Jumatatu Musa aliingia kwenye duka la wholesale la Rashid akiwa na picha ya Paulo kwenye simu, sale agreement kwenye folder na Halima pembeni yake.
Duka lilikuwa kubwa kuliko la Musa. Boxes za chains, bearings, spark plugs na oil filters zilipangwa mpaka juu ya rafu. Wafanyakazi wawili walikuwa wanapakia carton kwenye pickup, trolley ya chuma ikigonga sakafu kila ilipopita kwenye joint ya saruji. Harufu ya oil na carton mpya ilichanganyika na hewa ya warehouse. Rashid alikuwa nyuma ya counter akiongea na supplier kwa simu, sauti yake ikiwa ya mtu ambaye tayari alikuwa na tatizo jingine la pesa kabla Musa hajafika.
Alipowaona, alimaliza simu haraka.
“Musa, nilisema tutazungumza closing.”
“Tutazungumza disclosure kwanza.”
Musa akaweka print ya picha mezani. Rashid aliitazama, uso wake ukibadilika kidogo tu.
“Huyu unamjua?” Musa akauliza.
“Paulo.”
Halima hakusema kitu. Aliweka notebook yake wazi na kalamu juu ya mstari mpya.
“Alikuwa nani kwenye hii plot?” Musa akaendelea.
Rashid akavuta kiti. “Alikuwa mtu aliyekuwa interested. Deal haikuenda.”
“Interested mpaka akapima?”
“Watu wakifikia seriousness wanapima.”
“Alilipa?”
Rashid akamwangalia Musa moja kwa moja. “Musa, transaction yako ni tofauti.”
“Swali ni simple.”
Rashid akavuta pumzi. “Alitoa booking amount.”
Halima akaandika sentensi hiyo kwenye notebook yake, kisha akaweka tarehe ya leo pembeni.
“Kiasi?” Musa akauliza.
“Sitakumbuka exact.”
“Refund?”
“Alirudishiwa.”
“Full?”
Rashid akakaa kimya sekunde moja zaidi kuliko ilivyohitajika.
“Most of it.”
Halima akainua macho. “Most of it si number.”
Rashid akamwangalia kwa hasira iliyodhibitiwa. “Sikutayarisha ledger ya transaction iliyokufa miaka miwili iliyopita kwa meeting hii.”
“Lakini ulikuwa tayari kutufungisha closing leo,” Halima alisema. “Hiyo ina maana ulikuwa tayari kusema history ya plot iko clear.”
Rashid akapiga kalamu mezani. “History clear haimaanishi kila mtu aliyewahi kuuliza lazima awe kwenye agreement.”
Musa akasogeza sale agreement mbele yake.
“Hiyo ndiyo history ambayo sikuelezwa.”
“Kwa sababu Paulo hana ownership.”
“Sijasema ana ownership.”
“Basi problem ni nini?”
“Problem ni kwamba niliuliza kama kuna claim, booking, occupant au transaction nyingine ambayo inaweza kuathiri closing. Ulinipa version fupi.”
Rashid akakaza uso. “Usitumie neno ‘ficha’ kama unataka deal iendelee.”
Musa akasema, “Sikununua version yako ya ardhi. Nilinunua ardhi yenye historia yote.”
Duka lilikuwa na kelele za carton zikisukumwa, lakini meja yao ikawa kimya.
Halima akauliza, “Una proof ya refund ya Paulo?”
“Records zipo.”
“Leta.”
“Sio hapa.”
“Basi written disclosure iseme booking amount, amount refunded, date, na balance kama ipo.”
Rashid akacheka kwa hasira ndogo. “Nyinyi wawili mnageuza sale kuwa forensic audit.”
Halima akasema, “Milioni thelathini na nane. Audit ni cheap.”
Rashid akageuka kwa Musa. “Mariam amekujaza maneno. Sasa majirani. Sasa Paulo. Kesho nani?”
