Sweef | Die beursie – Vincent Oliphant | English Summary

Sweef en ander Verhale

Die beursie – Vincent Oliphant

Pieta is a young boy coming home from school with some fellow schoolmates one day when he notices a purse on the ground. Surprised that no one else has taken note of it, Pieta picks up the purse, making sure that no one sees it before it disappears into his bag. However, Gabba notices that Pieta picked something up and excitedly asks him what it is, before lifting Pieta off the ground in order to allow the other school kids easier access to Pieta’s bag. Pieta kicks Gabba in a place where no one should be kicked and, amid the confusion, hops onto the taxi. When Gabba and the boys attempt to pursue, the guard present quickly chases them away. At home, Pieta is too excited about his discovery, imagining how many hundreds or thousands lie in wait on the inside. Before he can open it to count, his mother calls from another room, sending him to the neighbours to ask for some milk and sugar, adding that they’ll be able to return the favour once Pieta’s father’s unemployment cheque comes in.

Pieta feels a little ashamed at having to ask the neighbours, but he gets up to perform his task. When he returns to his room to count the money, he is interrupted again, this time by his father. His father shouts from another room for Pieta’s assistance in moving a cupboard, and while they’re doing the heavy lifting, the purse falls out of Pieta’s pocket. Suspicious of his son, the first thing Pieta’s father asks is if Pieta has gone on to become a pickpocket – “Is that how we raised you?” shouts Pieta’s father. Pieta quickly explains that he picked it up. His father confiscates the purse and Pieta swears he can see the liquor store’s name board in his father’s eyes. Later that night, Pieta’s father falls asleep on an armchair, leaving his jacket far away enough for Pieta to be able to dig around in the inside pocket and retrieve the purse. Back in his room, Pieta finally opens the purse, finding R150 inside. In a fold of the purse he didn’t notice at first, Pieta finds a photo of a woman with a child on her lap. Pieta notes that the child doesn’t look healthy and surmises that the child was born with some disability. He also notes that the woman looks like his mother. Staring into the distance, Pieta imagines the woman going to the pharmacy to get medicine for her child and thinks that without that medicine, the child will get really sick.

With shaking hands, Pieta searches the purse further, finding a driver’s license and bank card, as well as a piece of paper that has a phone number written on it. Pieta takes a few coins, heads over to a near public phone and calls the number. Asking for a Brenda Plaatjies, the voice on the line is not the owner of the purse, but her sister. He tells her that he picked up Brenda’s purse, and quickly the voice becomes peppery as the lady on the line asks Pieta where he is, and he tells her to meet him at the taxi rank of Cleary Park Mall.

A few days later, Pieta and his mom find themselves in the neat sitting room of the woman’s house. A journalist is also present, and as the woman hands Pieta a white envelope, the camera flashes. Pieta thinks that it is unfortunate that his dad couldn’t be there with them. However, two days after that, Pieta’s dad sees the article in the newspaper. Upon seeing his dad’s smile, his dad excitedly tells him that he is proud of his son – words that are like music to Pieta’s ears.

SummariesKeroshan Pillay1 Comment