At Odwil's place

At Odwil's place

They finally reached Odwil's abode, his home approximated a palace of the Buganda kingdom in Uganda.

Oluk underrated his brother's capacity and misjudged this place as that of another affluent. He became extremely suspicious of not being helped. He developed a thought that Odwil might have rented the house from another rich person and dissembled that he built his own.

Oluk never had a vision of establishing a permanent settlement in Kampala, and he thought his younger brother too had the same cognition.

The visual aspect of the compound was so pleasing, and the glittering of the tiled floors that gleamed continuously moved Oluk emotionally back to his earlier days when he still had money.

He suddenly thought of the time when he could stay at a house of any value and his mood started to change dramatically when the vehicle stopped.

Jessica came out of the house while smiling to welcome her husband, but she was taken aback on seeing Oluk. The surprise pioneered her distant speech.

"Oh! Peter, you are welcome. It is so nice to see you again after a long time!"

"Thank you, it is nice to see you too. How is this place," asked Oluk.

"It is still okay. How are your home and the children?" Jessica posed the question in a comforting voice as she knelt down while stretching her right hand forward to greet Oluk.

The distress-harnessed man, Mr. Oluk could not condone anything that pertained to the welfare of his family. The question was irritating enough to initiate the psychological torture that usurped his happiness. He answered the question in a low voice designating embarrassment.

"My home is fair. The children too are fair, they are still halted and have not yet reported to school this term."

"Oh! Sorry! What went wrong?"

When Jessica asked the question, Odwil hesitated to answer it. She felt bad for having asked a question that seemed irritating, but later Odwil answered it in the most awkward way.

"Hold on, please! You will get to know more, that is all I can tell you now. It is quite a broad story to narrate."

"Please! Calm down! Everything will be fine, you need not worry so much because every problem has a solution," Jessica cautioned him.

The two conversed as they stood at the compound just near the car.

Immediately, Odwil moved out of the car, held his brother's right hand as he always did and they moved towards his house. The hands swayed like those of a parent and child in adoration.

Reaching the sitting room, Odwil ensured his brother was seated before he could leave for the market to purchase some home requirements. He informed Oluk that he would be back in a few minutes and then he moved out of the room silently.

Meanwhile, Jessica proceeded to the kitchen, and Oluk remained lonely seated in the room. The inside of the room glittered more than the outside.

Looking up, Oluk saw a camera at the right corner of the ceiling. He was then scared of being an untimely criminal, he was compelled to speak to himself like a mad one.

"What a hell! If it is a trick, I am subject to incarceration. The uniqueness of this place is alarming. Overstaying here may be the first step to imprisonment."

As Oluk wondered, Jessica backtracked to the room while singing sweetly in a high-pitched voice.

She moved directly where he sat, bowed down before him, and asked, "Which soda do you prefer?"

"Pepsi," replied the troubled man.

She moved to the next door, picked up a soda from the refrigerator, and retreated holding a bottle of Pepsi in his hand. She delivered it over to Oluk.

Following a prayer, there entered Odwil the room holding a black polythene bag. It bulged with a piece of meat protruding outwards.

Jessica bowed before him and welcomed him with a benign smile coupled with an endearing look. He was so happy to see the picture of her.

Odwil handed over the polythene bag to her, and she moved directly to the kitchen as he sat adjacent to his brother. Oluk's eyes only reflected sorrows.

"Feel at home please!"

Odwil spoke while looking straight into his brother's eyes.

"Do not worry, I am okay!"

Following Oluk's reply, the room curtly persisted silent. It was a reflection of an empty room.

Later on, after a short while, an overwhelming conversation set up between the two that enkindled a peal of frightful laughter in the room. Oluk laughed so loudly and uncontrollably, he was very fat with such a deep voice that anyone else can imagine. His laughter was tantamount to that of three people.

Odwil whose entry into the room pioneered the laughter was well known for cracking gags. He spoke with a lot of vigor which sustained his brother's vigilance. Oluk was bare-chested and he had suppressed the challenges he was to face the next day. Even Jessica who was in the kitchen at a distance heard the wonderful articulation. She kept on wondering whatever could have instigated the thrills of happiness between the two. The fat man's laughter only reflected a belly laugh, and the conversation had lasted almost an hour.

