Lights rise on the park. None of the denizens is there. MADLOMO enters. She is immediately followed by a wide-eyed THABISILE, who wanders in with trepidation. MADLOMO is not wearing her orange overalls today but is dressed in her Zulu traditional attire of an isidwaba skirt made of faded black towelling, a black isicholo headdress and faded black sneakers with black socks. THABISILE is wearing a light blue, two-piece costume that makes her look like the primary school teacher she is.

THABISILE: There's no one here.

MADLOMO: This is where he lives … with a white man and a boy. But I've not seen the white man for days now. They say he went on a pilgrimage.

THABISILE: Okay, they're not here. Let's go.

MADLOMO: Not so fast! You need to face the past once and for all, Thabisile. Who knows, you may even be able to save him from his anger and bitterness.

THABISILE: How do you know he wants to see me?

MADLOMO: I heard him when he was talking about you. There was a softness in his voice when he mentioned your name.

THABISILE: I didn't think he would mention me. I didn't think he would remember me at all. It's been many years, MaDlomo.

MADLOMO: He needs you. All he does is sit here and read and talk a lot of amampunge about his own culture. Books have messed up his head. So have the white people who stay here with him.

THABISILE: He needs me? I needed him too, but that was a long time ago. Where was he when I needed him?

MADLOMO: He says you left him.

THABISILE: I left because he was not man enough to stand up for me. He knew the truth but he was silent. Then other things happened as well. He left. He's the one who left.

MADLOMO [puzzled]: You left, he left? Who left who exactly?

THABISILE: It's the past, MaDlomo. I don't want to bring that up. It is irrelevant. I've moved on. We've all moved on. I don't know why I agreed to come here.

MADLOMO: Because you still love him! I could see the excitement … the expectation … in your eyes when I told you I had discovered him. Listen, I must go to the demonstration at the court now.