“Why does it always stay at that spot?” He asked no one in particular. Now, others have seen the python, including Uju and Fredrick, and she was frightened and nervous. She imagined that it was right under her legs and raised them up.
“Calm down, baby. It's far from you,” Fredrick urged. To Uju's surprise, her sisters were not afraid.
“It has come to welcome your children,” Ada revealed. “My children? Why?” Fredrick asked. Now, his curiosity was piqued, especially when he heard his children. Then, he looked at Callum for an explanation, and he offered.
“That is his way of welcoming the children to their maternal home. It came when Callum's and Evans' children arrived.”
“How long will it take it to welcome them? It should leave at once. The children are already welcomed.” The terrified Uju asked.
“Stop looking at it and eat your food,” Sarah advised. “Are you not scared of it, Sarah?” Uju asked. “I was. I have realized that it won't harm anyone. It welcomed my children too.”
Now, Uju was a bit calm and she asked. “How long did it stay before it left?” “It would not leave until the Chief Priest comes for it,” Sarah pointed out.
Now, Uju looked away from the spot and continued with her food. Although, she would not stop gawking at it from time to time and prayed for the Chief Priest to arrive at once and take it away.
“I greet you, Mr. Aaron. I greet you, our in-laws,” the much expected Chief Priest. Now, the cranky Uju looked up when she heard his voice.
“I greet you, Chief Priest. You met us well.” Emma responded.
“Welcome, Chief Priest.” Others greeted simultaneously, and the Chief Priest continued
“I can see that more grandchildren just arrived. We welcome them happily. The gods of our land have secured the land on their behalf.”
Before he could walk away, Evans, who hardly move around with cash, brought two thousand Naira notes from his pocket to give to him, but Emma stopped him.
“Don't bother my in-law. I will send for him later.”
“I see.”
Now, the Chief Priest was on his way out, and the observant Uju saw the python uncoiled itself and followed him.
“You are right, Sarah. It is following him,” she remarked.
“I told you.”
“Chief Priest,” Emma called out.
“Yes, Mr. Aaron.”
“I will be glad, if you can come back later.”
“Okay. Let us go home first,” he informed and left. To Uju's relief, they left together.
“Who are the 'we' he talked about? Himself and the python?” Uju asked.
“Stop asking questions that are bigger than you,” her husband cautioned.
“I have heard you. I hope they won't come again.”
“They should come again. If their presence would keep the children safe,” her mother pointed out. Now, Uju was short of words when she noticed that everyone seemed to be comfortable with their presence.
At the New Building
Lillian and the maid took two big sizes of watermelon and walked back to the new building. Before they joined the other youngsters, they had served the drivers and the personal assistant, who collect them cheerfully. Now, Joe supervised Lilian and the maid to cut the watermelons, and he personally took some to the gatehouse.
“This is for you," he offered the security guards happily. One of them collected a slice from the tray and appreciated, with a smile, “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
Unfortunately, the other turned it down, with shrugged shoulders, and the youngsters were embarrassed.
“Why?” Regan, who was behind his brother, asked. To annoy them the more, he shrugged his shoulders again as if to say that he cared less about them and their food, and muttered, “I don't want.”
Meanwhile, the disturbed youngsters walked away and trashed the remaining slice.
At the Village Square.
The other security guards spread the news of their interview and selection out of proportion.
“I thought Frank is wise. You can't imagine that he accepted any amount that we offered,” one of them, Shane, told his family members?
“It is like they don't know the meaning of bargaining in the white man's land.”
“That is what it means. He agreed to pay me five thousand just for opening and closing of the gate.”
They laughed happily at what they termed foolishness on Frank's side.
“You would have asked ten thousand Naira and see if he would accept.”
“He would have accepted. Peter asked for it and he was accepted. He is on duty now with Oliver.”
“That is serious. Ten thousand Naira for just opening and closing of the gate. What of Oliver, how much did he ask for?”
“I can't believe that poverty had numbed his senses. Could you believe that he asked for nothing?”
“I don't get it. Do you mean nothing as in nothing, or that he asked for little?”
“Nothing as in nothing. Not even five hundred Naira.”
“He must be under a spell. How can he visit a river and could not fetch even a pail of water?”
“You got it. He must be under a spell.”
Now, the news of Oliver's stupidity spread in the community with great speed. His family members, were not just displeased with him, but were embarrassed. His mother and sister picked up their buckets and pretended as though they needed to fetch water. When they got to the new building, they poured out a stream of abuse on him and concluded with, “We would rather not see you at home. Don't bother coming home because, we will skin you alive.”
Peter laughed him to scorn and reprimanded, “I don't understand why you behave foolishly. See how you collected food from them.”
“Why won't I collect food from them? When we cleared here the other time, did we not collect tubers of yam from Mr. Aaron?”
“Was it tubers of yams that you just collected? You just collected watermelon.”
“What is the difference?” Oliver asked dismissively. He was not bothered with Peter's argument as much as he was bothered with where to go to after work to avoid his mother's threat, especially his rude little sister. To his annoyance, everyone who came to fetch water talked about him. He listened to their gossips from the gate house, and he almost lost his bearing.