Jessica then quit the kitchen and hastened her steps to return to the room where the two were, carrying a tray with two filled dishes, one of sauce and the other of food.

Just in front of the door, Jessica slid and she almost slumped to the ground. It had just stopped raining a few minutes back and the compound was still slippery. The dish containing deeply fried beef uncovered itself in a horizontal slide-slip on the tray, and the pleasant smell of the sauce filled up the surrounding air. She staggered for a while before she could regain stability to proceed to the house.

Prior to Jessica's entry, Oluk scented the odorized air and he abruptly stopped laughing just to sense the direction from which it was originating. He was very hungry since he had had his last solid meal the day before at 8:00 p.m.

When Oluk suddenly took up the reins of his laughter, his brother was so terrified. He immediately stopped talking and rose to his feet dramatically and slowly as if he was set to run away in a few seconds only to see Jessica enter the room with disorganized utensils on the tray.

"Are you okay, my love?"

He asked her in a dropping voice coupled with worrying swamps.

"Yes! (She smiled while speaking facing her husband straight in the eyes) I am okay, I just encountered a terrible sliding movement before the door. That is why you see these things disorganized, but all is well. I did not fall to visit the ground."

"Thank God! You did not fall down! Well, that is fine."

Odwil spoke as he recovered his seat. He then turned to his brother and praised him.

"You are blessed, I could not believe you are such sensitive!"

"What do you mean?" Asked Oluk.

"I just mean you are very alert, brother."

Odwil smiled while looking straight into the brother's eyes as he spoke. The latter still failed to understand him. He was still in suspense, and he had commenced withdrawing his eyes slowly from his younger brother when the latter interrupted.

"Well! I mean you detected Jessica's sliding very fast!" Odwil freed him. His voice could not permit Oluk to be troubled.

"Eeh! Is that what you mean? Then you are right. But, I am also surprised by my unique sensitivity today. It may only be attributed to a few issues to date because it is the first time that I experience it."

"It is okay, but you should also be aware that it is normal for people with such a body mass," Odwil made fun of him as he smiled.

"Well! But, the truth I can unfold is that I had my last solid meal yesterday at 8:00 pm. And since you had what she said, everything is now clear. So, the aroma of the food activated my nasal cavity fast enough following her sliding and I could not pretend after appropriate sensation."

When Oluk completed his speech, Jessica was already done with arranging the table and its contents.

"Please draw closer to the table," she informed Oluk while kneeling by the table, holding a cup of water ready to pour into his hands. He moved nearer to the table and washed his hands under the running water that she provided.

Odwil washed his hands last after which Jessica blessed the food and opened it for the two to enjoy.

After the delicious meal, Odwil was interested in knowing the amount of money that Oluk owed his landlord to pay off the rent debts. He posed his questions very wisely. He knew his brother could easily be upset.

"How much money do you pay per month for rent?"

Oluk hesitated to speak out about the actual amount of money. Indeed, it was a very large and alarming sum. He was silent for about a minute, then he said it while trembling at the same time. Sweat covered the whole of his face, which he wiped from time to time.

"Four million shillings," he replied.

"Is that the actual amount you pay per month or per half year?" Odwil inquired again.

"I pay it per month," Oluk answered.

Odwil would not believe it if he could not memorize the kind of house in which Oluk stayed. After recalling that he was staying in a mansion, he imagined how expensive it could be and he was convinced into believing the amount Oluk spoke of.

"So, how much do you need to relieve you from the stress that has proved to be overwhelming?" Odwil asked.

"Four million five hundred thousand shillings will help. Four million shillings will go to rent and five hundred thousand to clear off the company debts that my property could not meet," Oluk answered.

Odwil did not hesitate to accept payment for the amount he stated. At first, he was frightened of him declaring a very large sum of money.

"Okay, come for that money tomorrow at 9:00 am. It is not yet available here, by then I shall have returned from the bank."

It was already late, just a few minutes to 10:00 pm. The three then had a short conversation before Odwil drove his brother back to his place of residence to have a rest. He then returned to his place at rest too by a quarter past 10:00 pm. It was a great day for all three people.