Asem deur Jan Vermeulen | Chapter 5 | English Summary

Asem deur Jan Vermeulen

Chapter 5 Summary

Early in the morning, Barries’ mom wakes him up with a cup of coffee. Barries is feeling rather sluggish from the night before. Mfeka and the Sergeant make an appearance that morning, ready to take him down to the station. Barries, of course, tries to cause a scene before his mother implores him to go quietly. The captain reveals to Barries that they have permission from his mother to search their place for drugs. They take him to the hospital, where he sees the man that he and his friends ran over the night of his birthday, as well as the man’s wife, who is a nurse at the hospital. He is again presented with the consequences of his actions as they attempt to appeal to his guilt for giving his friends the drugs in the first place.

 

After going to the hospital, the captain and the sergeant ask Barries to take them to Butcher’s shop. Barries takes them to a cellphone shop nearby where he had bought a few joints, but never quite the same as the haul he’d get from Butcher’s shop. The overweight owner of this particular shop has ridiculous prices for his stock because he specialises in imported goods. After the sergeant takes photos of the area, they take Barries home but warn him against his drug use again. At home, Barries sheds the stress of the day by rolling himself up a marijuana cigarette and smoking it out on the balcony. He falls over, and his mother comes to drag him back into his bedroom, admonishing him for buying more marijuana. She blames herself for her son’s habit, asking him what she did wrong for him to seek marijuana to deal with his problems. He quips that he’s just trying to escape his mind from time to time. She brandishes a blue envelope containing his bus ticket – he departs at 5 am the next morning.

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SummariesKeroshan PillayAsem, EnglishComment