At the Gate
After Barry lectured Oliver on how to relate with the police men, he left for his room while Oliver admired his new bike. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the gate and ran out of the gatehouse.
“May I know you, please?” He requested.
“It's me. Kindly open the gate.”
'Oh! Frank.' he exclaimed. He opened the gate and he walked in.
“Good morning, Frank,” he greeted cheerfully.
“Good morning, Oliver. Are you still here? Where are the people on duty?”
“Yes. I'm still here.” He responded and gave him a detailed report on what took place at night.
“Is that why the police men are here?”
“Yes. Mr. Barry brought them a few minutes ago.”
“That is good. Peter must be a bad influence. He must have given them a perverted view of how left.”
“You are right. They asked for the pay as if it was their right.”
“It's okay. They have ruined other people's chances,” Frank concluded and walked to the main house.
At Uncle Emma's Hut
Uncle Emma, Dickson, and Callum listened attentively to their complaints. Then, Emma, the infamous Chief Judge, looked at Justin and Gerry, and inquired, “Yes, what brings you?”
“It's the same complaint, Uncle Emma. I'm not after the job or pay for now, but my reputation. I would not want the money bag or Frank to judge me along with the errant youths.”
Now, Callum was attracted to the wise youths, who were not as bad as the other three who had misrepresented them.
“Where is Frank?” Callum asked, and gave him a call. Incidentally, he was at Evans' house and chatting with George and Lillian, before the other children joined them. Suddenly, his phone rang, and he picked his call at once. Thereafter, he greeted.
“Good morning, my in-law.”
“Good morning, Frank. Kindly meet me at Uncle Emma's hut.”
“All right, Sir.”
In a jiffy, Frank was at Uncle Emma's hut, and they wondered how he arrived quickly.
“Were you around, Frank?” Uncle Emma asked after the greetings.
“Yes uncle.”
“I see. Do you know these people?” He asked, and faced the four guards. Frank looked at them and consented, “Yes, uncle. I engaged them yesterday to work at the gate.”
“That is good. Young men. Repeat what you said earlier.”
The young men narrated their unpleasant experiences one after the other while Frank listened attentively. Afterward, he spoke, “Peter is a bad influence. He gave the second group a perverted view of how he left.”
“Exactly,” Dickson concurred and inquired, “Who would pay him ten thousand Naira daily for just opening and closing the gate.”
At that point, they looked at the infamous Chief Judge for his verdict.
“Frank, you have said it all. Peter caused these problems, and we would not allow him to ruin other people's destinies. I will ensure that he returns that money because he did not merit it. Maybe he will be the first person that the police men on duty would start with.”
Everyone laughed except the young men, who smiled inwardly. Then, Uncle Emma continued, “As you can see, it was not their faults. They reported for duty, but were displaced due to the misconduct of Peter.”
“You're right, my in-law,” Callum supported, and Emma continued.
“I'm pleading on their behalf, my in-law. Kindly pay them off, even an amount as little as two thousand Naira would pacify them. They are the youths that I love so much. They are willing to work to earn a living. Recall that they worked hard when they demolished and cleared the old mud house.”
“As the court pleases,” Frank teased, and they laughed heartily. Then, he brought out his bill folder. Paying the four guards two thousand Naira each would not be an issue, but Callum stopped him.
“Since we have begun with ten thousand Naira, let's continue with it. Give them ten thousand Naira each.”
The young men's faces beamed, and everyone noticed it and smiled happily. Frank, who did not have as much as that on him, looked at Callum, and he asked him to get the money from his wife. He left for Callum's apartment and returned with the money at once.
“Thank you, for believing in us, our in-law,” the youths appreciated happily after they collected their money. Then, Uncle Emma declared, “Ask that scumbag, Peter, to return the money at once if he still wished to remain in this community.”
“We will convey your message to him, Uncle Emma.”
Just as they promised, they happily walked to Peter's house and relayed the message, without disclosing that they were compensated.
“Why does he want me to return the money?” The terrified Peter asked.
“You can ask your questions when you get to his hut, if you are man enough,” Boniface hinted.
Then, he hurriedly went to Emma's compound and reported himself, while the young men stood by the corner and waited to see Emma's reaction.
“This is the money, Uncle Emma,” Peter said, and handed the money to him. Emma collected the money and reprimanded, “You have cost your fellow youths their sources of income through your repulsive behavior. Take and leave my compound at once.”
He removed one thousand Naira note from the money and gave it back to him, and he collected.
“Thank you, Uncle Emma,” he appreciated. He was happy that he did not lose out completely. Then, the four youths appreciated, “Thank you, Uncle Emma, for your intervention. We are grateful.”
“You're welcomed, my children. I am proud of you.”
Now the four youths turned to Callum and Frank and appreciated before they walked out of the compound happily. Peter, who did not expect to see them happy, was curious.
“Did he give you anything?” He asked anxiously.
“What do you expect?” Boniface, who hated himself when Barry chased them out of the gate, asked curtly.
At the new compound.
Barry had helped Oliver to settle in one of the rooms in Frederick's house. Meanwhile, he parked his bike on the verandah of the house.
“Wow! This is fine,” David remarked when he saw the bike.