Chapter 13 – Next Month
If you drink from the royal chalice there is always the chance that you will get poisoned; this was starting to occur to some of the debtors, who still nodded to Ambrosius in the street but did so with less enthusiasm. They had just made the first payment, and it was clear that they were in trouble already.
“I can't sell the cart yet, everyone will laugh at me. Next month, maybe.”
“What are they whining at? They read the contract, didn't they?”
“The holiday was good, but it's just a memory now. Living with just a memory and no food is going to be mighty hard. I can't tell them I can't afford it yet though, I'll have to borrow off my friends to pay next month.”
“Perhaps they didn't want to think about the downside, sir. People are like that.”
“I feel stupid for buying her that rocking horse now. What's the point of having toys if you can't afford any heating?”
“They are all adults, they should have thought about the future.”
“The money's nearly gone, but they don't want to eat that stinking fishmeal any more. I dare not tell them I can barely afford that. Next month's going to be difficult.”
“Some would say the stupid shouldn't be punished for being stupid, sir. Not me, sir, but some.”
“She's got a tear in her new dress already - I really need to get her a new one. Just one more shopping trip won't hurt, will it? I deserve a bit of a de-stress. Next month I'll stop.”
“Well I can't feel bad about it. I can't take the blame for other people's laxness.”
“I've set it aside for his schooling but I'm having to dip into it to make the payments already. By the time he's at school it'll all be gone. Next month I'm going to pay it all back – but what about the interest?”
“No sir, well said. I can hardly wait for payday...”
“Next month.”
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