Out of Bounds by Beverley Naidoo Read Free Book Online

age as me, and when we were four, Busi got a raging fever. Daddy drove all the way to the township with Janey to bring her to the hospital where he worked. Afterward he brought her home to stay with us until she was better. We played every day, and in the end Busi even learned to swim in our pool. I cried when Janey took her back to the township. I wanted her to stay forever.
    When they took Daddy to jail, Caroline was already my best friend at school. To be truthful, she was my only friend. We had shared a double-desk since we started. Our Grade One teacher said we reminded her of the sisters Snow White and Rose Red. Caroline’s hair was silky and fair while mine was thick and dark. Her eyes were dove blue and mine were olive green. Her mom used to give me a tight little smile whenever she saw us holding hands as we came out of the gates. It was ages before I was invited to their house—after my seventh birthday—and whenever I asked Caroline to come to mine, her mom used to say that Caroline was going out with them and they were busy.
    “Are you really busy?” I asked one time.
    “I think my mommy doesn’t like your daddy because he’s in jail,” Caroline whispered.
    “No, he’s not!” I protested. “My daddy came home long ago! Tell your mommy that.”
    Caroline didn’t have any other special friends, and, in the end, I was invited over. I was on my very best behavior. At teatime I made sure not to talk with my mouth full and not to speak unless spoken to. When Caroline’s mother asked me about Janey, I wished I didn’t have to speak at all.
    “That girl who gets you after school—she always looks a bit cheeky to me—has your mommy had her for a long time?” She was smiling her tight smile again. Her question was like a hook, and I was her little fish. I hated the way she called Janey a “girl” and “cheeky.” I wished I could tell her “My parents say it’s rude to talk about Africans like that!” But I didn’t. Instead I nodded and said, “Yes, she has.”
    “Well at least they brought Lily up to be polite!” I overheard Caroline’s mom say to her dad afterward. I wanted to turn around and scream, “What do you think? Do you think we’re animals?” I should have said, “What about you being polite about Janey?” But I didn’t. Even with her horrible parents, I wanted Caroline to be my friend.
    After my first visit, Caroline must have nagged so much that her mom finally let her come to my house. They didn’t have a pool in their garden like we did, and I think Caroline went on about it. She was also desperate to see Honey’s puppies. We were so excited, whispering in class about our plans, that we were each given a hundred lines in ink: “I must not talk in class unless my teacher asks me a question.” We had to spend a wholelunchtime writing them at opposite ends of the classroom. Our teacher said she would know if we talked even though she was in the staff room. So we made silent signs to each other, flicking our fingers like sparklers every time we completed another ten.
    Mommy had agreed to a Saturday when there wasn’t a meeting at our house. We had a great time. We cuddled the puppies, swam, and played hide-and-seek in the garden. We groaned when Caroline’s parents arrived to collect her. Daddy invited them in for a beer, and they hovered on the doorstep looking awkward.
    “That’s sounds good if…” Caroline’s dad seemed ready to accept. Caroline and I pinched each other’s hand, hoping we’d get more time to play. But her mom’s red lips stretched as wide as a Venus flytrap.
    “Thank you—it’s a shame we don’t really have time today! We’re actually on our way somewhere else.”
    After that, however, we went to each other’s house a lot. Mostly, I was invited to Caroline’s. Her mom said she knew my parents were busy people, although really I think she thought it safer to haveus under her eye. It suited Mommy that way because of the work she and Daddy