Gabriel

He stretches his body before he gets into the elevator. He holds a black paper in his hand. His phone beeps. He checks it. Zachariah sent a message that he left his money under the seat he was sitting on. Gabriel runs to search for it back in the car. He finds it wrapped in a newspaper. Upon closing the door he meets Sergeant Luke.

“I am happy to see you,” the Sergeant says, checking what Gabriel is holding.

“How is it Sergeant?” he asks.

“I need the car. Commander has sent me to fetch it,” he replies.

Gabriel fidgets with the plastic and the wrapped paper.

“What do you have?” he asks.

“It’s our supper, we didn’t eat. I am going to put in the fridge. I will eat later,” he answers.

Gabriel looks at Sergeant with a worried look and he is trembling. This could be end of his job.

“I need the keys,” he says lifting his head up.

Gabriel holds both the plastic and wrapped paper with one hand. Sergeant Luke tries to help but he waves that he can do it alone. Gabriel searches in his pockets and finds the key.

“I just want to help,” he says.

“Here is the key,” he gives him and walks back into the building.

Sergeant Luke looks at him as he walks. Gabriel turns to see the Sergeant shake his head.

Gabriel thinks still on what Sergeant saw. What if he tells the commander? The anxiety hits him hard. He tries to take a nap but Sergeant Luke is not like him and his corrupt officers. He is the cleverest in the police department. He grabs his phone from the table and texts a message to Zach, Gideon and Sipho.

I think Sergeant will realise our deeds. Be careful not to spend money recklessly. Otherwise we will go to jail.

*****

Sipho

After his shift he walks back home. His home is close to Seshego and close to Polokwane CBD. He stays in a shack but the stand on which it is built is his. His salary is a bit low to afford building materials. It’s early morning and everybody is busy preparing for work. Many of the people work in town. He enters his shack and the door makes a squeaky noise. His wife is awake. She is holding a bucket full of dirty nappies. His baby son is sleeping on the left side of the bed. He looks at him and smiles. He loves his son very much.

“Morning Sipho, I hope you’re OK,” she says restlessly.

“Baby, I am OK,” he says lying on the bed.

She goes out making the door make loud noises. He sits up and takes a lot of two hundred rand notes. He counts them. He can’t believe he made a lot of money. His phone beeped, it’s Gabriel. He chuckles reading it.

“What’s the use of having money you can’t spend?” he says in a low voice.

His wife enters and a bad smell fills the room like burst sewage. She looks at him holding money. She is surprised to see it.

“Sipho, where did you get the money?” she asks.

“I won the Lotto,” he says, sorting out the money in thousands.

“When did you start playing the Lotto?” she asks sitting next to him. Sipho lifts his mouth up, the smell irritates him and he makes a face.

“Baby, it’s the baby’s poo. Let me take the soap so I can wash the nappies,” she says leaving him on the bed.

Sipho shakes his head. He remembers that his wife is untidy but he loves her very much. He takes a note book and pen and writes what he needs; bricks, sand and cement. He will build a two-roomed home. The other people will be jealous because it will be the first house built. The whole place has shacks.

***

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