by Eben Le Roux
Chapter 16
Seeing the hall so filled made Peter realise the full extent of the problem Andrew was talking about.
People were arguing amongst themselves, and Peter knew that the discussion was most likely over their losses. Where Sean was sitting, he had a worried look on his face as the men sitting behind them were making bad remarks about Andrew. It had dawned on him that he was going to be Andrew’s first line of defence if a fight should break out. That did not go well with his conscience and his heartbeat was already bouncing so strong, it felt as if trying to burst out through his ribs.
‘My word Josh...So many people’ Peter said while scanning over the people in the hall.
‘It shows you the true value of that factory to this town, Mr Johnson. Make no mistake about that. I also think it is a good time to identify some of them to you.’ He said as he took a step closer to him.
‘Those three men in that front seat – they are the men who came up with the initial money for the business. Two of them are shop owners, and the third is a farmer in the district. They knew that with nobody having an income in this town, their businesses were doomed. As this whole idea came from Andrew, he put up the last of his savings. When they were still short with operational costs, they came up with a plan. The thirty-two people behind them were to work without wages until our customers paid for the goods. They worked for seven weeks and are still waiting for their money. So before you go on that stage, you should think deep and hard about what you are going to say. I do not think you know what a thousand rand means for the town’s people. It is a lifetime’s saving for some Peter, a lifetime’s saving.’
Peter took two steps towards the stage, then turned to Josh and said, ‘I would know, Josh, I surely would know, but you will never know what fifty cents means out there in the life of a beggar.’
It was said with such passion that Josh was still recovering from the impact of the words when Peter started to address the people in the hall. They went quiet the minute he took the stage. A woman slowly stood up, looked around, and slowly started clapping her hands. There was an immediate reaction from everybody as they all followed her gesture of appreciation for this man. It took nearly a full minute before they were all back in their seats, waiting inaudibly for Peter to speak.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you, but the pleasure is honestly mine. Just to have this hall so full at such short notice speaks a thousand words for the people of Bolton - not forgetting to add the honour of being in a town that refuses to go down. That should say a lot about you in itself. I got word that your situation has changed from bad to worse. I also heard that the fruits of your efforts have been completely destroyed.’
Those words caused some disturbance amongst them and Peter noticed it with concern.
‘Now tell me, honestly, do you really believe that dream, that future you planned so hard for is gone forever?’
In reaction to the question, a man jumped from his chair and shouted, ‘Yes, our whole future has been stolen by that man over there!’
Driven by anger, the man was showing aggressively towards Andrew. This led to others joining in the insults on him. Josh looked worriedly at Peter, knowing they should not let this situation get out of hand. Peter kept a cool stance where he was standing. He took a quick glimpse in Andrew and Sean’s direction, knowing that it was not such a good idea bringing Andrew to this hall. There was no way anybody would be able to protect him if this crowd should get violent, but as worried as he was; he knew he had to stay in charge.
He lifted his voice above the noise. ‘I need some order now, please.’
Almost instantly, most of them obeyed, but three men carried on with taunting Andrew. When he finally got them to calm down, one of them still shouted a last warning. ‘We’ll get you outside, and I want to see who is going to stop us!’ As a final insult, he showed a rude gesture at Andrew.
Peter looked at the man and shook his head in disbelief. ‘Mister, I am not going to ask for your name as I am not just going to speak to you only. What I am going to say is for everybody. For your information, I brought that man back here. I will be expected to be the one protecting him against anybody trying to get to him. I hope that answers your question.’
The people went even quieter, waiting for another eruption from the men, but it did not come.
‘All right, before you judge that man again, let me tell you why I am here. You all know my story. You have heard it from the radio, the newspaper, or television. It is true. I lived on the streets, and I was a beggar. Just to add, sometimes people are forced into circumstances where they never wished to be. I found Andrew in such a position . . . in the process of committing suicide. That man was going to kill himself because of the same attitude that was expressed by some of you today. On the contrary, this man was boasting about this town and its people. He told me a most astonishing story about the people of this town. How this town was dying around you, and how you refused to lie down and die with it. He also told me how you came together to start a project that most definitely would have generated money for this town and might even have made this town famous one day. Maybe if I had been from Bolton, I would never have ended up as a beggar. You sure know how much power is in the word “unity”. I can tell you now that even though there is a sad part in Bolton’s story, it should not mean the sad ending of Bolton’s story. Andrew could have lied to me, and if he were guilty, he would have. A man who wanted to die, to kill himself, was still worried about this town’s people. Imagine if he had died just because he was scared of your anger. This, my brothers and sisters, would have been, not a sad, but a horrible ending to the story of Bolton.’
The noise of the people moving in their chairs was a sign that he had stirred something in them.
‘The gift, or might I say the miracle of that man still being alive, might just be the miracle that Bolton needed. By the fate that brought me here tonight, I promise to help you in fulfilling this dream. For that to happen, we will need the presence of God. We will need hope, and we most definitely need love. For where there is love, there is peace, and where there is peace, the Holy Spirit is sure to find a home. Therefore, from today, we are going to make that space for the Holy Spirit to set up home in Bolton. Andrew Cohen had no part in the hijacking of your truck. I would like the person who started that rumour to give a statement at your police station. As far as I know, they are busy investigating the crime. In the meantime, do not be the judge over such rumours.’
In the hall, people started looking at one another. Only the sound of movements in the chairs was audible, but nobody was saying anything.
‘I will try to find somebody who would be interested in saving your project. I believe so strongly that we could get such a person that I can promise you an answer by the end of next week. Trust me when I say only God knows why I am doing this because surely I do not. The committee of this project has a lot to discuss, so I suggest you arrange a meeting as soon as possible. Remember just one thing in that meeting. It is not so much the money that would keep your business a success, but your willingness to commit yourself along with honesty and trust. I am sure you will not let your dream die such a sudden death. Just like me, have faith, and everything will come together again. Please allow me to go now. I am tired, and I need to rest a bit. Thank you very much for allowing me into your world. Good night.’
He turned to leave, but before he could take a second step, he heard Josh’s voice calling. ‘Just a second Mr Johnson.’ Peter was surprised, for Josh did not look at him but at the people in the hall. ‘I have just a small announcement, please. For those of you who do not have cable television, I will install a flat screen in this hall where we can all watch the next speech made by Mr Johnson on Friday night. That is all. Thank you.’
There was so much delight in the hall that Peter could leave through the side door unnoticed. He took out a pen and hurriedly wrote something on a piece of paper. As he reached the car, he saw Josh had followed him.
‘If you had any plans of driving back tonight, forget about it. You guys are sleeping at my place and by the way . . .’
‘Sorry, Mr Clayton, you are losing out on this one. We already agreed to sleep over at Andrew’s. Like you said, this man does not have many friends in this town, and I need him to regain that initial character of his again.’
‘Oh . . . but my wife made supper for all of you.’
‘We are not going to say no to that invitation, Josh, as I don’t expect any food at Andrew’s house.’
‘Good. Let us leave before these people start mauling you with questions.’
After a light supper, Peter could feel that his full stomach was making him very lazy and tired.
‘Josh, if I do not leave now, I will fall asleep in this chair. It is true what Andrew said. Your wife has the knowledge of flavour for food.’
‘The pleasure is mine, gentlemen. Will I see you in the morning before you leave? My wife will have prepared some pies for the road for you,’ Josh said as they walked to the door.
Peter waited until Andrew and Sean got into the car, pushed Josh away, and put the note in his hand.
‘See if you can have the factory renamed to what is written on this paper. It is very important, but I will explain later.’
In his confusion, Josh fumbled with the note, trying to open it, but Peter stopped him from doing so.
‘Not now, please. You can do it later. Otherwise, you will just open up a lot more explanations from me. Would you please use whatever it takes and try to convince the committee to agree with you on this? It will change another person’s life as much as it is going to change Bolton’s.’
Peter left him standing alone, looking completely mystified at the note. The minute Peter got into the car, curiosity got the better of him, and he opened up the piece of paper. There was just one word written on it. ‘Twinns.’
Josh said loudly, ‘Twinns.’
Andrew was now even much more mystified.