Speedkop spent three weeks in the hospital and by the time he got out, he was a changed man. He started by changing his friends and only hanging out with church folks. He also decided to go back to church to serve the Lord once more and he kept that promise by never missing a church service. He participated in church activities, like helping with the garden and cleaning the roof of the church after a heavy storm.

Soon everyone thought of him as the handyman there. The Anglican Church would give back to Speedkop with money and groceries and sometimes even expensive cologne or jewellery. Speedkop took his handyman job very seriously. Even though the church was in tip top condition, it still needed a few touches here and there and he knew he was the perfect man for the job. Repairing the church was like working on his life, fixing his problems one at a time.

He loved his work and people who saw him work complimented him. But the friends he kicked to the curb turned out to be spiteful in the end because they started calling him names like ’Mpostoli‘ (Apostolic) and ’Jesus piece‘. Speedkop vowed never to look in their direction ever again and regretted spending his money on them.

As the weeks went by, the priest, Father Forbes, started to fully trust Speedkop, and gave him more tasks to prove himself. Speedkop knocked them out of the park every time. Father Forbes finally presented Speedkop with a grand opportunity. All he had to do was drive church folks around in a taxi and make some money for petrol as well.

Father Forbes gave Speedkop clear instructions. “I don’t want alcohol in my taxi. If you see a person carrying a beer you don’t pick them up, you let them be, because I don’t want any accidents whereby they spill liquor or break the bottle or both. You abide by those rules and we won’t have a problem at all.”

Speedkop was determined to prove to Father Forbes that he could be responsible and reliable. It was the first time in years that somebody had believed in him. He had almost forgotten what that felt like. People in his community had given up on him, but ever since he had gone back to the church, he could feel their support again. Speedkop knew that Father Forbes was proud of him and this touched Speedkop a lot. He made a promise to Father Forbes not to have any alcohol in the taxi and he was determined to keep it. He had been given a second chance and he was finally ready to become the man that everyone had always wanted him to be.

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Tell us: Do you think Speedkop will keep his promise to Father Forbes?