In the fall Mandla was getting ready to hit the road to work at Highveld in Witbank. He worked as a security guard. Every day before anything else, the first thing that crossed his mind was music.

He played whatever music of his desire and passion. Music kept him in a good mood, even if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed or had a long day. Music could always cheer him up. It was very rare to find him with a long face. He loved music with every piece of his heart. Mandla was known as a generous man in his community and he was friendly. He was easy on the eye and every woman had a thing for him. The words that came out of his mouth were always polite and he had a charming voice. Thandi stole his heart. Mandla and Thandi lived an ordinary life; they were not poor or rich.

Mandla was polishing his black boots when he heard a loud and irritating knock on his door. He was deep in debt with a loan shark and he never answered the door because he was always anticipating him. But the two thugs found their way in. Mandla hid in the wardrobe and Thandi was scared and she never got a chance to hide. She tried to scream for help but she was confronted with a pistol and fell silent.

They tied her to a chair and kept her hostage. The burglars searched for Mandla, but they never found him. The thought of looking for him in the wardrobe was completely out of their minds. One of the burglars suggested that they beat up Thandi, thinking that it would force him to show himself. Thandi was shivering with fear as they spoke. Her heart was beating so fast and her whole body was perspiring.

“Oh Lord, where is your mercy?” Thandi screamed.

Thandi was wearing a see-through nightie and it had ridden up so her inner thigh was exposed. She was a chubby but very fine woman. Any man would dream of waking up next to someone like her. She tried to seduce the burglars, but unfortunately the burglars never got tempted by her tricks. She felt hopeless. She was trapped and isolated in a dark place. No one helped her. Not to mention her cowardly husband who jilted her in his own battle.

“Where is your man?” One of the burglars inquired, but she remained silent. They hit her on the back of the head with the pistol. She cried until she had no more tears. She prayed to God asking for mercy. She was hoping that perhaps her man would come to her rescue but sometimes things don’t go according to plan.

Thandi had given up her life for Mandla and she was ready and prepared to die for him. Even though she was assaulted verbally and roughed up, she stood up for her cowardly and selfish man. She was bleeding and spitting blood from her mouth. The burglars had no heart for compassion.

“Lord, forgive them,” she said with a sympathetic voice. She was a Christian woman and believed that the burglars had no idea what they were doing. She also believed that Satan had his own creative ways of using other people to hurt others.

“Are you ready to talk?” The furious burglar asked hoarsely. Thandi’s face was swollen and pale, her lips were black and blue and she couldn’t speak. She was badly beaten and she was lying in a pool of blood. Mandla couldn’t put up with the pain anymore. He fainted in the wardrobe and fell to the ground. He made a loud noise when he hit the ground and the burglars quickly found him.

They poured cold water over him and he woke up. He thought the nightmare was over, but unfortunately it was still just the beginning. His heart was tumbling like clothes in the washing machine and his feet trembled when he looked at his woman. Mandla was not much of a prayer, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He prayed to God to change reality and make this all just a dream. Mandla was in denial that this whole incident was actually happening.

He was scared and began to cry. They say a man doesn’t cry, usually, but Mandla couldn’t help himself and he let the tears flow like an infant. The poor man was genuinely scared and hurt.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Mandla asked as he wept.

“We want our money!” The burglars screamed. There was only one man Mandla could remember owing, and that was the loan shark. Mandla had been evading the debt for too long. This time around they meant business. He was pointed with a pistol over his head and they told him that they won’t go until he gave them their money. They wanted every single cent or said they would blow his head off. His knees became weak and he begged them not to pull the trigger. He quickly settled the debt.

The burglars took their money and ran. There’s an English saying: “Money is the root of evil.” Indeed it is, mandla thought as he tried to wake Thandi, but it was too late. Her body and soul took separate directions. Mandla couldn’t believe his eyes and ran outside to seek help.

The ambulance arrived and Thandi was officially declared dead.

Truth be told, there’s nothing more heart breaking than seeing a grown man shed tears like an infant. People felt for him and gave him their condolence, except for Thandi’s family. They blamed Mandla for their daughter’s death.

Thandi was laid to rest and the police investigated the matter. The loan shark was arrested and was denied bail. Eventually a cowardly man found his vengeance.

***

Tell us what you think: Have you ever owed a loan shark money?