The weekend passes by quickly. At church on Sunday she listens to the preacher talking about honesty and integrity. How we need to be fair to one another, and she feels her cheeks get hot. She feels like all the eyes of the congregation are on her, and they know exactly how she has made the money she put into the collection basket.
She looks at the faces of the elderly, and wonders how many of them are struggling under the weight of debt they can’t pay back. How many are now going without food at the beginning of the month?
When Che phones she can’t keep it inside anymore. She tells him.
“I’m not going back to EasyLoans. I can’t. I saw what they did to my grandmother. I can’t do that to the elderly, to anyone any more. It’s robbing them, Che. I don’t know how I could have–”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Beautiful. The main thing is that you won’t do it anymore. You thought you were helping people.” After a pause he continues enthusiastically, “Hey, there’s a party next Saturday. Want to come?”
“I have to work.”
“Give yourself a break sometimes. Relax. Besides, you will be between jobs!”
She sees another call coming through. “I have to take this, Che. Later.”
It’s Andy from EasyLoans.
“When are you getting back, darling? Your flyers are bringing in a lot of business. We need you back here.”
She takes a deep breath. Inside she feels strong and she says: “I am not coming back, Sir.”
“Why not? Is it something I said…”
“No. When I came back home I saw something.”
“What is that?”
“That we are robbing people of money they don’t have, that they will never have.”
“But…”
“Hire someone else.” Bathandwa hangs up, and breathes out.
On Monday, Gogo insists on tagging along with Bathandwa. They start at EasyLoans and settle Gogo’s debt, then continue to the hardware store and Sakhumzi’s spaza and other loan companies where Gladys also took out loans. When all the debts are settled Bathandwa treats Gogo to a cup of tea and cake.
Gogo leans across the table and her old hand encloses her grandaughter’s. She squeezes it. “Thank you, my child,” she says quietly.
On their way back past the SASSA office Gladys stops, and tells her to wait a moment. She walks slowly to the queue where a woman is handing out EasyLoan pamphlets. Bathandwa watches with pride as Gogo speaks up clearly. The people in the queue turn to listen.
“They bleed us dry. Just be careful with these loans because you will end up owing more than you get paid,” says Gladys to every ear willing to listen. “It happened to me. Don’t let it happen to you too.”
Gogo takes Bathandwa’s arm and they walk slowly together to the rank and take a taxi back home.
It feels like old times to Bathandwa, and she decides then and there that it is time to bring Che home to meet her grandmother.
***
Tell us: Have you ever been in a debt trap? Why did you borrow money?
