She puts the phone down, lies down on the bed. She needs to rest if she is to continue her journey, it will require an early start in the morning. Or she could get up now and return home immediately. She undresses, gets into bed, throws the covers off, it is so hot. She is covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Then she remembers João, his whisper, ‘I love you, oh, how I love you, Lydia!’ After one fuck, he loves her. God!

She gets up, stuffs what little clothing she has with her into her bag, decides to check out and press on. She could be in Cape Town by ten or eleven in the morning. She has to pay for a full night, the clerk says. Lydia shrugs, pays in cash. She is surprised that Silas didn't ask: are you all right for money? Silas the provider, the protector. Perhaps he knows that she has withdrawn everything from their joint savings account. Most of it is hers, anyway. He never knew how to save. But he is a generous soul, materially.

At the all-night filling station, she asks the attendant which other towns have 24-hour services? ‘Head for Victoria West. This little auntie should get you there on a tank.’ He grins. ‘Don't try for Beaufort West. Too far. And ma'am, try not to stop in lonely spots.’

She thanks him for his kindness.

Kimberley's lights disappear behind her. The road is quiet, a stiff breeze from the west tugs at the car. She has to concentrate, that will keep her awake. Soon the radio reception becomes erratic, comes and goes, more static than music. She slips in the tape that sits in the mouth of the tape deck. A compilation of greatest hits. Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, ‘Diamonds on the soles of her shoes…’

She begins to fret about the distance, tries to calculate how many kilometres per litre of petrol the handbook said she would get from the car, driving at a reasonable speed. The Karoo is a desolate place. It can get very cold at night, even in summer. A semi-desert.

She thinks about the last time they passed through here, just after the exiles began to come home in 1990. A rare holiday combined with Silas's political meeting in Cape Town. Mikey asleep at the back, Silas driving. She provided the entertainment, twirled the dials, found radio stations, music, the news every hour, passed him coffee, sweets, peeled the bananas. Leaned over to cover Mikey when he stirred and the blanket slipped off.

Now she thinks about Mikey again. Where are you, my son? Are you safe, are you warm? Again the temptation to slow down, turn back. A car overtakes, a family on holiday. BMW, going like the devil. The speeding car's lights erase the dark splendour of the world. Then it is gone from sight, and the stars are back. The voice of Leonard Cohen fills the car.