It had taken three years of The Organisation – who let it be known that they had eyes and ears everywhere – making it increasingly difficult to accomplish this feat, and they had succeeded. They – Spokes, the lovely Loveness, Dikeledi and Lukha – had all been repeatedly followed over the past three years; the home in Mpopoma had been ransacked soon after they left; the home in Krum’s Place had been thoroughly searched by The Organisation and soldiers in red berets twice; and there had been one very close call. It was only very recently that The Man Himself seemed to have decided that perhaps his suspicions were wrong.

Now, the three men cheerfully shook hands and grabbed each other’s upper arms in heartfelt congratulation. It was a time for celebration. Their elation had to be short-lived because Spokes and Lukha had to make their way back to Krum’s Place while the sun was still in the sky before the mandatory curfew for the region took effect.

‘Try not to miss Loveness’s cooking too much,’ Spokes said as he started the car.

‘All I can promise you is that I will not miss living in your ceiling,’ Golide Gumede said with an abundant smile. He saluted, and Spokes and Lukha returned his salute – soldiers all.

Spokes drove some distance and then stopped the car so that Lukha could take the bucket out the car, remove the layer of worms in soil, open the tightly sealed packet of fish caught in Krum’s Place, pour water over them and then put the bucket, rods and tackle in the boot. As Lukha did this, Spokes got out of the car to stretch his legs before the long journey home.

He could not help but smile to himself with satisfaction.

A promise had been made, and that promise had been kept.

If The Man Himself and The Organisation came to know of what he had done, and hanged him by the neck until he was dead, so be it. He had long known that bravery, integrity and intelligence were costly possessions. And, knowing this, he had long ago chosen to hold onto himself, as his father and grandfather had done before him.

With eyes for beauty to see, Spokes looked at the road he had just travelled and witnessed something truly wondrous: a flash of colour and light dashed out of the sunflower field and Golide Gumede caught it before throwing it in the air. Even from this distance, Spokes could hear a daughter’s joyous laughter welcome her father home.

It was a beginning. Beautiful and golden.

Acknowledgements

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS