24 Oct 2008 |
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I know her simply as the woman who owns the
business centre at the junction. You know, anybody can own a business centre in
I cannot remember how this particular one started, or how long ago, but I know that hers is not the average kind of business centre. She has a kiosk and, apart from selling recharge cards and owning two handsets, she even ventured into video club business at some point. I hardly ever buy recharge cards myself these days. But once in a while, especially when my wife insists that I put some credit on her phones, I take a stroll to her kiosk to pick up some recharge cards. Although she has a reputation for being nasty, I cannot deny the fact that she has been quite courteous in her dealings with me. I do not really know at what point she came to know my wife and I, but she always takes time to ask after my wife and children, whether I am just passing or stopping by to buy recharge cards. I learnt from my wife, at some point, that
although she is not married, she has a daughter who is already in secondary
school. Again, I do not know how much she makes from the business centre daily,
but every business centre operator in
Well, I thought that was all the business she was doing there…until this morning when I drove past the kiosk with my wife and children. “Did you see that young lady at the kiosk,” my wife asked. “Yes, what about her?” “That is the lady who came begging for money to feed her baby the other day.” I am used to people in the neighbourhood coming to my wife to ask for anything and everything, so I really had no idea which of them she was talking about. Oh, my wife! She will help anybody who comes crying to her. Sometimes, I get frustrated trying to caution her. And when she cannot help? She will either borrow or give out the little we have at home. But what can I do? “You remember the one who said she had a child out of wedlock and that she and the child had not eaten for some days?” “Yes, I remember that one.” “Ah, I learnt she is doing very well now?” “What does she do?” “You know the owner of that kiosk recruits young ladies for Sugar Daddies and gets paid a certain commission. I learnt she has got that young lady a wealthy Sugar Daddy.” That was shocking to me! A woman I thought was working hard for her money actually recruits young ladies for Sugar Daddies? And she specializes in recruiting for only rich married men? “You don’t mean it,” I said. “Ah, everybody in the neighbourhood knows that. And that is why the wives of some of the rich men in this neighbourhood hate her.” Then she mentioned some of the young ladies who have been said to have been recruited for some Sugar Daddies. In fact, a young lady, who is a member of our church and who frequents our house, is said to be having a running battle with her because she has refused to be recruited. Well, I had to calm myself down by assuring myself that it is only men who are interested that get young ladies recruited for them. And the young ladies who are recruited would have to be interested before they are recruited. But what beats my imagination is how a woman, who is herself a mother, will be involved in what I consider a very dirty kind of business. I have thought all day about confronting her. After all, she calls me 'Pastor'. Maybe that will make her have a rethink. But how does it solve the young ladies’ problems? Whatever problems made them vulnerable in the first place will drive them to other crimes if they remain unsolved. Therein lies my dilemma.
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