Chapter 46 - Epilogue

"Why are you cast down, O my soul ... Hope." —Psalm 42:5

New Year's Eve is always one of my favourite nights of the year, though one of the busiest. I made the midnight toast, the way I always do, ringing in a new year at the uPhuthu New Year's bash. Bottles popping. Bubbly flowing. The place, pulsing with possibility and jubilation an hour ago, is starting to clear out. By one o'clock everyone should be gone. The afternoon's storm blew itself out before sunset and left the night warm and rinsed and still. The DJ was great, a new guy I found by chance. He played "Vulindlela", and Hlengiwe did lose her mind the way she does every time Brenda comes on. She's still slightly sweaty and breathless when she and Charmaine find me on the roof wishing the last diners a happy new year and thanking them for coming.

"Great party," Hlengiwe says, twisting her waist-length install up off her neck. "Once again."

"Thank you," I say.

"How are things going in Durban?" Charmaine asks. "With their first New Year's Eve bash?"

"Great," I reply with a smile. "Our new manager there, Given, sent us some pics. Everyone looked like they were having a ball. The place looks fantastic. Thanks again for your help decorating it, Charm."

"It was nothing," she says.

"I'll have to look in on it next time I'm down in Durban seeing Mama," Hlengiwe says.

"Yeah, you can kind of keep an eye on it for me." I smile, grabbing an unopened bottle of Graham Beck from a nearby table. "One last drink to toast another year? I wasn't with you lot when the new year rang in, so shall we?"

"Ag, we shall." Charmaine takes a seat at the table.