Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body (2011)

In Chapter 54, Martin and Joanna enjoy the sweetness of being together for the first time. Martin describes the feeling as being “drunk, intoxicated by everything that is happening to me for the first time” (229). While their Christian faith keeps them from being sexually intimate with each other, they kiss, touch, and fall headfirst into their love for each other. Martin feels completely accepted by Joanna, as she calls him her “liefie” (“my love” in Afrikaans). The rest of their trip in London includes some difficult moments, such as Martin’s inability to choose a pair of shoes for himself, and other exhilarating moments, such as dancing at night in Trafalgar Square.

In Chapter 57, as the trip concludes, Martin feels the pain of separation from the woman he loves. When he returns to South Africa, his father expresses frustration with him for not having kept in touch with the family while he was in London with Joanna. As Martin starts to recognize that his life will change, so will his relationship—and dependence—to his parents. Soon after this conversation, Martin tells his parents that he plans to ask Joanna to marry him. In Chapter 60, “Up, Up, and Away,” Martin proposes to Joanna in a hot air balloon.