The sun was a lazy orange fusion by the time the Kombi past a road sign showing Saldanha Bay 19 KM.
'Almost there.' Craig shifted on his seat to rid himself of the stiffness in his back. The 15-hour drive from Johannesburg was almost something of the past.
Patrick had woken up from an awkward position with his mouth open. A stream of saliva trailed down the side of his mouth. He slurped it back in, unaware that his brother was watching.
'Who's the retard now, bitch', Andrew whispered, just loud enough for Patrick to hear. He was hoping his brother would react more violently, but instead, he got a confused glance.
Patrick wiped his mouth on his shoulder and looked out the window trying to take in his new surroundings. He had never been to this part of the country. There was not much to see except for some scattered rocks and trees like empty beer bottles after a midweek gathering. It was odd to be so close to the coast and yet have a landscape so barren with dry hills and brown grass. He noticed his sister was lost in her own mind. She gazed out into the open fields.
'Not the prettiest of places hey sis?' Patrick said. He witnessed a mere smile from her.
'I think we ought to give it some time,' Emily said. 'They say it is a beautiful place during the winter months.'
'I wonder what the people are like here,' Andrew said.
'Yeah. I hope the schools're alright,' Patrick said.
'Saldanha is as good as any other place we've ever been to,' Sarah said from the front seat. 'And Patrick, it can only do you good not to have friends at the moment. Judging by your school marks, you should not be making any friends soon either.'
Patrick frowned at Andrew who laughed, enjoying himself with the wise comment made by his mother.
'At least I can get a girlfriend, pimple face,' Patrick said.
'And no girlfriends for you either.' Sarah bounced her stare from Patrick to Craig who has been quiet for the last few hundred kilometres. 'His dad's boy.' She said in a hushed tone. She squeezed his leg and smiled.
Sarah's quick change of mood surprised Craig. He could not help to wonder whether it was the excitement growing in her or was she forgiving him for the bad mistakes. Rather past weaknesses. He remembered the promise he had made to himself and Sarah that he would never cheat on her again. He looked into her hazel eyes and realised that it was one of the many reasons he fell in love with her many years ago. Her naughty smile and hand on his leg somehow aroused him in a way he could not help to wonder whether she would be too tired for a wild session of untamed sex. Maybe the rough sex one can only have with a total stranger. It has been a while since he had any.
'Watch out!' Sarah shouted throwing her hand towards the dashboard.
Craig was just in time to sway out. For a moment he thought he might lose control of the kombi, but he managed to stabilise it when he slammed the brakes. A man was lying halfway in the road holding up his hand. He was crawling his way to the road from the open field.
'Oh God,' Craig said when the Kombi came to a halt. At least the kombi did not hit the stranger. He felt slightly relieved and glanced in the rearview mirror. The stranger turned his head towards them. 'Stay here.' He opened the door and noticed the terrified expression on Sarah's pale face. 'It's okay, honey.'
Craig ran towards the stranger just to find his two boys short on his heels. They would never miss out on some action, or rather a nightmare. As he approached, he noticed lots of blood on the stranger's hands, face and clothes.
'Call the ambulance!' Craig shouted back over his shoulder.