“Welcome back, aunty,” the youngsters greeted happily, one after the other.
“Thank you. How are you?” “We are fine. And you?”
“Fine, thank you.”
At that point, the children embraced one another and walked back to Callum's apartment, while Uju joined her sisters at Evans' apartment. While they were chatting freely, Fredrick supervised his Personal Assistant, Barry, and the drivers as they moved their luggage to his apartment. When he was certain that they had arranged the house to an acceptable extent, he walked to the bathroom and showered. Nevertheless, when Austin and David felt that they had spent longer time with Joe and the rest, they excused themselves.
“We will be on our way. Mom and dad may be waiting for us,” Austin explained.
The youngsters interpreted the explanation differently and walked them to their father's car.
“Where are dad and mom?” David asked when they got to the car and met it locked.
“They may be in the house,” Joe explained, and walked towards the house.
“Which house?” Austin asked and walked after them. Soon, they got into the house and met the PA and the drivers doing one thing or the other.
“Where are dad and mom?” Austin asked. “Your dad is upstairs,” the PA declared. Without wasting time, George led the way and when they got upstairs, they were surprised to see their father coming out of his room and had changed into a simple wear.
“Dad! What happened?” David inquired. Fredrick smiled softly and asked, too, “Like what?” Now, the look on his face betrayed him and Austin demanded, “Are we staying here?” “Yes. That is your room.”
Now, the excited children walked to the room and inspected it. They were surprised that their luggages were there already.
“It's just like your room,” Austin pointed out, looking at Joe.
“Yes. The buildings are the same.”
“I see.”
At Evans' Apartment
Uju was happy to see her siblings and in-laws. Although they communicate over the phone, but she was delighted to see them physically.
“It's nice to see you all,” she greeted, and took time to give them a hug one after the other.
“We are glad to see you, too. I hope that your trip was not stressful?” “Not at all,” She responded, and scanned the house for the owner of the house. When she could not find one, she joined in the merriment and waited for her husband.
“Where is the house owner?” She asked. “I have not seen him either,” Ada responded.
“Make yourself comfortable in the meantime,” Evans advised.
“You are right. Where is my cup? I can see that you are having a good time.”
Now, Evans got up and went for her cup. He returned and handed a disposable cup to her, and she appreciated. Then, she saw her husband walked into the house.
“Darling!” She exclaimed when she saw him in a simple wear. He smiled in his usual playful way and asked, “What's up?”
“Where did you change?” She asked anxiously.
“When you are ready to change, I will show you where I changed.”
Before she could recover from the shock, her children, and their cousins, joined them.
“Good morning, uncles and aunts,” David and Austin greeted one after the other.
“Good morning. You are welcomed.”
Then, Austin, who overheard his father speaking with his mom, said, “Mom, the place is fine.”
She looked at her children and discovered that they had changed too, and she requested, “Take me to the place. I need to change too.” Now, she attempted to get up, and her husband proposed, “Do we see Uncle Emma before you change or do we do that after?”
“Let's see him first,” David requested.
“If you say so, David,” she acknowledged.
“We will be back,” Fredrick announced, and they walked out. Then, Joe and his siblings walked to their apartment, while Lilian and George remained in their house.
At Uncle Emma's Compound
After Evans and his wife left, Uncle Emma laid back on his bamboo bed and pondered over all the events of the past few days, especially the visits of the Chief Priest and his familiar.
“What must have prompted this visit? I hope that the Chief Priest is not doing this to get money from the parents of the children?” He adjusted his position and continued, “I doubt. After our discussion about the charm and his intention to wipe away my family, he had kept his distance. He would not be incautious to try this plank on my family members again.”
Nevertheless, his train of thought was interrupted when one of the palm wine dealers who he had contracted to supply palm wine walked into his ungated compound and greet, “I greet you, Mr. Aaron.” He got up from the bed and took his seat and responded.
“I greet you too. Kindly take your seat.”
“Thank you.” The man appreciated before he took his seat.
“What brings you?” Emma asked.
“I have come to inform you that the fifty jerrycans of wine that you requested for would be ready, but in case you need more, do inform me.”
“It is all right. I will let you know if I would have the need for more.”
“It is all right. If I may ask, Mr. Aaron, what do you need the drinks for?”
“Have you not heard that my brother would be buried a few days from now?”
“Oh! Did your brother die?” The sympathetic dealer asked.
“Yes.” “Accept my condolences.”
“Thank you.”
“Permit me to ask which of your brothers? Have I met him before?”
“Yes, you have met him. Are you not familiar with Beck?”
“Beck? The drunk who would be buried the coming week?”
Now, Uncle Emma was apprehensive. He wondered how anybody in that community would not be familiar with Beck.
“Yes,” he responded anxiously and studied the man's body language.
“Permit me to ask again, was it for the burial that you ordered the fifty jerrycans of wine for?”
“Certainly.”
“That is impossible. I took the pains to arrange for those quantities of drinks because I thought you needed it for a noble purpose. If I had known what it was meant for, I would not have bothered myself.”