“Who owns it?” Austin inquired.
“It belongs to Oliver,” Barry declared. Then, Oliver walked out of his room and saw the youngsters admiring his bike.
“Your bike is fine, Oliver,” they commended.
“Thank you for the compliment, David and Austin.”
Thereafter, Austin and David left for their cousins' apartment.
“I need to get some toiletries from the local market, Mr. Barry,” Oliver requested. Barry, who understood the meaning of the sudden outing, teased, “And to ostentatiously display your new bike.”
The drivers around laughed heartily, and Oliver looked down shyly. He understood what Barry meant. Although, he needed the items, but flaunting his new bike was not out of it.
“I will be back, before you know it,” he promised.
“It is all right. Be cautious.”
“I will.”
At the Village Square.
The four youths walked happily on the road while Peter nursed his lost. The joy of redeeming their reputation before Emma and his in-law could not be overemphasized. As for Peter, he was aware that he had lost it. Suddenly, they heard the clicks from the pedals of a bicycle and turned around. Then, Oliver slid off the seat of his bicycle and smiled happily at them.
“A good morning, to you all,” he greeted.
“Good morning, Oliver. Where did you get this bike?” Justin inquired while they admired his bike.
“Where are you coming from?” Peter asked hastily. They believed that they were all dismissed and the police will do their jobs. To avoid delay, he overlooked their questions and used his work as an excuse, “My boss asked me to get something from the market.”
“Do you still work in that house?” Peter, who would be happy to hear that everyone was sacked, inquired. Nevertheless, Oliver was not aware of the meeting they had at Emma's house and Peter's lost, so, he answered innocently, “Yes. I will take my leave.”
He mounted his bicycle and left at once. The puzzled friends watched him drive off, and they reasoned among themselves.
“They trusted him to the point of sending him on an errand with such a bike.”
“Do you know how much that bike costs?”
“It is costly, and I have never seen it in our community.”
“Whatever it is, he would not stay long there with his beggarly attitude,” Peter pointed out. Now, his friends, who were unhappy with him flared up and rebuked him, “At least, he is better than you.”
“He behaved himself and that is why he is still there.”
Oliver's ride to and from the market made great news. To avoid encountering his family members, who may ruin his day by attacking him, he did his shopping quickly and returned to his workplace.
Just as he anticipated, his parents heard of his trip with an expensive bike to the market and chose to pay him a visit. Nevertheless, his drunken father, who saw him at the market square and attempted to meet him, but before he could ascertain whether the person on the bike was his son or not, he had left. He discovered that it was his son, when the local gin dealer mocked.
“Bertram, your son works for the money bag. Get money from him and clear your debt. Otherwise, I won't serve you more drinks.”
“My son? Which of them?” He asked in his drunken state. His fellow lay about, laughed and teased, “He-goat. You can't even recognize your children when you see them.” Although, he was a drunk, but the sexual prowess that he had, could be likened to that of a he-goat. He had many illegitimate children.
“Your son just passed here with a costly bike.”
“Yes, I saw someone with a bike, but I could not recognize him,” he pointed out foolishly. His fellows laughed at him, and one of them pointed out, "I learned that they were paid ten thousand Naira each.”
“What! So, my son has ten thousand Naira?” He inquired from no one in particular, and set out to visit his son to get some money for his drink, while his mother and sister wanted to confirm the story of the bike and his retention. Nevertheless, a mad man knows his limit. His mother and sister could not get near the gate when they saw the uniformed men. As for Bertram, even in his inebriated state, he recognized the police men and turned back.
At Evans' Apartment.
After Sarah handed the bike to Oliver, he walked back to her apartment to her intentions towards the funeral with her husband.
“Now, that you have made me forget about the pains that my father caused me, I would like to empower some girls who are passing through some negligence and are hurting,” Sarah hinted.
“That is a good one. It would encourage the girls to be focused.”
“You are on point. And teach the fathers that no child is inferior.”
“You are right. How many girls are we looking at and what do you intend to give to them?”
“I'm looking at one hundred girls to be empowered with one hundred thousand Naira each.”
“That is ten million Naira. It is not much. How do you gather them?”
“I would go for a live broadcast on the local television station, if you approve of it.”
“It is okay. You have my approval, but you have to do it today or tomorrow morning. We have only four days.”
“Today is okay by me.”
Afterward, Sarah informed her sisters, who were thrilled with her ideas, and they encouraged her.
“That is a perfect idea. What is the name of your organization? It is significant. Think of one before you appear on the television,” Ada advised.
“You are right, big sister.”
“I propose a name that is linked to your name.” Uju expressed.
“Yes.” Ada agreed.
"What of a name like, 'Daughters of Sarah',” Uju pointed out. They consented to Uju's recommendation and prepared for the live appearance. Then, they contacted the television station, and to their advantage, the popular program for Women and Girls would come up at 1 PM. Evans hurriedly paid for a slot of thirty minutes program. Nevertheless, Ada and Uju were challenged. They never planned to give their father an elaborate burial, but with their husbands' surprise package, and their little sister's move, they let go and began to plan for a befitting funeral.
“We need uniform for the funeral.” Ada proposed.
“Even souvenirs.” Uju backed up.
As if a different spirit enveloped the three sisters, they drew a quick budget and left for the nearby city.