Page 52 of Sun, Sea and Spotted Squid

A car picked him up from the airport and took him to the Good Hope Maritime Centre, where he’d be working and living for the foreseeable future.

“There you are,” the cab driver said and pointed to a small gathering of buildings at the bottom of the hill they were driving down.

It resembled a holiday camp on the outskirts of the city. Small bungalows lined the outside with a cluster of large ones in the middle.

“It looks amazing.”

“I hope you enjoy your time here,” he said with a smile.

Once there, Sam tipped him and got out of the cab, staring through the fence. There must have been over a hundred people working and living here. They all flitted around from one place to the other. A community of like-minded people lay before him.

Anxiously, Sam stood at the gate while they tannoyed Matome.

“What a great place to be,” he said to the guard.

“Oh yes,” he said, chuckling. “Fun and work is what we do best here.”

That sounds promising.

Sam didn’t have long to wait until Matome came bounding over. Sam recognised him immediately from the Zoom chat.

“Sam,” he boomed. “So pleased to meet you in person. Come in.”

Dutifully, Sam followed him into the compound. He instantly felt this would be home for a while and he couldn’t wait to get to know every single person.

“You like?” he asked, spreading his arms wide.

“I love,” Sam replied.

“Perfect. First things first, I’ll show you to your bungalow. You must be exhausted.”

Sam was more in need of a shower. However he wanted to show he was ready to get stuck in. He was struggling to keep up with Matome’s huge strides, never mind grabbing squid. He opened the door to an end bungalow.

“This will be your home.”

After the hovel in Spain, this place felt he’d been upgraded to the master suite of a five-star hotel. The room had a bed on one side and a table on the other. Easy chairs were in both corners and a desk lay against the window. Pictures of African animals lined the walls. Anticipation fizzed around his body.

“Through there is your kitchen and the next door is the bathroom. Don’t leave your windows open,” he advised. “You don’t want the visitors that may make their way in.”

Sam shivered. He didn’t want to know any more. He could probably hazard a guess and made a mental note to keep those windows firmly locked at all times.

Matome glanced at his watch. “I’m so sorry, I have a meeting in five minutes. Why don’t you rest and freshen up? There are a few new starters. They have gone on an orientation trip already. Don’t worry. I’ve arranged for you all to have a meal somewhere very special. I will meet you at five.”

Once alone, Sam threw himself on his bed and kicked off his shoes.

If the others could see me now.

Five o’clock came and Matome, true to his word, knocked on the door. After a lovely long bath and clean clothes, Sam had a second wind.

“Where are we going?” he asked, once again trailing in Matome’s wake.

“Ah ha,” he answered, tapping his nose. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

They zoomed through the streets of Cape Town. South Africa’s problems were a long way from being solved. However, the city that greeted Sam gave a strong impression that they were ready to face them.

Matome spent the drive telling him stories of Cape Town and how his life had improved over the years.

They drove through nice suburbs before coming to what seemed like a coach park at the foot of a mountain.