While Prieto was there smoking at the place, his mother's word got to him about not staying too long, before coming back. He had to make haste, so he would not cause any suspicion on his where about. He quickly pulled off his trousers, joining it with his already pulled shirt, which was placed on the tree branch extending from the water to the nearby dry land. Prieto moved closer to the shore of the river, and dived into it with a forced attempt. He swam forward to the front a bit and stopped. He stood in the water, where it level was at it waste end and brought out the soap from the case he had with him, which was first thrown into the river before jumping into it.
After jumping into the river, he swam towards it to get it in the waters. Taking the sponge and the soap out of it, he carefully rob the soap on the sponge to let the leather out on it. Prieto started scrubbing his body with the sponge. He wiped it through his both arms, moving the sponge back and forth to ensure it comes clean. He extends the scrubbing to his chest, from his neck and back to his face and hair. Repeatedly, he kept moving the sponge back and forth. He moved back to the less deeper ends of the waters, to be able to stretch the sponge to his private part, hips, legs and feets. As he wash his body, he uses his other hands. The left hand to splash water on his face and part of his body, he is already done washing. He kept repeating the process, till he felt the scrub is okay. Then, he moved back into the deep waters and suspended his whole body into it.
Cleaning off the soap fumes, the sponge created while scrubbing on his body. He forced more with the waters, but not swimming to farther ends. Prieto buries his whole body in the water body, immersed completely inside it. An underwater style of swimming, he used to get back to the shallow part of the waters to the entrance. His sponge case was in his hand, with the sponge already rinsed placed back in it, with the soap. He walked through the shallow waters, which was only at the point of his ankles. The more he walk to the shallow waters, the water level on him reduces. Finally he walked out of the river to get his towel, to clean is wet body from where he placed them.
Without wasting too much time, he wore his pant and trousers. He puts on his shirt. He carefully dust speckle of stains off his trousers and feet, then he leaves the place following back the route he came through, when coming. As he goes, he looked at the bushes surrounding the side walks of the place, trees and dried woods lying inside the bushes. He followed through the route he came from, observing his steps carefully away from the sandy stains, from the ground.
It's always challenging keeping the feets clean after bath, while leaving the river due to heavy hip of sand around the premises. Anyway, Prieto struggled on with his walk to a lesser sand free zone. So as to keep his feet, at least a bit neat up before getting home. Most times, he had to rinse his feet off the sand before entering the house. Nothwitstanding, cleaning his feet before entering the house still remains inevitable, if he will not bare the discomfort attached to the dirt. Close enough he got to his house, this time he didn't want to be seen coming into the house by his mother, therefore he passed the way in such motion to arrive coming from the frontage.
Prieto went straight into the house knowing his mother would be at the backyard, when he stepped on the staircase pace of the house. He climbed to it, disregarding his neighbors at the wing side of the building, though they were in the house. He had matters arising on his mind, the distance he was trekking from had preoccupied certain thoughts in his mind.
Prieto was ruminating in thought, as he stepped into the house. Of course, he had his travels plan on his mind. He thought by the next day, he should be on his way traveling to Jos for his NYSC. The location of the camp is somewhere at the rural place of Jos, this was the bugging on his mind to this remote jurisdiction. " Yankari?" He thought. That is the place he will be traveling to for his camping. A village settlement in Jos.
He went inside the room and pulled out his traveling back, he unzipped it and saw the money in it still enclosed in an envelope. Prieto disregarded the money at that moment, he was particular about the location to his arrival in Jos. Shuffling what he had in his bag to the sides, he reached bringing out the brown envelope he received, for his youth service agenda. He brought it out and carefully studying it again, to program his journey appropriately. Inside the brown envelope, there was a counterfoil mandated to be submitted, to the directorates at the camp in Jos. Prieto noted the proper address, that lead to his destination in Jos. He looked at the section of the paper where the address was, and wrote it out to a paper for accessment." Kungi close, behind government farm. Yankari lane, Jos".
He whispered the address to himself, after writing it out on the paper. At this time, reality kept dawning that it's about time for him to Start packing and arranging things he needed to travel with. Prieto placed the brown envelope back into his bag, as he arranged properly things he pushed aside in it, in proper position. He picked the envelope, with the cash enclosed in it and opened it to see if it was intact. It's intact! he said softly to himself. He took some few cash, four note of 500naira papers. 2k, he pocketed it and closed back the envelope in his hand, stuffing it below the inner compartment of his traveling bag. He carried it and pushed it back under the old bed in his mother's room. At this time, his mind started coming clear of his plans against the next day. Prieto stop feeling the heavy burdens of confusion. A conscious awareness kept dawning on him, the air around him looks like it's conditioning him into new arena. He managed to feel a little away from this pressuring mood he was in, but the feelings stuck on like a shadow on his beside. It time! ! ! Prieto exclaimed. He walked out of the building to see his mother at the backyard, but she wasn't there. While he tried looking around, one of mama Ejima's daughter Kate, was at their kitchen cooking. She saw him, and greeted Prieto " good morning Bros". Are you looking for your mother?" She asked. Prieto said yes.