At the Village.
After Callum stormed out of the room, he drove to the Village. Although he travelled by air with his family, his driver had left the city a day before their arrival with his car to enable him to move around. Likewise, Uncle Emma was glad to see him.
“Welcome, my in-law. How is your family?” He asked, and looked out for his family.
“My family is good.”
“Why are you not here with them?” He asked anxiously.
“I left them in a hotel. They will arrive tomorrow.”
Now, he gave Callum a questioning look, and he explained, “I will bring them after I have inspected the house.” “I see. We will have a meeting with the elders and inform them of my brother's death thereafter.”
“I got it, my in-law.”
They walked through the egress and ingress gate which linked the two compounds together. Nevertheless, the community had not linked the house to Uncle Emma or Callum. They believed the rumors which Emma spread indirectly through the youths that the money bag, who Beck duped, confiscated the land.
“The furnishing is beautiful,” Uncle Emma commended, while Callum smiled from ear to ear. “You are correct, my in-law. Let's check the other buildings.”
They strolled to Fredrick's and Evan's apartments and ensured that everything was in order before they left. Presently, the community's source of water supply was from a brook which often dry up in the period of low rainfall. Now, the house had a water borehole which was connected to Uncle Emma's compound. He had stopped his family from using it to avoid suspicions from the neighbors.
“When can we use the water, my in-law?” Callum inquired.
“As soon as we are through with the meeting with the elders.”
“It is all right.”
They walked back to Uncle Emma's apartment, and mama and Emma's wife discovered for the first time that Callum was around.
“Good morning, mama. Good morning, Obidiya,” Callum greeted happily.
“My in-law, when did you arrive?” Mama and Obidiya asked at once.
“I arrived last night.”
“Last night? Where have you been?”
He explained his movements and concluded with, “My family will arrive tomorrow morning.”
“That is in order. Welcome back.”
“Thank you mama.”
Thereupon, Callum and Emma returned to his hut and held their meeting. They arrived at a consensus on how much the elders ought to know about the death of Beck.
“I will tell them that he died last week at Owens' house, and you have come to inform them,” Emma declared.
“That is brilliant. We will also inform them that the funeral comes up seven days from today.”
“I don't think they would accept that. They would wish to fix the date by themselves.”
“I see. But we have fixed the date and our friends and relatives have been informed.” “I know. We will allow them to speak their minds and thereafter, we will provide them the date that is convenient for us.”
Now, Callum's fears were put to rest by Uncle Emma's explanations, and he commended, “That is good.” “It is all right. I will invite them over at once.”
Uncle Emma left at once, and Callum walked to the kitchen to chat the women up.
“My son, your meal will soon be ready,” Emma's wife informed.
“It is all right. I will be in the guest room.”
At the Village Square
Emma visited the Publicity Secretary of the kindred who was popularly known as Ichoku. He derived the name from the attributes of the parrot which includes communication, and the power of words. For that, anyone occupying that position would be known as Ichoku - the native version of parrot.
“I greet you, Mr. Aaron. What brings you?” Ichoku greeted when he sighted Emma.
“I greet you, Ichoku. I wish to hold a meeting with the elders and I would like you to inform them.”
"I hope there's no problem,” Ichoku inquired with concern. Meanwhile, the look on Emma's face was not pleasant at all.
“There is nothing the eyes would see and shed blood instead of tears,” Emma pointed out with feigned worries.
“True talk,” Ichoku affirmed, and scanned his appearance for a clue to his fallen mood.
“I hope to see the elders one hour from now at my hut,” Emma announced.
Although, it was the duty of Ichoku to disseminate information, he would not fail to seek his good. He looked at Emma and pretended not to get what he said and asked, “What did you say? I didn't hear you.”
Now, the sober Emma's tone went high, and he repeated, “Since you suddenly developed an ear problem, I said that I hope to see the elders one hour from now at my hut.” At that moment, he was truly tensed and Ichoku accepted, “Okay. But one hour is too short. I don't have petrol to move around. At least to hasten up my movement.”
Now, Mr. Aaron glared at him with total contempt and asked, “Ichoku, when did you buy a car or does your penny-farthing suddenly began to use fuel?”
Emma, who had no time to waste on him, turned and walked away.
“Stingy man,” Ichoku mumbled and set out to execute his task. He knew his limit to obtaining the money by extortion. Within twenty minutes, he had driven around the hamlet and delivered the message. Nevertheless, the first three elders, who always walk together, were thrilled with such a message. They set out early and walked in their sluggish manner and asked questions among themselves, “What must have happened?”
“How I wish I know. I'm suspecting that his brother's in-law has issues with his wife and had decided to return her,” the second elder responded. Now, the first speaker looked at him and inquired, “How did you know?”
“He didn't say that he knows, but that he was suspecting. This is how you misinterpret someone,” the third elder corrected.
“He may be right. I saw one of his in-laws driving into his compound this morning and his face was downcast.”
“Yes. I recall that their mother had been around for almost a year. Her in-laws might have chased her away.”
“Wonders shall never end.”
At that moment, the three elders believed that Beck's daughter had marital issue and her husband wished to divorce her.