LAYIN' BRICKS TOGETHER
827 Words
*Year 3. Month 6.*
The landlord called.
"I’m selling the house," he said. "You have 3 months."
Jimmy hung up and looked at Jessica and Alex.
"Okay," he said. "Then we buy our own."
They had 8.2M in the group savings.
Land in the village: 3M.
Salon and boda office deposit: 1M.
Left: 4.2M.
Not enough for Kampala.
But enough to start.
*Step 1: The Search*
*Week 1. House hunting in Wakiso.*
They saw 12 houses.
Too expensive. Too small. Too far.
One had no water. One had no power.
On day 5 they found it.
Nansana. 3 bedrooms. Small compound.
Paint peeling. But solid.
Asking: 65M.
They laughed. "We have 4.2M."
The agent said, "Owner is desperate. Going abroad.
Maybe he can do installments."
*Step 2: The Meeting*
*Friday. Meeting the owner. Mr. Ssentongo.*
Old man. 70s. Suitcase packed.
"I’m leaving for Canada to join my children," he said.
"I don’t want tenants anymore. I want peace."
Jimmy told him everything. Day 1. Day 32. 5:01pm.
The boda business. The salon.
"We don’t have 65M," Jimmy said. "We have 4.2M.
And we can pay 1M every month for 5 years."
Mr. Ssentongo was quiet for a long time.
Then he said, "My son died in debt. To the wrong people.
I don’t want that for anyone else."
He slid the papers across. "1M a month. No interest.
First payment today. If you miss 2 months, I take it back."
Jimmy’s hands shook signing.
4.2M - 1M = 3.2M left.
Keys in hand.
*Step 3: Moving*
*Month 7. Moving Day.*
No hired truck.
The 5 riders made 6 trips on bodas.
Mattresses tied with rope.
Fridge in Alex’s pickup.
Salon chairs on a taxi.
Jessica painted the walls. Yellow in the kitchen. Blue in the bedroom.
Alex fixed the leaking tap.
Jimmy planted 2 mango trees in the compound.
No TV yet. No sofa yet.
But it was theirs.
At night they slept on mats and laughed.
"We have a house," Jessica whispered.
"We have a house," Jimmy said.
*Step 4: Building*
*Month 8-12.*
Every 30th: 1M to Mr. Ssentongo.
On time.
Receipts kept in a file.
_Jimmy & Alex Riders_ opened a 2nd office in Nansana.
Closer to home.
_Beauty by Jessica_ got 2 new clients from the neighborhood.
They bought things slowly.
Month 9: Sofa. Second hand. 400k.
Month 10: Fridge. New. 1.2M. Installments.
Month 11: TV. 32 inch. 900k.
Month 12: Dining table. 6 chairs.
The house started to look lived in.
*The Neighbors*
Mama Grace next door. Sells tomatoes.
Baba Musa across. Mechanic.
The kids called Jimmy "Boda Uncle".
Called Jessica "Auntie Salon".
No one asked about debt.
No one knocked at midnight.
*Year 4. Month 18. Payment 18 of 60.*
They were 18 months in.
18M paid.
47M to go.
Profit was good. 600k a week between both businesses.
They increased the house payment to 1.5M.
"Let’s finish faster," Jimmy said.
Mr. Ssentongo called from Canada.
"I hear good things about you from the neighbors," he said.
"Keep the house. It’s in good hands."
*The Garden*
Jessica started a garden.
Sukuma. Tomatoes. Onions.
"So we don’t buy everything," she said.
Alex built a chicken coop. 10 hens.
Eggs every morning.
Jimmy fixed the gate himself.
Painted it blue.
*Year 5. Month 30. Halfway.*
30 payments done. 30 to go.
30M paid.
They had a party. Small one.
Neighbors came. Riders came. Salon girls came.
Sula came. Hassan came. Officer Damian came.
Hassan made a speech. "5 years ago this man was 200k in debt.
Today he owns a business, a salon, and half a house.
That’s what happens when you don’t quit."
Jimmy didn’t cry. He just nodded.
*Year 6. Month 48.*
Only 12 payments left.
12M.
They bought a car. Used Toyota Vitz. 9M.
For salon deliveries and emergencies.
No more boda in the rain.
Jessica was pregnant. 4 months.
They hadn’t told many people yet.
*Year 7. Month 60. The Last Payment.*
*30th. 10:00am. Bank.*
Jimmy, Jessica, and Alex walked in.
Baby bump showing.
Alex holding the file with 59 receipts.
Teller: "Final payment: 1.5M."
Jimmy transferred it.
"Congratulations," the teller said. "Account closed."
They drove to Mr. Ssentongo’s son in Kampala.
He signed the transfer papers.
"House is yours," he said. "Fully."
Title deed. Their names.
Jimmy. Jessica. Alex. Joint owners.
They sat in the car and didn’t talk for 10 minutes.
*Night. Year 7. In Their House.*
Baby sleeping in the next room.
3 months old. Girl. Name: Hope.
Dinner on the dining table.
Lights on. TV on low.
Gate locked.
Jimmy, Jessica, and Alex sat with tea.
"Remember Day 1?" Alex asked. "200k loan."
"Remember Day 30?" Jessica asked. "83k short."
"Remember Day 32?" Jimmy asked. "5:01pm."
"Remember today?" Alex said. "House is paid."
Jessica looked around. "We built this."
Jimmy nodded. "Brick by brick. Payment by payment."
Outside, it was quiet.
No debt. No threats.
Just crickets. And a baby breathing.
The tragedy was a chapter.
- Writer
