Jumatatu alfajiri Musa alipofika warehouse ya Rashid, wafanyakazi hawakuwa wakipakia orders za kawaida.
Walikuwa wakihesabu stock.
Cartons za bearings zilikuwa zimewekwa kwenye mistari mirefu. Oil filters zilitenganishwa kwa brand. Chains zilikuwa kwenye pallets zenye stickers mpya. Mwanaume mmoja mwenye clipboard na jacket ya kijivu alikuwa akipita shelf kwa shelf akiandika quantities, huku mfanyakazi wa Rashid akifungua cartons ili aone contents.
Rashid alikuwa amesimama karibu na office ndogo ya kioo, simu yake sikioni.
Alipomuona Musa, akakata simu.
“Umefika mapema.”
“Ulisema tuongee kabla ya Tuesday.”
Rashid akaangalia wale watu wa inventory. “Njoo ndani.”
Musa hakukaa mara moja. “Hawa ni nani?”
“Mtu wa creditor.”
Mwanaume wa jacket ya kijivu alisikia. Akakaribia.
“Sudi Mbele,” alisema. “Niko hapa kwa inventory verification. Sihusiki na sale yenu ya plot.”
Musa akatikisa kichwa. “Sawa.”
Sudi akarudi kwenye shelves.
Ndani ya office, Rashid akafunga mlango lakini sauti za cartons na marker pens ziliendelea kusikika kupitia glass.
“Jana ulisema si plot tu itakuwa kwenye shida,” Musa alisema.
Rashid akakaa. “Nina facility ya biashara ambayo ime-default. Creditor amenipa days chache.”
“Amount?”
“Hilo halihusu land transaction.”
“Fine. Sitaki amount. Nataka kujua kama haraka unayonipa inatokana na hii.”
“Ndiyo.”
Musa alithamini jibu hilo kwa sababu lilikuwa wazi.
Rashid akavuta karatasi moja kutoka drawer. “Ndiyo maana nataka kutoa offer mpya.”
Akaandika bei iliyopunguzwa.
Musa akaangalia namba. Discount ilikuwa kubwa kuliko alivyotarajia.
“Same parcel?”
“Same registered parcel.”
“Rear kiosk?”
“Tunaweza kushughulikia baadaye.”
“Paulo?”
“Nitamlipa baada ya closing.”
“Access corridor?”
“Surveyor ameshaonyesha option. Tutaiweka later.”
Musa akasogeza paper mbali kidogo. “Kwa hiyo discount imenunua speed, si solution.”
Rashid akakasirika. “Musa, unaona namba hii? Hii ni advantage yako. Watu wengi wangefunga leo.”
“Bei ndogo haiwezi kununua consent ambayo haipo.”
Rashid akasimama. “Mariam ni wife yangu.”
“Na ndiyo maana hilo linahitaji kushughulikiwa vizuri, si kulazwa chini ya discount.”
“Paulo hana title.”
“Na claim yake ni refund. Bado ipo.”
“Access inaweza kuandikwa.”
“Basi iandikwe kabla final payment.”
Rashid akaenda dirishani. Nje, Sudi alikuwa akionyesha pallet moja kwenye list. Rashid alionekana kama mtu aliyekuwa akisikia saa ikipiga ndani ya kichwa.
“Unajua nikikosa hii cash, inventory inaweza kuuzwa?”
“Nimeanza kuelewa.”
“Na deposit yako?”
Musa alikaa kimya kwa sekunde. Hilo ndilo jambo lililomuumiza zaidi. Kama Rashid angeingia kwenye pressure kubwa, uwezo wake wa kurudisha deposit ungeweza kuwa mdogo. Discount kubwa ilikuwa temptation na threat kwa wakati mmoja.
“Ukinipa same-day close,” Rashid alisema, “nitapunguza bei zaidi. Paulo nitamaliza. Mariam nitamaliza nyumbani. Wewe utachukua possession ya mbele.”
“Written?”
“Tutafanya side letters.”
“Before payment?”
“Some after.”
Musa akatikisa kichwa. “Hapana.”
Rashid akagonga desk. “Unafanya mistake.”
“Maybe.”
“Unaweza kupoteza deal yote.”
“Maybe.”
“Then why are you calm?”
“Kwa sababu nimeacha landlord wangu kunichagulia deadline. Sasa nina mwezi mmoja. Wewe ndiye una siku chache.”
Rashid akamwangalia kwa muda mrefu. “Kwa hiyo sasa unatumia deni langu kunibana?”
