Kibanda cha mauzo cha awamu mpya ya Makazi ya Tumaini kilikuwa kimejengwa kwa paneli nyeupe zinazong'aa, tofauti kabisa na ukumbi wa msaada ambako Mariam alikuwa amesimama kwenye foleni siku tatu zilizopita. Hapa hakukuwa na viti vilivyopinda wala printer iliyokwama. Kulikuwa na kiyoyozi, picha kubwa za familia zenye tabasamu, na skrini iliyoonyesha apartments zenye mapazia meupe na maua kwenye balcony.
Mariam aliingia akiwa na folder lake chini ya mkono. Tunu hakuwa pamoja naye; alikuwa shuleni. Jonas alikuwa amemwambia asikubali kwenda na kundi la wakazi kwa sababu hiyo ingeweza kuonekana kama pressure ya watu wengi kabla hawajamaliza comparison yao. Mariam alikubali. Alitaka kujua kile ambacho ofisi ingemwambia yeye peke yake.
Beno Lema alitokea nyuma ya kaunta akiwa na tabasamu la mtu aliyekuwa amezoea kugeuza wasiwasi wa watu kuwa uchaguzi wa bei.
“Mama Mariam?”
“Ndiyo.”
“Nimeambiwa una case ya old phase.”
“Nina receipt, priority card na payment batch.”
“Najua, nimeona note kwenye system.”
Mariam alikaa bila kufungua folder.
“Portal yangu inasema sold out.”
Beno akatikisa kichwa kwa huruma iliyokuwa imepangwa vizuri. “Old allocation imekuwa complicated. Ndiyo maana tumefungua upgrade path.”
“Upgrade kutoka nini?”
“Unit ambayo haipatikani kwenda unit ya phase mpya.”
Mariam alimtazama.
“Usitumie neno upgrade kana kwamba nimechagua kuacha ya kwanza.”
Beno akanyamaza sekunde moja, kisha akasogeza price sheet mbele yake.
“Kuna one-bedroom standard, one-bedroom corner, na two-bedroom compact. Kwa case yako, amount uliyolipa inaweza kuhamishwa kama credit.”
“Na balance?”
Beno akataja kiasi.
Mariam hakujibu. Aliitoa calculator yake polepole na kuandika namba hiyo. Akaongeza SACCO balance yake, transport ya Tunu kwa mwezi mmoja, mchango wa chakula kwa Salma na storage ya mashine yake. Hata bila rent ya bedsitter ambayo huenda angehitaji baada ya wiki tatu, figure ilimwambia kitu kile kile ambacho moyo wake ulikuwa tayari umejua.
“Hii ni zaidi ya mara mbili ya nilichotarajia kubaki kulipa.”
“Kwa sababu phase mpya ina finish bora, water tank ya block, na security ya controlled entry.”
“Mimi sikulipa security. Nililipa ahadi ya nyumba.”
Beno akaweka mikono juu ya meza. “Ninaelewa, lakini mimi ninachoweza kufanya ni kukupa option ambayo ipo.”
“Option ambayo inanifanya nichukue deni jipya.”
“Unaweza kuongeza SACCO financing.”
“SACCO yangu tayari ina mkopo wangu.”
“Then family contribution?”
Mariam alimwangalia moja kwa moja.
“Familia yangu inanipa chumba kwa wiki tatu. Hiyo ndiyo contribution yao sasa.”
Beno akashusha macho kwenye price sheet.
“Kuna reservation ya muda. Ukiweka top-up ndogo leo, naweza kukushikilia corner unit hadi baada ya kesho.”
Mariam akacheka bila furaha. “Nina deposit iliyolipwa tayari kwa nyumba nyingine. Sasa unataka deposit ya pili ili nisipoteze ya pili?”
“Si deposit mpya exactly. Ni reservation fee inayoweza kuingia kwenye total.”
“Refundable?”
Beno hakujibu mara moja.
“Kwa conditions.”
“Niandikie conditions.”
Beno alifungua drawer na kutoa karatasi ya terms. Mariam alisoma mpaka mwisho. Reservation ilidumu saa arobaini na nane. Fee ingeweza kurudishwa ikiwa contractor mwenyewe angekataa application, lakini si ikiwa buyer angeamua kutofuatilia financing.
“Hii ina maana nikikosa mkopo, ninapoteza fee.”
