today.
Mr. Meintjies had been present during the interviews with the police, apparently to represent the inmates, but Ray had gotten a different vibe—he wasn’t sure about it yet, but there was something about the man that didn’t bode well with Ray. Anyhow, who was he to question anyone after all the wrong he’d committed?
“Will you be fine with me taking a run along the strand this afternoon, sir?” He controlled the tone of his voice. To allow Mr. Meintjies to know he’d pushed his buttons would be a grave mistake.
“Tired of the road to the gate and back?” Mr. Meintjies smirked.
“No, I just need a harder workout and the sand will do that.”
He nodded. “And because I am such a magnanimous soul, you can clean out the toilets for me granting you that favour.”
Ray clenched his fists and gritted his jaw, nodding, “Yes Sir.”
Ray made his way back to the bungalow. Fucking Ben Meintjies was just like Karl—a bully with the upper hand. Ray leaned with his palms flat against the outside wall of his cabin and breathed.
Run, he needed to run.
I am safe. I am stronger than my need! I am in control.
Ray straightened and marched inside, grabbed his trainers and a pair of socks.
The sun dazzled the ocean as the it displayed its beauty in the form of crimson and orange sprites surfing the waves. Ray was halfway back to the beach entrance which led up to the warehouses and inmate living area. With his run almost complete, he relished the burn in his thighs and calves. He controlled his breathing and smiled as the ocean breeze cooled the sweat drenching his torso. He was undeservedly blessed.
A horse’s soft nicker caused him to look left. High up on a grass-covered dune stood the same bronze horse and on its back, a girl with long milky hair and a broad smile. Ray stumbled in the sand then regained his balance. His legs slowed to a stop as his mind digested the sight. For the slightest moment, he could have sworn he knew her. Some part of him recognised something about her.
The way she looked at him … they’d never met before—that he was sure of.
A second figure joined the girl.
Mina!
A shocked expression contorted her face. She uttered a few words to the girl who then tugged on the reins and rode off.
Mina remained staring down at him. He continued staring up. The world around them faded, and the slightest sliver of hope sparkled in the depths of Ray’s heart.
As quickly as she’d appeared, Mina turned and walked away. Ray wiped a trembling hand down his face. That girl—why did he feel so connected to her? A second thought followed short on the first; surely … no, impossible. His father would never keep that a secret from him. Would he?
Ray took off down the beach at a faster, harder pace. Could the girl be the reason why Mina was keeping him at a distance?
He needed to write to Pa. He could barely handle the fact Mina lived in such close proximity … but he had to be certain of the girl or he’d snap.
Ray slowed his pace and came to a stop. He turned to face the setting sun over the ocean, gripping his sides with both hands as he fought to calm his mind and his breathing. The distant waning warmth cupped his thoughts and carried him back to a dusk long ago.
“Ray, please. I just need you to listen,” Mina had begged him.
She’d come looking for him in the storeroom. He couldn’t look at her; every time he did, his resolve melted and that would lead to her being harmed.
“Vokoff, Mina! We’ve had our fun. Time to move on.” He leaned with his head against the damp inner walls of the store, gritting his teeth, hating himself and fighting back the urge to pull her into him and kiss away all the hurt he’d caused. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the flake of oblivion he’d procured on the corner after school. He popped it beneath his tongue and allowed the drug to take hold.
“Ray, please. I need to tell you …”
He pushed away from the wall and, mustering all his self-loathing and bitterness, spat, “Jy’s a Kaffirs kind. Don’t ever come near me again!”
He watched as the words shattered the soul of the girl he loved. Her devastation pushed the knife deeper into his bleeding heart and snuffed whatever light had dared to burn