Onderwêreld deur Fanie Viljoen | Log File: Vakansie-fireworks | English Summary | Onderwereld

 

Onderwêreld deur Fanie Viljoen

Log File: Vakansie-fireworks

April holidays are but a few days away and Greg is in a great mood. He spends his time lazing about like any of the grade 8s and 9s, and besides a meeting with Doc Pienaar he must attend, Greg has no commitments. He goes to Eckhardt’s room and enters without knocking, finding him right in the middle of a hack. He does not answer Greg’s questions about what he is up to but answers his questions about his plans for the April holiday. He has no idea, but his parents are going to Switzerland and his siblings are going to their friends’ houses.

Greg invites Eckhardt to come to Johannesburg with him, but Eckhardt is hesitant. Greg continues to push because he feels indebted to Eckhardt for all he has taught him in the past three months. He tells him to write a list of ten things he will have to do during the holidays that make it difficult for him to come to Greg’s house, otherwise, he should just pack his bags and go. On Friday morning before school breaks up for the holiday, Eckhardt’s bags were packed and Greg had not received a top ten list, so he assumed that Eckhardt would be coming home with him.

On the way home, Rina did not stop talking, to Greg’s chagrin. When they arrive home, they find Nicole waiting for them with her two friends: Clarissa and Candy. After giving his girlfriend a passionate kiss, Greg shows Eckhardt to the room in which he will be sleeping, later realizing that he unconsciously gave Eckhardt his brother’s old room. Later, the two go to a new nightclub called Secrets and Lies. It had just rained, and the streets were still wet. Inside, they experienced bright lights and blasting music, with dancing bodies everywhere, some of whom were on ecstasy. Nicole herself had some on her tongue for Greg; however, he was not interested in doing drugs that night. He does not like how it makes him feel, just how it makes other people feel. The DJ of the night is someone called Roger Goode. Greg and the others are on the dancefloor when Greg notices Candy’s arms wrapped around Eckhardt. Nicole takes Greg’s hand and guides him to the chill zone, away from the flashing lights. Alone in a dark corner after months apart, the two experience their own “fireworks”.

Days later, the girls head out for shopping while Greg stays home with Eckhardt. They sit in the swimming pool for a while before a restless Eckhardt says, “I can’t just sit here like this.” He stands up and says,
“Let’s do something. Have I ever told you about social engineering?”

SummariesKeroshan PillayComment