And I realized then that that’s what it boiled down to for Ruth. She thought she was blind to Mandla’s blackness, but even the term color-blind implied that color was something, by its very nature, that had to be looked past. It’s what she was doing in her connection to Zodwa: seeing past her color and embracing her in spite of it because of what the girl had done for Mandla.

There was no use in pointing that out to Ruth, who wouldn’t see the subtlety of it even if I had, so I changed the subject. “Are you going to tell her?”

“Tell her what?”

“About Mandla being HIV positive?”

Ruth sighed, a long exhalation. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“There’s so much stigma around the disease and I don’t want her treating him differently because of it. Also, for her to be in any kind of danger, they pretty much both have to have gaping wounds that are bleeding into each other at the same time. I mean, what are the chances?”

“Minuscule,” I admitted. “Still, doesn’t she have a right to know?”

“I don’t think so. She’s here as a housekeeper primarily, not as a nanny. And I’ll always be here to make sure it’s a safe environment for both of them. Anyway”—Ruth sniffed—“it will be nice having a bit of company around here. Considering someone’s always off gallivanting.”

“You almost sound jealous.”

“Please! Loverboy could at least have sprung for a nice hotel or something romantic rather than making you dig around in the dirt or whatever the hell it is you’re going to do.”

“He had to do a lot of convincing to get me approval on the site, I’ll have you know. This is a much bigger deal than going to some hotel.”

“You know what also does a lot of convincing to get you into places? Visa and MasterCard.”

I laughed. “See you in a few days.” And then I leaned forward and kissed Mandla goodbye.

Ruth beamed. “Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do but do lots of things I would.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

Zodwa

2 July 1995

Verdriet, Magaliesburg, South Africa

Here we go. This is where you’ll stay,” the white woman says as she opens the door.

Zodwa trails her into the maid’s quarters and stops at the threshold. “Here?”

“Yes.”

“By myself?”

“I should hope so, unless you have a boyfriend or a circus troupe stashed away in that kit bag?”

Zodwa flinches at the mention of a boyfriend. She hopes that Thembeka will keep her whereabouts secret from Ace.