His mother answered him. She told him to come outside the house, so he can brush is teeth properly. " Come outside now, you can't be brushing like that through the window. Prieto dropped the paste, and reached for an empty cup. He took it and walked outside the room to the parlour, to take some water from the water pot. He scooped a cup out of the reservoir, and came outside to the frontage of the house, with his tooth brush in his right hand. On coming out, he saw mama Ejima's children sitting by the right side corner, of the entrance to the house, which was also the entrance of their room, at the side wings of the house. " Bros", one of the girls said. The both of them greeted him together. The two daughters of mama Ejima were twin, reason their mother was usually called " Ejima" meaning twins. Prieto passed beside them, with cup of water in his left hand, the toothbrush in his right hand was busy brushing his teeth, while he walked down the three staircase, that made the platform of their house higher than the ground level. He stood right in front of the house still brushing, and looking at everything passing by in their premises. Other relatives were living at a stone throw distance, whom Prieto saw. Greeting them with a wave of hand holding up his brush. They waved back at him, exchanging greeting from their distance apart.
He concentrated more to his teeth, while shifting to the left hand side corner of the building, to keep his dentals well cleaned. Bending down to let out the foams of paste, which had bubbled over the whole enclosure of his mouth. Spitting it out, Prieto let out his tongue. He used the brush, to brush out the taste board of his tongue. He spat out again, to let off the gelatinous substance in his mouth. The cup of water he was holding, helped in the proper cleaning effect. He used it for the total cleaning of his gums, teeth, tongue and the inner part of his dentals, which may be stuffing up stale food ingredients. Lifting his head up, he felt a fresh breathe from his lungs and nostrils. Prieto washed up his toothbrush, with the remaining water in the cup. Waving off the hand holding the brush, to let off water embedding in it. He finished brushing and wiped his lips to dry the waters drifting off from it.
He made his way back inside the room to drop his toothbrush, somewhere save in the bag. Prieto spoke to his mother from the window, " mummy! I feel I should go to the river to have my bath?" Questioning his mother, because he wanted to use the bicycle as the means to go there. His mother answered him " you can go if you want to, but don't stay too long if you will" she said to him.
For one reason, Prieto decided to go. So he could smoke. As usual he took up his towels, and the items he needed to scrub his body part. He never forget to take his weed with him, and the lighter. Prieto choose to smoke there because, there is privacy. And most people don't always come, to the river section of the land in the village. Even if they come sometimes, they come very few in numbers.
Onokwu River as two section, for the females and other distance apart for the males. To avoid abusive talks and insinuation, he goes there. His mother knows quite well, that he smokes but she never worried him based on that. She only encourage him to stop and decease from the habits of marijuana smoking. Since Prieto choose to persist smoking, he made it mandatory not to smoke in front of his mother. Sometimes, poke noser's report him to his mother, when they see him at the river side. Nevertheless, Prieto never care. There are several other outlet to the river, therefore he switched to other part of the outlet, where people don't come around at all. To avoid all kinds of insinuation and side talks, that people do to complicate others business.
Prieto is in good terms with his mother, but not with all other family relatives. Any unruly act, can expose him to their castigations, which might be leading to quarrels. Based on this ground, they've once quarreled. This happened between him and his uncle Nzeribe. Non of them were smokers in the family line, they mostly drink beers and take alcoholic substances. Prieto's grand father, detest knowing his grandson smokes marijuana. So he frowns at Prieto whenever he comes around him. His grand pa talks with him, is always half baked. He looks at Prieto with intent eyes, his smoking habits, makes his grand father dread him. There was nothing he could do about it, than to tell his son to try and stop such smoking habits. On the other hand, his grand father knows Prieto is still in his right mind and sense. He was never under the negative influence of his smoking habits. So this were things Prieto decided to be conscious of. Therefore he choose the river side for privacy.
At a particular river bank he was, no one was there but himself. It's a bit far away from the ends people normally comes. He pulled off his clothes, and place on a felled tree that has it root still inside the waters. A branch of the tree extended outside to the dry land ground. It's a big tree. Prieto sat on top of it, looking at the lonely places and silent side of the river. Seeing what made other part, different from where he was with the rest places of Onokwu river. It geography looks a little frightening, notwithstanding very few people comes there. Prieto was there all alone by himself, without any single iota of fear. But he never bothered, swimming to the deep side in that region.