“Ndiyo, technically.”
“Na mkopo ukikubaliwa kwa rate ambayo siwezi kuhimili?”
“Hiyo ni financing decision yako.”
Mariam alirudisha karatasi mezani.
Kwenye ukuta nyuma ya Beno kulikuwa na picha ya mama na mtoto wakifungua mlango wa nyumba mpya. Mtoto alikuwa ameshika key-tag nyekundu. Mariam aliangalia picha hiyo kwa muda mrefu kiasi kwamba Beno akafuata macho yake.
“Tunajaribu kuwasaidia watu wasiishie kusubiri bila mwisho,” alisema.
“Kwa kuwauzia kitu ghali zaidi?”
“Kwa kuwapa route nyingine.”
“Route ya nani?”
“Mama Mariam—”
“Beno, nataka nisikie vizuri. Je, old phase yangu imefutwa kisheria? Je, priority yangu imeondolewa? Je, payment yangu imehamishwa officially?”
Beno akavuta pumzi.
“Sina authority ya kusema old priority imefutwa. System yetu ya sales inaonyesha no available unit under that phase.”
“Na hiyo si same thing.”
“Hapana.”
“Je, naweza kupata copy ya hiyo statement?”
“Sales screen si official allocation record.”
“Good. Basi usitumie screen hiyo kunifanya nisaini deni jipya kana kwamba dispute yangu imekwisha.”
Beno akainua nyusi. “Sijakulazimisha.”
“Sijasema umenilazimisha. Ninasema pressure ina tarehe.”
Akaonyesha line ya reservation expiry.
Beno akakaa kimya.
Mariam alifungua folder yake sasa. Akatoa receipt iliyokunjwa, batch cover ya BM-17 na note ya Rukia. Hakumpa nyaraka; aliweka mbele yake tu.
“Payment confirmed. Allocation not found,” alisema. “Hapo ndipo niko. Si kwenye ‘payment cancelled’. Si kwenye ‘priority expired’. Allocation not found.”
Beno akasoma note kutoka mbali.
“Nimeona cases kama hizi.”
“Ziliishaje?”
“Wengine walichukua upgrade. Wengine wakasubiri.”
“Na waliopata old unit baada ya audit?”
Beno akasita. “Mimi si audit office.”
“Exactly.”
Mariam alifunga folder.
“Nataka quote yako. Sitaki reservation.”
“Quote bila reservation haikushikilii price.”
“Nataka ushahidi wa option mlionipa, si kukubali option.”
Beno akamwangalia kwa muda, kisha akaprint quotation. Printer yao ilikuwa kimya na ya haraka; karatasi ilitoka safi, na kona yake haikuwa imekunja kama zile za help desk.
Mariam alisoma: unit type, current price, transfer credit ya deposit yake, remaining balance, reservation deadline.
“Ninaweza kuandika kwamba ume-decline?” Beno aliuliza.
“Andika kwamba sijakubali upgrade pending clarification of existing priority allocation.”
“System yangu haina sentence ndefu hivyo.”
“Basi usiweke declined kwa sababu haitakuwa kweli.”
Beno akavuta kiti karibu na screen. “Naweza kuweka ‘customer considering’.”
“Hilo liko karibu zaidi.”
Alipoanza kuondoka, Beno akasema, “Mariam, sitaki uje baada ya wiki moja useme sikukuonya.”
Mariam akageuka.
“Na mimi sitaki baada ya wiki moja niambiwe nilipewa choice kwa sababu niliogopa.”
“Bei hizi zinaenda juu. Contractor amefunga promotional window.”
“Basi bei iende juu.”
“Unasema hivyo sasa.”
“Ninasema kwa sababu calculator imenijibu.”
Beno akainua quotation akisema, “Hii ndiyo unit pekee ambayo naona unaweza kuingia bila kusubiri next launch.”
Mariam akaichukua, akaikunja mara moja tu na kuiweka kwenye folder tofauti na receipt yake ya zamani. Hakutaka karatasi hizo mbili zikaanza kuonekana kama deal moja.
Kabla hajafika mlangoni, Beno alimuita tena. Sauti yake haikuwa ya ukali; ilikuwa ya salesman anayejua deadline ina nguvu kuliko mabishano.
Beno anasukuma quotation kwake: “Baada ya kesho, hata hii bei haitakuwa yako.”
---