Newspaper:
A woman reads Monday's headline; "South African bus crashes. One person dies."
"My taxes should cover bus maintenance," she thinks, then turns the page.
Vida:
"Are you serious?" I gasp at Maya. "You'll lose money."
"A little. But come on, you've hung around our scuba divers for years now. You deserve to experience what it's like." Maya follows me to my bus. "You're only twelve; your parents shouldn't let you ride alone."
"They trust me," I say. Not that they care.
"Meet me here at six tomorrow morning. We'll dive with turtles and sharks."
I jump with joy. "Thank you!"
The bus is full, humid and reeks of sweat but I don't mind. Nothing can ruin this day, not even my frizzy hair. To my left, a senior man throws plastic rings from his beer cans out the window.
"Please don't," I say, ignoring his daggering stare telling me to mind my own business. "I'm scuba diving tomorrow, and don't want plastic stuck in my snorkel."
The man rolls his eyes. "I didn't throw it in the ocean."
Sure, you did. I cling onto the railing as the bus driver speeds onto the highway until it lets me off an hour later.
Halfway on my walk home, the sole on my sandal falls off, so I tie a leaf to my foot. A passing pick-up throws a chocolate-bar-wrapper out its window; skidding me.
"Hey!"
I pick it up and stick it in my bag. Idiot.
Outside our rundown house, Mom's shrieks belt to the road and glass breaks inside, so I wait out back for Dad to leave before sneaking into bed.
At three o'clock, I kiss Mom on the cheek and tiptoe out. The bus is full, and I'm forced to stand.
It's still dark when I get to the diving center, so I wait for Maya by the gate. The sun is rising when Joe arrives.
"Have you spoken with Maya? She told me to meet her here two hours ago," I say.
"Oh no, I'm sorry, Vida. Maya's not coming."
"Why not?" My voice breaks.
Joe shakes his head. "She got a booking from our VIP clients for this weekend."
I sigh. "I understand."
"Why don't you come back tomorrow, same time. Seahorses are by the reef. I'll take you out myself."
"Really?" I pause. Is he's joking?
"See you tomorrow, kid."
"Woohooo." I run to the bus.
Halfway home, a bird falls from the sky and smashes into the front window. The bus stops to a halt, and I plunge into the railing.
Newspaper:
On the bus heading into Durban, a man reads the newspaper headline over the woman's shoulder. "Bus crashes, one person dies."
He sneers. "This corrupt government needs to fix our busses." The man finishes his bunny chow and throws the plastic container out the window.
"Mhmm." The woman nods.
The newspaper article reads: Bird dies from digesting plastic, falls onto a bus and causes the death of a twelve-year-old girl.
