Here I am, crossing the road slowly: taking my own time. I look to my left and see a car coming and I stand there waiting for the car. I want the car to knock me down, knock me down. Dead.

Suddenly, I am dragged out of the road and onto the pavement where the stranger and I would have fallen down. If we fell down, I would have been on top of the stranger but we didn’t fall.

I look up to this guy who saved me even though I didn’t want to be saved and I see Andile. He sees me too and smiles. I smile too, wondering if it’s a smile or a blush.

After two minutes we find a tree and sit under it. He keeps telling me to watch out for cars on the road. He has a base but it’s still a beautiful voice. He then asks me if I thought about ‘it’ and I smile, weakly.

I met Andile three weeks ago at the Kombi I was in. He told me that he has feelings for me and every time he saw me, his heart beats fast. He asked me if I’d had a boyfriend before and I shook my head no. He then said that he would like to be my first boyfriend. I was not that shocked and I asked how old he was. He told me that he would be turning 19 this year and he is in matric. I told him that I was 14 and doing grade 9. He smiled and said, “love is not about age”. He has such a beautiful smile and laugh. Everything about him is just so perfect. His voice, smile, laugh and he has a small beard that is still growing. He is a bit taller than me and I like that. When he asked me to be his girlfriend, I said I would think about it. He then said that next time we meet, I must tell him my decision.

But we didn’t see each other for three weeks. I once saw him in the Kombi next to the driver but he didn’t see me. I didn’t want to see him yet because I didn’t know what I would say to him. To be honest, I missed him so much even though I met him once.

I missed his beautiful face and smile. I missed his voice and laugh. So I didn’t see him for three weeks until today.

He asked me again, pushing my thoughts away. I didn’t know whether to agree to be his girlfriend or not. But one thing I knew for sure is that I want to be near him, always.