“Tell Johnny to hurry up!” Tessa says.

“Yes,” Vanessa pleads.

“What if that guy is dead? What do we do then?” asks Tessa.

I don’t even want to think about that question, it sends a shiver through my body.

Johnny puts out a hand to the person on the ground. Man, woman or child. What’s taking him so long? 

I look around. Everything is quiet, but it won’t be for long. Soon people will start leaving for work. That means movement. Beggars with trollies. Pedestrians. Hustlers. Tik addicts. Taxis. Busses. Cars. Trucks. We have to be gone by that time.

I put my fingers in my mouth and whistle. It’s better than shouting Johnny’s name in the dark. What if someone hears me and tells the police? 

Johnny looks up, his hand in the person’s pocket. Is he robbing the person … or the body? He puts his hand to the person’s neck, maybe to feel for a pulse. I whistle again and wave.

He jerks and gets up. Jogs back to the car.

“What the hell were you doing?” I ask. “Let’s go.” 

He doesn’t argue. We get back in the car.

“It’s a man,” Johnny says, slamming the car door shut.

“We can’t stay parked here, it’s not safe,” I say and drive off. “Was he breathing? We should call an ambulance. My phone is dead, can one of you make the call?”

Tessa nods. “I have a little battery power left.” She makes the call, saying only that she saw a man lying on the bridge.

I drive on. The most important thing is to get away from the bridge. I turn left into Bellville South. Drive past a garage, but stop further along next to a block of flats. Turn the engine off.

It’s dead quiet. Vanessa gets out of the car.

I’m going to jail! The words ring like sirens in my head. And I’m still not sober. I need a bed and a pillow so I can get the babelaas out of my system.

We all get out of the car and huddle against the wall of the building. I ask them to come closer. Vanessa starts crying quietly.

“You say it was a man?” I ask Johnny. “Was he breathing?”

“I don’t know, he didn’t move. He looked like a drunk, but not a bergie. He smelled like spirits and vinegar.” 

“Oh my God!” Tessa says.

Vanessa looks up and put her hands together in a prayer. “Lord, help us!” 

My heart thumps in my chest. “Is the man alive?” I ask quietly. I’m trying to remain calm because everyone else is panicking. 

“I don’t know.” Johnny searches his pockets. “Found this on him.” He holds something out. It’s money, maybe a hundred rand or so.

“I don’t know what to say,” Tessa shakes her head. “I want to go home. This is too much. The man may be dead and Johnny took his money. I can’t take this!” 

“I think it would be best if we went to the police station,” Vanessa says, pointing in one direction. “The police station is right there.” Tears run down her face. “We can get a lawyer…” 

“I’ll go to prison, Vanessa,” I exclaim.

“It was an accident,” she says. “It wasn’t on purpose. We’re all your eyewitnesses.” She looks at Tessa, then throw her hands into the air. “Talk to him! People saw us on that bridge. We have our whole life in front of us…” 

“What about my life?” I ask. “That’s why we need to make the right decision. Am I the only one using his head over here?”

Tessa lights a Stuyvesant with a trembling hand. Somewhere a dog barks. Cars drive past. Daylight is slowly turning the sky grey. 

“Can’t we drive back to the bridge and check to see if the guy is alive?” Johnny asks.

“No!” we all say.

Tessa takes a deep drag on her cigarette and exhales the smoke into the wind. She leans against the car, but stare out ahead of her, deep in thought. “I have a massive headache.” She presses two fingers to her head. “Can’t we call Johnny’s dad?” 

“My dad?” Johnny asks blankly.

“It’s your dad’s car,” Tessa says. “When the shit hits the fan, it will all get back to him.” 

“You’re all leaving me to rot?” I ask.

Johnny holds up his hands in front of me. “I’m not leaving you. You’re my brother from another mother! If I didn’t spill beer on you, the accident wouldn’t have happened. It’s my fault as well.”

“We should go to the police station,” Vanessa says, sulking against the wall.

“Wait, wait!” Johnny says. “We’re still drunk. I’m still drunk. You don’t want to go back to the bridge. There’s one more warm beer in the car.” He points at me. “David’s my friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids. All of us have known each other since we were kids. We’re not deserting David or throwing him to the wolves.”

The girls say nothing. Tessa grinds her cigarette butt under her sneaker. Vanessa folds her arms and gives a worried look at the road. People are walking past with backpacks and handbags. The day has begun. The air smells damp. My heart hammers in my chest; everything feels unreal. My whole life has changed in a matter of hours. Yesterday was my birthday and today I’ve hit someone with a car and left him lying in the road, possibly dead.

“What’s the right thing to do?” I ask. “I don’t want to go to jail.” 

Johnny puts his arm around my shoulders. “The right thing to do is to buy a couple of ice-cold beers,” he says.

“What?” the girls ask in unison.

“I’m serious, Johnny,” I say. “This is my life.” 

“I’m also serious,” he says. “It’s a new day. Look around. We can leave the Golfie here and walk to a shebeen to get some beer. Then we can think about the right thing to do. What do you say?” 

Tell us: What should the four friends do?