Episode 1
He closed his eyes for a moment, sitting alone on a chair positioned in the middle of the room after reading the letter.
In 1983, Sizwe worked as a bank manager in town. His wife ran a retail business in the southern part of the city. They had three children—one in primary school and two in high school—all of whom were excelling in their studies. But life wasn't as good as it sounded; dark clouds were gathering over their home.
Sizwe was drowning. He owed R27,000 to loan sharks and another R50,000 to the bank. His salary barely covered food, rent, and petrol. Every month, the interest from the loan sharks rose by R500. They had begun to threaten him, saying they would kidnap his seventeen-year-old daughter and traffic her to recover their money.
Desperate, he once contemplated suicide. He stood up, headed to the storeroom, and took a rope. He walked straight into the bushes without a word to anyone. As he tied the rope to a tree, he thought about smoking marijuana one last time before ending it. Then, he realized he was already under the influence; the "dagga" was clouding his mind. In that haze, the only thing he could think of was his family. How would they survive without him? He thought of his daughter and realized he was the cause of all their troubles.
He climbed the tree, untied the rope slowly, and went home, determined to find another way. Three days later, two men arrived at the bank. They wore gleaming black-and-white suits and Carvela formal shoes. Sunglasses and hats obscured their faces. A teller directed them to the manager's office.
Inside, one of them greeted him: "Hello, Sizwe."
Sizwe was startled. He didn't recognize them and immediately feared they were there for his debts. "Hello, gentlemen. How can I help you?"
They introduced themselves and delivered a message from their boss: a request for a meeting after work to discuss a "serious issue." Sizwe spent the day in a state of high anxiety. He finished work at 6:00 PM, his heart racing and his body shaking so hard he couldn't eat. At 6:15 PM, he locked his office and saw a black car parked across the road. A man signaled from the window.
In that moment, Sizwe felt his time had come.
It's really interesting
ReplyDeleteThank you
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