, but insisted that cousin Mandla, Thembi’s older brother, accompany and keep a close eye on us. We knew no-one in Golding, and none of us had travelled that far. All we knew was that it took many hours by car to get there.

“I know all that, Lena. Relax. We’re not going to tell them about Golding. We’ll just disappear for a day or two.” She stood, filled the sink with water and began washing the dishes.

“You’ve gone completely mad! How can we disappear for a day or two without anybody noticing?” I asked, not expecting a reasonable answer.

Thembi chewed her bottom lip, pensive. “We’ll do what we always do. I’ll tell my parents I’m spending a few days at your house, and you do the same. We should get a day or two before arousing suspicions.” Thembi said this with such great conviction I almost believed her. We had pulled this trick countless times. It was easy; we only had to make sure we were seen at each other’s houses at least once. After our first trip to Edison on our own, we began hitch-hiking there to window-shop at the large, trendy shops. Once, we stayed a night at our friend Faith’s house while her parents were away. Nobody suspected anything. Still, Golding was not Edison, or Faith’s house, and we both knew that.

Though neither of us had been to Golding, we knew plenty about it. At the weekly market next to the shops adults discussed news reports of yet another stream of crime: car hijacking, senseless murders, burglaries, of women and children brutally assaulted and left for dead. They sighed with relief knowing that their families were safer, far from the violence of the city. Young people spoke of a different Golding. They spoke of bright neon lights in a rainbow of colours, of fame and fortune, of endless fun and fashion. They spoke of a good life.

“I don’t know,” I said, already backing out. The more we discussed the idea, the more uncomfortable I felt. “I don’t think your plan will work.”

“You worry too much,” she said. I detected a hint of agitation.

While I was smart and dependable, I lacked my cousin’s strong will and fearlessness. I was never as spontaneous, couldn’t leap into things without a thought. “I just don’t know,” I said again, hoisting myself up. “Thanks for coffee. Want to come by later? Maybe we can take the kids swimming at the dam.”

Thembi folded her arms across her flat chest and didn’t speak until I was at the door. “You know you want to see him, Lena. Don’t pretend like you don’t. You talk about him all the time.”

“As a ghost, Thembi. Not a real person.” I shoved the door open, and stepped outside. The sun hit ferociously at my eyes; I squinted, and broke into a sprint. Behind me my cousin yelled:

“It’s now or never Lena!”

***

What do you think? What will happen to the girls if they go to find Joe?