“Mariam amenionyesha receipts. Majirani wameonyesha history. Paulo bado hata sijamwona. Wewe ndiye seller. Ndiyo maana niko hapa.”
“Na mimi nina deadline. Ninalipa supplier mkubwa wiki hii. Nilitegemea closing yako.”
“Liquidity yako si reason ya mimi kulipa blind.”
Rashid akagonga counter kwa vidole. “Kama hufungi, deposit inaweza kupotea.”
Halima alifunga notebook taratibu, si kwa sababu mazungumzo yameisha bali kwa sababu alitaka Rashid awaangalie bila karatasi katikati.
“Tuache kutishiana kwa maneno makubwa,” alisema. “Onyesha clause ya forfeiture unayotegemea.”
Rashid akamwangalia. “Buyer akichelewesha closing bila sababu, seller ana remedies.”
“Bila sababu,” Halima akarudia. “Survey condition iliandikwa. Survey ilisimama kwa sababu occupant alikataa boundary line na akatoa claim yenye receipts. Hiyo ni event iliyorekodiwa, si Musa kuamka akabadili mawazo.”
Musa akafungua clause aliyoongeza siku ya kwanza.
“Final payment after boundary survey confirmation. Survey ilisitishwa na physical occupancy dispute ambayo hukuweka clear. Nimeku-notify written. Hii si buyer walking away.”
Rashid akasoma clause tena, safari hii polepole zaidi.
“Survey inaweza kuendelea bila Mariam.”
“Siwezi kuendelea kwa nguvu.”
“Yeye hana title.”
“Maybe. Lakini ana use na contribution ambayo lazima iwe handled kabla closing.”
Halima akaongeza, “Na Paulo ana booking history ambayo lazima iwe disclosed.”
Rashid akasema, “Paulo alikuwa buyer aliyeshindwa. Alilipa sehemu, akachelewa balance, deal ikakufa.”
“Mna written cancellation?” Musa akauliza.
“Messages zipo.”
“Refund proof?”
“Nimesema zipo records.”
“Full refund?”
Rashid hakujibu direct.
Halima akafungua notebook tena. “Tufanye hesabu bila drama. Paulo alitoa booking amount. Umesema most of it ilirudi. Hiyo ina maana kuna possibility ya balance. Balance ikiwa zero, proof itamaliza swali. Balance ikiwa si zero, tunahitaji kujua kwa nini.”
Rashid akasema, “Huenda kulikuwa na deduction ya costs.”
“Costs gani?”
“Survey, broker, administrative.”
“Written?”
“Nilisema nitatafuta records.”
“Then usiseme resolved,” Halima alisema. “Sema prior booking existed; refund status being verified.”
Rashid akamwangalia kwa muda mrefu. “Wewe ndiye buyer?”
“Milioni tatu zangu ziko ndani. Mimi ni deadline.”
Musa karibu acheke, lakini hakufanya. Alijua Halima hakuwa anafanya show. Ada ya Amina ilikuwa na tarehe. Kila siku ambayo deal ilibaki katikati ilibana pesa yao upande mmoja na supplier wa Rashid upande mwingine.
Musa akatoa karatasi mpya yenye heading: DISCLOSURE REQUIRED BEFORE FINAL PAYMENT.
1. Rear kiosk occupant/use/contribution basis. 2. Spouse/family consent or documented settlement mechanism. 3. Boundary/access confirmation. 4. Any prior booking/payment relating to the same plot. 5. Status and refund trail for Paulo Sengo transaction.
Rashid akaisoma.
“Hii ni ultimatum?”
“Ni list ya facts ninazohitaji.”
“Na closing date?”
“Haipo mpaka hizi ziwe clear.”
Rashid akageuka na kuangalia warehouse. Mfanyakazi mmoja alikuwa akimsubiri kusaini delivery note. Kwa sekunde kadhaa alionekana kama trader, si seller: mtu aliyekuwa na supplier, payroll, stock na deni la biashara. Musa aliona hilo na hakulipuuza.
