The entire house get perforately polluted with marijuana smell in the air. The old man is already known for his smoking habits. He smokes in the morning and  evening times, and  towards night period, he burns the ace and  locks himself in-door. The next moment he’s gone to where ever pleases him, for a drinking spree.
While standing at the direction of exit to the right side, is the right room, this comprises of a family. A man and a wife, so Prieto passes in between the houses before, entering to their own room. The rooms outside the main entrance facing themselves oppositely. The right hand sided room has a family of four to five children. Evening period, we hear them using native dialect speaking abusive proverbs.
The old woman that lives in a mud house, nearly opposite where Prieto live is such an amazing view, for Prieto. Thinking of her age. As old as she looks, no doubt she won't be about hundred years old in age.
What makes her an object of focus to him, is how she comes out early in the morning, sweeping the whole land marking space of her compound. Still, extending the duty to Prieto’s compound. Taking her time, sweeping in strokes, all the goats dung’s, clearing little pebbles, picks the litters, using her half life breath, bending and looking close to the sands with dim eyes, grey hair and all skin wrinkled. It’s like a second nature to her, to sweep even at leisure. Prieto will pass besides her greeting, but it will look as if her aging makes Prieto's voice unheard. Or possibly carried away, lost in thoughts and sweeping to reminisce about her past life.
The old lady answer Prieto’s greeting sometimes, in a still breadth way. Trying to look at Prieto’s face as if she is catching a reflection coming from a polish surface. Responding subtly. Prieto’s mother talks about the old lady, telling Prieto how hard and strong the woman devoted her life, to sweeping around her territory in years past. Even as feeble and weak as she was, comparing her to her own mother. She will say; imagine this old mama doing such a job tediously with her old waist bend over at such age, but my own mother, reverse is the case. I will even have to force her, to sweep her own room and she refuses. My mum's mother  is a diabetic patient. Complaining! if a woman has diabetics, should that stop her from sweeping her room. Her mother suffers from diabetics. Prieto replied, Mother! Someone is ill of diabetics and you expect her to sweep.
Well, she could sweep at times, but not talking in such a way to sweep always. Prieto concluded. Certainly, whatever we want, all the things we ask for and all the things we don’t bargain comes around. When the things we don’t ask for comes around, somehow we all try to get through it, by applying certain remedies. Religious, traditional or ritualistic remedies. Solving problems.
Prieto is a christian by religion. Who keep his face in between the bibles chapters, seeking Gods face for a way to go. Silently he makes his prayers  speaking and confessing quietly to God. Somehow, he rises above his challenges, because I can tell with an assuring countenance on his face. Looking brighter and hopeful with a lifted spirit. Like someone who  received  assurance about something hopeful that is inevitable.
Like a saying that says; a strong man is the one who has an invisible for support. I think anyone who wants to be  somewhere meaningful in life, should not be carefree about spiritual backup. It’s either serving God or mammon. No sitting on fence, it just have to be one. In  the village history where Prieto lives with his mother, it’s like majority of them serve, their own self made gods. Even Prieto's grand father, his mother’s father is an idol worshipper. The funny thing about the system of practice here is that they all depend so much on the judgment of their gods. With strange names giving to this carves. Conjuring spirit into them, making sacrificial offering of animal blood sheds. To them, a means for protection. Hoping to have their gods grant them their wishes, in different hopes they aspire on.  Prieto, never wanted to have anything to do with such deities. That is why involving himself with the culture and traditions of the village is an exception for him.
Many at times, his mother’s junior brother Nzeribe, always want to have Prieto, around their circles. At every slightest chance, he gives excuse about seeing his mother avoiding hangout with him. He comes out at night to mingle with Nzeribe and his friends, drinking palm wine and smoking sticks of cigarette. Having reasonable discussion with few people, that actually gives room for his aspiration to roam free. To some, they could not stand his high intellect, it gets the ones with low life uncomfortable and fidgeting on their sit.
Most times, they have nothing to offer to the discussion going over their head, so to raise a dusty cloud that contaminates Prieto’s presence, they start the act of their culture bringing some gin and kola-nut. Calling on Prieto, to do the traditional right speaking. Once he has himself boxed in, he will go right to their middle and pick the kola-nut from the saucer, and say what he feels is right. Then, his acquaintance start laughing and speaking down on him for being so informed as an academician, but lacks their traditional ways of making the toast. He laughs it away with them, and they call on someone else to do it. At that he feels so embarrassed and give them the room to say whatever they want to say to him. He never reduced himself to the level of his oppressor and those trying to play down on him. With such attitude, I admired him so much. Funny enough.