“Never judge a book by its cover,” as the old adage goes. It’s a lesson that few people learn because we’re all prone to passing judgment on others based on what we see. However, after learning about a particular security guard, I now wholeheartedly agree with those who claim that a book’s cover does not always reveal the book’s worth. Sometimes the truth is very different from what your eyes see.
The security guard in question is an elderly man in his fifties who works for a nearby factory. According to what I’ve seen, he appears to have a family of two children and a wife who visit him on a regular basis, about three or four nights a week. Their clothes are shabby and their meals are always simple. He sleeps for a few hours in the afternoon and always leaves work in the early morning. I was told that he works elsewhere during the day and returns to his usual workplace for a short period of time after lunch.
On certain days of the week, there are places that distribute food to the poor, and the security guard eats his lunch there whenever possible. He makes a point of bringing home some of the food for his dinner. On other days, he can be seen after sunset cooking his meals on a small stove in a small area. His primary mode of transportation is an old and rusted bicycle, which he can be seen riding from shop to shop, selling bundles of newspaper for a few cents. He has regular visitors at night – rough, loudmouthed friends who cause a commotion and stay with him until the wee hours of the morning. At a glance, he seems like a poor, sad, and pitiable man, doing his best to survive despite the odds. I thought so too at first until I found out more from my friend.
This security guard turns out to be a moneylender and a nasty one at that. He took the job as a security guard at this location because many of his debtors work there, and he believes it is in his best interest to keep tabs on each of them individually. His debtors pay monthly installments at the end of each month, and given his position as a security guard, they have no way of escaping. He has adopted the tactics of a loan shark as a moneylender, charging extremely high-interest rates to those who borrow money. The loud and rowdy friends who come over late at night are actually his assistants, who come over to deliver updates and money.
I was also told that the security guard has made many housewives and children unhappy with his heinous behavior. Some have even been known to cry and beg for more time to repay their debts on their knees.
Since then, I’ve had a very different impression of him as someone who takes advantage of other people’s misfortunes, much like the vultures that feed on the carcasses of dead animals. Such people, in my opinion, are completely despicable, devoid of conscience and morals, and only add to the woes of those who are already troubled.
