When Fezi met Sanele Siwonge by the till at the supermarket one fateful Saturday afternoon she had never really taken any interest in all the stories she had heard or read about blessers before. In her mind those things only happened in very big cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

“It was here. It was here just now,” she said, tears already streaming down her face. “I had just drawn some money from the ATM and put it in my purse before I walked inside the shop,” she said, frantically wiping the blinding tears from her face with the back of her hand. She checked her purse and bag again but the wallet was nowhere to be found. The people in the line were starting to get annoyed, some were already murmuring among themselves.

“What is the problem now?”

“Who is holding up the line?”

“Come on people, we are rushing, we do not have all day!” shouted a girl with purple-coloured dreadlocks and one side of her head shaven. Her dreads were fashioned to fall over one side of her face, hiding one of her eyes. Her eyebrows were painted on with eye pencil and one could see the exaggerated eye pencil marks where the original eyebrow was supposed to end.

She had a very pretty light complexion – she was a ‘yellow bone’.

“Yes, tell her girl. We don’t have all day,” retorted another girl behind in the queue, chewing her gum and then blowing a big bubble like a five-year-old.

“OK people, I am sorry for this,” said a tearful Fezi, looking again in her pockets and bag one more time.
The line was getting longer and longer. Fezi looked at all the angry faces and panicked.

“I am looking for my purse, someone must have taken it from one of the side pockets of my bag. I’m sorry guys.”

Blinded by tears Fezi tried to reason with the people in the line. She poured out the whole contents of her bag onto the till counter. But the wallet clearly was not there. Even the till operator was looking at her, sitting there, folding her arms, annoyed. She gave her such a horrendous look, as if she had done this purposely.

“Sisi, I am going to ring this purchase off. You are wasting people’s time. Are you sure you had your purse with you in the first place?” she asked with a look that made everyone in the line doubt that Fezi was telling the truth.

Fezi could not speak. By now she was sobbing out loud because it was clear the purse was not in her bag. What an embarrassment, she thought.

All her money and her important cards; bank cards, ID document card and even her new driver’s license was gone. She wanted to scream but did not have the energy. At least an old woman showed some mercy and offered her a pink tissue. Fezi accepted it and blew her nose.

The sound of the till opening brought her back to her senses.

“I can pay it for you, don’t worry sisi,” she heard the soft baritone voice behind her. “Don’t worry, these things happen all the time,” said the gentlemen as he helped the till packer pack her things in a blue bag that he had given to the cashier.

The gentleman paid up for all of her groceries and toiletries. Fezi could not believe what had just happened.

The cashier pushed the bag with her goodies to the side and yelled to the people standing in the line, “Next customer, you sisi please move over so I can help other people as well.”

“I am so sorry about all of this,” Fezi felt so stupid. The gentleman smiled, taking both bags of goodies.

She didn’t know what to say to him; she was so overwhelmed with gratitude. The man had a rather shallow grin, that was close to a sneer. Fezi could not quite read his face. And why he had done this? She remained speechless but felt a warm wave of some strange feeling as the man took her hand tenderly. She longed for him to keep holding it, she wished that his arm would embrace her shivering body.

“What’s your name?” he asked as if he could feel the longing in her heart.

Men are not to be trusted these days, a small voice whispered to her in her mind, but then another one protested. Not all men are trash; you can’t brush all men with the same dirty brush. He saved your butt after all.

***

Tell us: Would you help a stranger out like this and pay for their groceries?