IT is unusual for elderly people to misbehave the way youths do especially when they are faced with bereavements.
In recent times, it is common to find young people behaving  in a  very absurd manner when attending  funerals.
There have been instances when families who have been faced with bereavements have come together to contribute funds to assist with burial arrangements, food for mourners and transport to take the bodies of their dead relatives to cemeteries.
In many occasions these funds are entrusted in elderly people who are considered mature enough not to misuse the money as young men have usually done when this kind of trust has been vested in them.
However, it is true that it is not only young people who are dishonest when such responsibilities are given to them.
Elderly people have also behaved strangely and have misused the money meant to assist them during funerals.
Recently, I witnessed a very sad episode at Finance Bank in Ndola’s Jacaranda Mall where an elderly person, perhaps in his late 60s or early 70s who was escorted by three young men to withdraw some money he had blown up after it was entrusted to him the previous Saturday so that they could buy a coffin for their departed relative.
I was on the queue at the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and the elderly man with the three young men, were three paces ahead of me.
When the elderly man’s turn to insert the ATM card in the machine came and pressed the buttons to withdraw the money, the card was ejected indicating that there was no money in the old man’s account.
The man, assisted by the three young men, again inserted the card, but it was again ejected.
As the man tried again for the fourth time, the people on the queue started mumbling and asked the old man to give others chance if he had no money in the account.
Meanwhile, the queue was growing long as only one ATM out of four, was working at the time.
As the complaints grew from the other people waiting to use the ATM, an Armguard Security officer who was at the ATM came to assist the old man.
He inserted the card once more and pressed the buttons but the card was ejected and there was a message on the screen saying there was not enough to make this transaction.
“Bamudala, tamuli indalama mu akaunti yenu,” (big man, there is no money in your account),  said the security guard.
But the old man retorted: “Finshi ulelanda iwe security guard?
“Emoshili indalama!,” (What are you saying you security guard. There is money in the account!).
As the argument persisted, one young man who had accompanied the old man fumed at him.
“Kuti mwa nwena shani indalama shakushita imbokoshi nefyakulya pacililo ba yama? Mwacilanda ati na mukwata indalama ku banki nomba tamuli umu!” the young man asked  (How can you use the money  meant for  buying  a coffin and food at the funeral uncle? You said you had money at the bank but there is no money).
As an eavesdropper, I was interested.
How can you use the money to buy a coffin and food at the funeral?
I was eager to hear more. The time was around 11.00 hours and the old man really looked drunk. Did he drink this very morning or was it just the hangover he had? I wondered.
“Nomba twalashika shani ukwabula imbokoshi yama?,”
(Now, how are we going to bury without a coffin uncle?). another man asked.
Then the other one complained that he had told the people not to have entrusted the money into this old man because he was irresponsible and no one wanted to  listen to him.
According to this young man, family members contributed well over K1,000. on Saturday so that they could buy a coffin for a relative who died on Friday.
He said since burial was to take place on Monday, the family members decided to give money to the  the old man to keep until Monday for them to buy the coffin.
“Nalilanda ine ati ba yama teti basunge ulupiya. Lilyaline balubile pa sondo, naili ishiba ati baya mukunwa. Lelo tufwile ukushika nembokoshi tapali,” (I said it myself that uncle could not keep the money. Just the time he disappeared on Sunday, I knew he had gone to drink. We are supposed to bury today and there is no coffin), said the young man.
As the security guard tried to remove the old man from the ATM, the old man started shouting and insulting the guard. Many people were surprised at what the man had done.
“Aba abakalambefi ebanganwina ulupiya lwakushita imbokoshi? Awe cipuba sana”
(This old man could do this, using  money on beer  meant for a coffin?. No,  he is a fool,) commented one woman who was on the queue.
Despite the unpalatable language used on him, the security guard managed to drag the old man from the ATM booth.
Meanwhile, the three young men abandoned the old man as they disappointedly left.
I am sure the young men went to report about what had transpired and I guess they went to ask for more contributions to enable them buy a coffin and bury their relative in a decent way.
I wished I had followed them to witness the end result.
But as the old man left, people who witnessed the turn of events said a lot about the uncalled for behaviour of certain old people.
“Nga mwaice uwacitilefi ngabalandile ati wafyamba. Kuti mwalandashanini pali balya bamudala,”
(If  it was the young man who had done this, you could say he is a dagga smoker, what can you say about that man?) commented one man who also appeared to be in his 70s.
“Even old people your age smoke dagga and drink too much. I think that old man is a dagga smoker and a drunkard,” said another man.
What an embarrassment that old man was to the family members, I thought. For comments: potipher 2014@gmail.com.0955929796,0966278597.