On a blazing Thursday in Knysna, two women sat on a park bench underneath a big oak tree; trying to hide from the searing sunlight. Occasionally, they would give their semi-melted ice creams a lick.

    “I’m dying over here,” Said the first woman; sweat dripping from her freckled forehead.

“Come on,” Said the second woman perspiring in equal measures, “you wanted to be here, now we’re here. Enjoy the view,” She sat back, crossing one leg over the other, winking at a 20-somethings girl in a small sunflower sundress. The girl gasped and trotted away. 

     “By view, you mean the female inhabitants of this town?” The first woman chuckled. 

 She sat back to match her friend's relaxed posture on the hard wooden bench as they were finishing off the pathetic-looking sugar cones in their hands. 

     “Yes, that view. Where’s the Max I know?”

“Ugh… The Max you know is probably lounging in a pool somewhere, drinking a cold beer, being associal.”

     “A cold beer in a pool would be nice, right about now.” 

A gentle breeze caressed their skins; it carried the smell of brine, old trees and moss.

They came all the way from Cape Town for peace and quiet, somewhere where nobody knew them. Also, because Max Palomino wanted to find her childhood home and her friend, Flint Bellini, wasn’t going to let her do it alone. It meant time alone together, a little breakaway, after roughly two years of facing challenge after challenge - together and separately.

     They sat wordlessly enjoying the atmosphere of the sidewalk they parked themselves on; it was pretty much deserted. In front of them was a magnificent view: a white sandy beach and turquoise-colored water splashing onto the shore. 

     “You realize we’re being tits, right?” Said Max, nonplussed.

“Why’s that?” Flint stifled a heatstroke-induced yawn on the back of her hand.

     “We are staring at the ocean. It’s right there. In front of us!” Max squealed, straightening her back and slicing down through the air as if her hand were a boom. 

     “I see that, but I’m not wearing anything right for swimming,” Flint turned to face her friend, who was wearing the familiar expression that usually got them into trouble

     “Oooh, no. I know that face!” 

Max jumped up; her wolfish grin not unsettling to Flint anymore.

     “PLEASE!” Max lowered herself to the pavement, “You said that you’d support me on this trip and never let me do anything alone,” She rested her chin on Flint's bare knees, looking up at her with amber-colored puppy eyes.

     “Fine! But I do not appreciate your blatant manipulation,” Flint scrunched her face, “And I am not taking any of my clothes off. It’s so hot that by the time we get back to the campsite, we’ll be dry.”

As Flint came to standing, Max embraced her but withdrew promptly as they stuck together.

     “Bad idea, too sticky,” Max turned on her heel and vaulted herself over the small fence, trying to make a run for it towards the water; not getting far on the soft sand. 

     “The gate is right here, you savage!”

“Don’t care!”

Flint entered through the gate. She kicked off her flip-flops and removed her cap placing them neatly in a pile on the sand. She kept her pace steady toward the water. The beautiful image shattered when Max ran back out, throwing her over her shoulder like she weighed as much as a bag of potatoes and running back - or rather - falling back into the water.

Flint sputtered and splashed, swiping hair out of her face in horror. 

Once she could open her eyes, she marched toward Max at a snail’s pace; the waist-high water, resisting her movements. Max squealed again.

     “You were taking too long!” She yelled in lighthearted defense, trying to outmaneuver Flint.

Flint launched herself at Max clamping onto her with all four limbs and plunging them underwater. Max stood up; both women were laughing hysterically while holding onto each other. They separated and ended up floating side by side, holding hands like otters.

     “Thank you for coming with me,” Max said eventually, “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you,” She squeezed Flint’s hand.

     “Don’t mention it. You would’ve done the same for me - now shush. I want to enjoy this.”

While floating in the serene waters, Flint started thinking about everything: How existence dragged on before fate called shotgun of her life, setting in motion the events that brought her to meet Max. With her, Flint felt like she could do anything, be anything, she made her feel like a child with no care in the world. Flint imagined that she did the same for Max. 

     Since their agreement and the passing of time, Max’s eyes became clearer, her smile brighter and she even started doing the things that she used to love like painting and dancing. 

Together, they were stronger. 

Together, they could take on the world.

Together, they would face their fears and overcome them.

What was life like without Max in it? Flint thought and couldn’t really grasp how she droned on each day, without knowing the woman floating next to her. 

She made herself think back to the beginning…