Now as Sitshengisiwe watched Eunice totter with two taxi-bags full of groceries to the car, she determined that it was time Philemon made good his promise to her to leave the employ of the Rutherfords. And what better way to do that than to show him how far Eunice had come in the world?

As it turned out, while Eunice had been shopping, she had also been plotting a revenge of sorts, because she gave Sitshengisiwe a lift for only part of the way and then seemingly out of the blue remembered that Dingani and Thandi would soon be calling her for their weekly chat with ‘Mom’, and that she could not possibly miss the call. She was sorry to do this to Sitshengisiwe, especially at such a time, but she was sure she would understand. She parked the car at the side of the road, explained that this was where she needed to turn off in order to make her way home to Barbourfields, and then reached over and opened the door on the passenger side of the car. She sincerely hoped that they would be able to meet again soon, and was looking forward to seeing Sitshengisiwe and Philemon’s home. It was really unfortunate about the timing of the call, but if Dingani and Thandi called and she was not there to receive their call, they would probably worry. Sitshengisiwe had no choice but to get out of the car, and Eunice smiled at her sweetly before shutting the door and driving off.

Eunice really was something else. Leaving her at the side of the road so that she, Sitshengisiwe, could feel the difference in their circumstances. Some people never change, Sitshengisiwe thought as she chuckled. When she got home, she would tell Philemon about her encounter with Eunice … Philemon! He was probably already at home, wondering where she was and worrying about how late his supper would be. She would appease him by telling him this story of a never-changing Eunice, and together they would laugh, and all would be forgiven and well again.

The setting sun was creating beautiful colour in the western sky as Sitshengisiwe stood at the side of the road trying to orient herself. Where exactly was she? What was the direction home? She looked for a landmark to anchor herself, found it, and began her journey homeward. It would take her anywhere between thirty minutes to an hour to get home. By then there would be stars in the sky, and all the light of the world would soon be memory.