Before Lesego could get any closer to me I heard another loud bang. It sounded different to the first one. Lesego dropped to the floor. I crawled out from under my bed and to my surprise I saw grandma standing there with a frying pan in her hand. I wanted to laugh out loud but she had saved my life. I ran to hug her. Mum and the kids came in to see what was happening. Mum was shocked and the kids looked excited, as if it was a movie or something.

After a few minutes, the cops arrived and we let them in. Lesego was woken up by cold water and was immediately handcuffed. They began to tell him his rights, but he didn’t give them the chance to finish. He kept on screaming that I was going to pay.

This freaked me out. What if he got out of jail and came back for me? My grandma and I gave the police a statement and then they left. Our neighbours were out in the streets, peeking to see what was happening, only to find that the show was over. We locked the gate and went back inside. It was late so we went back to bed. I slept with my Mum.

I was still in shock. I wondered if Lesego had seriously meant to shoot me. He was delusional. I mean, I hadn’t taken any of his money and what I knew about him was none of my business. I wouldn’t have told a soul if he hadn’t wanted me to. I said a short prayer before sleeping, but I still couldn’t fall asleep. I just lay there thinking about Lesego until I dozed off.

Early that morning, a loud knock on the door woke the whole family up. Mum went to attend to whoever was knocking, then came back and called us all to the dining area. We sat down. I was still half asleep. Our visitors were the cops from the previous night, as well as some white guy in a suit. We greeted them and gave them the chance to tell us why they had decided to rob us of our sleep.

It was good news. I was to get money from the department for helping them to find the wanted criminal Aaron Moloko, who I knew as Lesego. I was to get 30 000 in cash. I hadn’t known that Lesego was that important. I mean, 30 000 in cash? I also hadn’t known that the police department would live up to their promises. I had thought that the money they had advertised was just to get help quickly from people to find the culprit.

I definitely deserved the money for my school fees, my Mum’s bills and everything I had been through with Lesego. He had made my life a living hell. I realised that flashy cars and money were not all that. I had learnt that happiness was rather to be found in the simple things in life: family, love and God. I, on the other hand, felt guilty for accepting the money. It felt like the money somehow belonged to Lesego. I felt like I was using his money. Even with him behind bars, I would still have a huge piece of him. Nevertheless, I chose to accept the money. For some reason I felt like Lesego was out of my life. A life sentence is a life sentence, after all.

*****

With my fees and my Mum’s bills paid, things went back to normal. Varsity was fun and I was the centre of attention. I appeared in the newspapers and the news, because I had helped the police to arrest Lesego. My friends wanted to know all the details of what had happened.

I passed my course with flying colours. I was determined and felt privileged to have been given another chance to be able to finish my course. I made my Mum proud. I got a job and was able to buy my own car and house. Yes, my own. It took time to get here, but eventually I got here right. Waiting for a lift from someone who’s old enough to be your Dad isn’t fun! Now I go anywhere I want to go, and buy myself whatever I need or want. Mum has a new house too because of her loving daughter.

I sometimes feel that if it wasn’t for Lesego, I wouldn’t be here at all. I’m glad I took a different route. I guess things always work out for the good. I’m Charlotte Buthelezi and I dodged a bullet – you can do it too!

***

Tell us what you think: Did Charlotte make the right choice when she accepted the money? What are your thoughts about the ending of the story?