“Rashid,” alisema, “naelewa unahitaji liquidity. Lakini ukiniharakisha bila disclosure, unanifanya mimi nibebe history ambayo wewe tayari unaijua sehemu yake.”
“Na wewe ukichelewesha, unanifanya nipoteze supplier terms.”
“Basi ndiyo maana tunahitaji facts haraka, si pressure.”
Rashid akasema, “Nikiandika kila transaction iliyowahi kufa, deal yako inaweza kuonekana dirty wakati title iko clean.”
“Title clean na transaction history clean si sentence moja,” Halima alisema.
Musa akaongeza, “Na sijaja kuthibitisha title ni fake. Nimekuja kujua nini kinafuata hiyo title kabla nilipe balance.”
Rashid akakaa tena. “Paulo alitoa booking. Deal ilikufa kwa sababu hakufunga ndani ya muda. Nilirudisha sehemu. Kulikuwa na deductions.”
“Kiasi cha booking?”
Rashid akataja range, kisha akasema, “Nahitaji ledger kuthibitisha exact.”
“Refund amount?”
“Exact sijui.”
“Date?”
“Baada ya cancellation.”
Halima akasema, “Hiyo bado ni story. Tunaomba ledger.”
Rashid akavuta pumzi ndefu. “Nitakutumia written note kuhusu Mariam na Paulo.”
“Leo?” Musa akauliza.
“Jioni.”
“Na refund records?”
“Nitatafuta.”
“Na deposit threat?” Halima akauliza.
Rashid akakunja uso. “Nimesema inaweza kupotea.”
“Basi usiandike forfeited kwenye message yoyote wakati dispute ya survey condition bado unresolved,” Halima alisema. “Ukitaka ku-claim breach, quote clause na date. Usitumie deadline kama debt collector.”
Rashid alikaza taya, lakini hakujibu.
Musa aliona kwamba threat ilikuwa imebadilika. Dakika kumi zilizopita ilikuwa sentence kubwa: deposit inaweza kupotea. Sasa ilikuwa clause ambayo lazima mtu aionyeshe, tie kwa condition, na aweke kwenye record. Hapo ndipo leverage ilianza kuwa fact badala ya sauti.
Rashid akainuka. “Musa, ukichelewesha deal zaidi, sitahold bei milele.”
“Bei inaweza kuwa discussed baada ya facts.”
“Na deposit?”
“Agreement ndiyo itaamua.”
Rashid akachukua simu na kutoka nyuma ya counter kwenda warehouse. Kabla hajaondoka, alisema, “Paulo hana right ya plot. Usimpe hope.”
Musa akajibu, “Sitampa kitu kabla ya proof.”
Walibaki na Halima mezani.
“Umeona?” Halima alisema. “Kila mtu ana version yake.”
“Ndiyo.”
“Na wewe?”
Musa akafunga folder. “Nataka matrix, si version.”
Halima akaonyesha karatasi ya disclosure. “Basi leo tumepata columns mbili mpya: prior booking na refund status.”
“Na seller liquidity pressure.”
“Hiyo si right. Lakini ni fact.”
Simu ya Musa ikatetemeka.
Unknown number.
Message ilikuwa na picha moja. Musa akaifungua. Ilikuwa receipt ya zamani, karatasi ikiwa imefifia lakini jina na tarehe bado vinaonekana. Kiasi kilikuwa kimeandikwa kwa mkono. Chini kulikuwa na signature ya receipt.
Musa aka zoom bila kusema kitu. Halima akasogea karibu. Receipt haikuthibitisha ownership, haikuthibitisha balance, haikuthibitisha refund. Lakini ilifanya booking iliyokuwa dakika chache zilizopita “old dead deal” iwe kitu kilicho na jina, tarehe na kiasi kinachoweza kufuatiliwa.
Rashid anapotoka, simu ya Musa inapokea picha ya receipt yenye jina `Paulo Sengo`.
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