“Hapana. Nilitaka kuhakikisha deni lako halitumiki kunibana mimi.”
Hilo lilimnyamazisha Rashid.
Musa akatoa action sheet ya chapter iliyopita. “Title verified. Mariam/access unresolved but mappable. Paulo refund 900,000 unresolved. Sale scope/price unresolved. Hayo ndiyo tunamaliza.”
Rashid akasema, “Paulo anaweza kulipwa from closing.”
“Fine, lakini iwe simultaneous. Amount yake iwe earmarked, si promise baada ya payment.”
“Na Mariam?”
“Written consent au settlement mechanism ya rear strip/access kabla final release.”
“Na price?”
“Price recalculated after survey corridor and excluded/use area are defined.”
Rashid akacheka kwa uchovu. “Unataka closing iwe machine yenye switches zote ziwake pamoja.”
“Ndiyo. Kwa sababu kila switch ilitokea kwa sababu kitu kiliachwa nje.”
Rashid akakaa tena.
“Suppose nikikubali staged payment?”
Musa akaelekea mbele. “Explain.”
“Unatoa amount ndogo baada survey option kusainiwa. Amount nyingine baada Mariam agreement. Final baada Paulo refund na transfer docs.”
“Escrow?”
“Hatutumii bank escrow kwa deal hii; inaweza kuchelewesha. Lakini lawyer trust arrangement inaweza.”
“Written term sheet kwanza.”
“Leo?”
“Leo tunaweza kuandika conditional term sheet. Si final payment.”
Rashid akafungua laptop. “Na discount?”
“Discount inaweza kubaki kwenye term sheet, lakini haiwezi kufuta conditions.”
“Unaelewa nikipoteza warehouse, biashara yangu inabadilika?”
“Naelewa. Lakini rear kiosk ya Mariam haipaswi kubadilika kwa sababu creditor wako yuko hapa.”
Rashid akafunga macho sekunde moja.
Sudi akagonga mlango, akaingia na clipboard.
“Rashid, kuna discrepancy kwenye pallet ya filters. Tunahitaji sign yako baada ya recount.”
Rashid akasimama. “Dakika tano.”
Sudi akamwangalia Musa. “Land buyer?”
“Mtu anayefikiria bado,” Musa alisema.
Sudi hakutabasamu. “Fikiria kwa haraka, lakini usichanganye facility yetu na asset ambayo hatuna instruction nayo.”
Musa akauliza, “Hii inventory verification ina maana auction tayari imeanza?”
Sudi akasema, “Sitasema auction mpaka notice iseme. Leo tunafanya inventory.”
Musa akakubali. Hata creditor representative alikuwa anatumia discipline ile ile: usiseme zaidi ya document.
Rashid alipotoka ku-sign recount, Musa alibaki office akitazama discount paper. Angeweza kuokoa mamilioni. Angeweza pia kununua deal ambayo Mariam bado hajakubali, Paulo bado hajalipwa na access bado ni red pencil kwenye map.
Dakika kumi baadaye Rashid alirudi.
“Decision?”
“Conditional term sheet, yes. Same-day final payment, no.”
Rashid akaweka mikono kichwani kwa muda mfupi, kisha akaanza ku-type.
Wakaandika hatua kwa hatua:
Fresh survey corridor attachment. Written treatment ya rear kiosk/access. Paulo verified refund balance settled simultaneously. Revised purchase price reflecting transferable/useable scope. Staged release of balance only as milestones close.
Rashid alitaka clause ya deposit forfeiture ibaki kama buyer withdraws after conditions satisfied. Musa alikubali, lakini akaongeza kwamba unresolved seller-side conditions hazitahesabika buyer default.
Walibishana kwa dakika arobaini juu ya sentence hiyo.
Sudi akarudi mara mbili. Mara ya pili alikuwa na folder nyekundu.
“Rashid, nataka acknowledgment ya next-step notice.”
Rashid akasema, “Iweke hapa.”
Sudi akaweka karatasi mezani karibu na conditional term sheet.
Musa hakuisoma yote. Hakuhitaji. Heading na tarehe zilitosha kuonyesha kwamba haraka ya Rashid haikuwa invention.
Rashid akaangalia notice, kisha Musa.
“Sasa unaona kwa nini nilitaka leo?”
“Ndio. Na sasa unaona kwa nini bado siwezi kulipa leo.”
Sudi anaweka notice mezani: warehouse inventory sale starts in six days.
---