The same bench Keegan and Lesego had been sitting at previously. Sindi is sitting by herself. She is sucking on a lollipop. She waves at a child running by.

SINDI: (Laughing) Don’t kick the ball so close! You almost got me in the head!

Keegan walks up to her, slowly. He sits beside her on the bench. She looks briefly at him and then turns back to the children playing.

KEEGAN: I talked to Karabo yesterday.

Sindi nods.

KEEGAN: She told me your mother threw you out. You are living with your aunty now.

He looks at her, but she refuses to look back at him.

KEEGAN: Listen. Sindi. When you told me about all this a few weeks ago …

Sindi still refuses to look at him.

KEEGAN: Sindi, please. Listen.

Sindi turns to face him, her expression blank.

KEEGAN: I was a coward. I was scared. I didn’t want to believe you. You can imagine how I felt.

SINDI: You think I wasn’t scared?

KEEGAN: I mean, yeah, but I didn’t expect it, you know. I’m trying to make something of myself, and then this happens. I’ve worked so hard to make money for my family and my schooling. You can’t blame me for being–

Sindi interrupts him, putting her hand in the air to stop him talking.

SINDI: Keegan. Stop. Now you listen. When the nurse at the clinic told me I was pregnant, you can’t even imagine how my whole world fell into pieces. I’m a top student! One stupid mistake with you and now everything is over. Everything! I knew my mother would throw me out. Just like you, she kept reminding me how hard she was working to make a good life. As if I didn’t matter, and what I was doing and wanted to do didn’t matter. So she threw me out and I didn’t have a future anymore. You don’t think I wanted to end everything? And then I realised, wait, I didn’t make this baby alone. Why must I deal with it alone?

Keegan tries to put his hand around her shoulder but she pulls away.

SINDI: No. It took a lot for me to tell you. And you were as selfish as I thought you would be. You know, you boys think all this is happening to you, but who ends up suffering? Us girls. We have to carry the babies, and if we keep them it’s us that must feed them, keep them safe, pay for everything, deal with people judging us. And you? You get to run away and make us feel like we did this to you. But you are half of this baby.

KEEGAN: I’m sorry, Sindi. I didn’t think.

SINDI: You thought about yourself. I have a future too, you know. At least, I used to.

KEEGAN: Sindi, you still have one. Having a baby doesn’t mean it’s over, you know? Look at Lesego’s mommy. They have a nice house, she’s got a good job, and she had Lesego when she was at school too.

SINDI: That’s not fair. You can’t expect all women to be as strong as she is. And it’s not fair that she had to do it alone.

KEEGAN: I know! I didn’t mean like that. Lesego is angry about his father. I don’t want to be a man like that.

SINDI: So what are you saying?

KEEGAN: I’m saying maybe … I don’t know. I want to do the right thing. Whatever you want to do about the baby. Do we have to get married?

Sindi laughs suddenly, clasping her hand over her mouth to stop the laughter.

SINDI: Wow Keegan! Don’t you have a new girlfriend? I just want to have support for this baby, not get married. I want to go to school and have a future. I don’t want all three of us – me, you, and this baby – to sink.

KEEGAN: Okay, so what do we do? Adoption? We talk to my mother and see if she can help? We talk to your mother? We get someone to take care of the baby while you go to school and I to varsity? What?

Sindi shrugs.

SINDI: I don’t know yet.

She looks up at him.

SINDI: But I’m glad I’m not doing it alone anymore. We can be friends in this, Keegan. Be there for each other.

KEEGAN: But what will people say? If we aren’t married or if the child is adopted?

SINDI: You know, this last month I learned that you get used to people saying bad things about you. The things people said to me and accused me of.
Sindi shakes her head.

SINDI: I survived. It won’t be so bad, if we can at least be good to each other, right?

KEEGAN: Okay. I hear you. Have each other’s backs.

SINDI: It’s not going to be easy, doing the right thing for this baby.

KEEGAN: But we’ll keep talking.

SINDI: Yes. Keep talking.

KEEGAN: Then I’m here. We’ll work out a plan together.

SINDI: Right. Together.

They look at each other, their expressions hopeful.

Tell us: What do you think of Sindi’s response to Keegan? Should she have followed up on his idea that they get married?

HERE’S ANOTHER CHATTALOGUE TO READ AND ENJOY. CLICK HERE