Emma was surprised at the man's level of boldness and chose to intimidate him in his usual way.
“Don't bother yourself. I will get another dealer if you are reluctant. Kindly return my money to me at once.”
Now, the man stood up and faced him squarely and declared, “Never, Mr. Aaron. I will not return your money. I will consider it as a settlement of the debt that he owed me and other dealers. None of us would supply any drinks during his burial.”
Emma had never had it so bad, but his brother was still rubbing mud on his face even in his death. As an infamous Chief Judge, he resolved to use his intimidating skill and yelled, “You know that you are joking. If I don't get my money before the end of today, I will come for you.”
The dealer laughed sarcastically and emphasized, “Don't bother yourself because we are waiting for that day. The sky would not witness any brightness that day because we had resolved that it would not just rain, but would rain cat and dog throughout that day. With due respect, I take my leave.”
The man stormed out of the house disrespectfully, and Emma exclaimed, “What! This young man has guts.” He pondered on his claims and concluded, “It is not his fault.”
He was in that state, when Fredrick and his family walked in joyously and greeted one after the other, “Good day, Uncle Emma.”
“Wow!” He exclaimed after concealing his fears and worries. “Good day, my children. When did you arrive?”
“About thirty minutes ago,” Fredrick explained. “How are you, my in-law.”
“I'm good. How are you?”
“We are good.” Now mama and Obidiya joined them at the hut and they greeted warmly. The children were excited to see him with their grandmother, and they greeted happily with hugs.
“Welcome back,” the women greeted happily. Now, the children had taken their seats, and Emma chose to keep them longer to know whether the Chief Priest and his familiar would arrive.
“Obidiya, get the watermelon for them.”
“All right.” She said and walked away. Soon she returned with her maid carrying two sizeable watermelons. Thereafter, Uju cut them into pieces and served everyone. While they were eating and chatting freely, Austin took a picture of his brother when he buried his teeth in the sliced watermelon and posted it on his social media page. He tagged it. (Life in the village.)
To his thrill, the post attracted his cousins, and they ran to the hut.
“I need watermelon too, grandma,” they requested simultaneously.
“Get more watermelon for them,” Emma ordered while he kept track of his mysterious guests. After a few minutes, more watermelon was served and the children had a good time. Nevertheless, Callum and Evans, who noticed how the children walked out briskly to Emma's compound, wondered why they rushed out.
“What is keeping the children at Uncle Emma's compound?” Evans asked.
“Do you think they would be there?” Callum asked.
“Where would they be?” Sarah curiously inquired.
“They must have gone into the nearby bush to hunt for fruits,” Ada pointed out.
“Bush?” The excited Sarah asked. The sight of the python was still fresh in her mind. Even though the Chief Priest said they were safe, she was aware that pythons swallow humans and got off her chairs at once.
“Let's check on them,” she announced. They got off the house and walked towards Uncle Emma's compound.
“Good afternoon, Sirs. Good afternoon, madams,” the idle security guards greeted. Now, they looked at the guards and responded cheerfully. “Good afternoon. Are you the people on duty?” Callum asked.
“Yes Sir.” “It is okay. Thank you.”
The guards looked at each other and concluded that they were unwise.
“I thought Frank said they would pay you?” The guard without remuneration asked.
“Certainly. Why do you ask?”
“Why are they appreciating you for the work?”
“You know that the city people are not as wise as us. Allow them to waste their appreciation.”
Nevertheless, Sarah got to the Uncle's hut before everyone and met the children feasting on the watermelon.
“Wow! Where is mine?” She requested. Uju, who was in charge, served her including those who walked in later, and it was a joyous moment. Now, Dickson, who was resting in the room, had joined them and it was a full house. The twenty-three years old maid would always share in every merriment, had taken her seat. Soon, it was time for lunch.
“We can as well have lunch together,” Mama pointed out. Now, Emma was still interested in his research on the Chief Priest and his familiar. Then, he advised, “That is good. But the children can eat alone. There is no enough space here.”
“It is all right, big Uncle Emma, but can we go with the remaining watermelon?” Cynthia asked jokingly. “You are free to do so.” She carried the tray of the watermelon and walked towards the new building, while the rest followed her.
“I will get more.” The maid announced, and ran towards the main building. “I can assist,” Lillian volunteered and ran after her.
Now, the children had left and only the adults were left behind. Mama and Obidiya walked to the kitchen.
“Let's assist you with the lunch, mama.” Ada suggested and walked after her, while her sisters followed.
“How is the game plan going?” Uncle Emma inquired, looking at his in-laws. “Which game plan are you talking about, papa?” Dickson asked with his natural curiosity.
Callum summarized the game plan and he was fascinated. “This is brilliant. I can't wait to see how they would react when they discover the truth,” He pointed out. “We shall see,” Fredrick declared. After a few minutes, they returned with the meal and set them on the small wooden table, which was at the middle of the hut. They hardly started eating when Uncle Emma spotted the familiar and observed it keenly. He discovered that it coiled at the same spot and remained calm.
“What are you looking at?” Obidiya asked when she noticed that he fixed his gaze on something.