By Abdool A. Aziz

HE sat in the black Maria Van handcuffed., the door swung open and another prisoner was hurled in. The two strangers, one from Guyana and the other from Poland had two things in common. They were picked up on immigration violation charges and both faced deportation. The Guyanese prisoner was going to take a voluntary departure as he had a return ticket and pleaded guilty to overstaying his time. They Polish guy faced graver charges operating a butchery illegally.

THE TRUST
In the dark confines of the van, the Polish guy in a spattering of broken English asked the Guyanese guy Ramsan to take from him a signed open chequebook and give to his wife who is in hiding. She faced immigration infractions too. If this financial document is found on him it would be confiscated. All, the money would go back to the state.

Ramsan lost his savings, thus the man from Poland pleaded for Ramsan to conceal this chequebook and deliver it to his starving family. Ramsan knew if caught with this illegal document, it would mean jail. But he took the risk. All he thought of was to fill in the amount and cash those cheques and scamper off with the money.

He would be back in Guyana, pocket full of Canadian dollars. Someone else’s hard earned money. He left the vehicle promising the worried European that everything will be fine. The man burst into tears: “Please save my family.”
As Ramsan sat in the Subway train taking him to his basement apartment, finally he began to think of this windfall (four to one Canadian in the 80s).

THE TEMPTATION
He had to exit the train just before a C.I.B.C Bank. This chequebook is from that company he strolled in. He tore off a leaf and went to the cashier. He handed in the blank cheque. “You must write in the amount sir!” The teller said.
“What amount?”

“Any amount as long as there is cash in the till. Hold a while,” she took the order to pay slip, went to the records. Money was available. “Go ahead, write in the amount, up to ten thousand on one transaction.”
Ramsan felt he was on ‘cloud line’. He played with the paper, took the pen from the pretty cashier and was about to write a figure.

He held back and said, “You know what? I’ll be back.”
He sat on the edge of the Bank outside. He took the last dime from his pocket and dialed the prisoner’s wife. Her nephew answered. He asked them to come and pick up the cheque book by the subway. The nephew was in shock.

His uncle’s life savings in the hands of a stranger? And now being delivered intact? Unbelievable! Ramsan remembered the tears of that beleaguered Polish man and his starving wife. He felt great to keep that trust and though the recipient offered a reward, Ramsan refused it, knowing the sweat, blood and tears of earning it. Honesty – the best policy and morally just.