Chapter 6

Gift and his kids, Jack and Jacquard together with Siyabong arrived at the train station in Abasia Kingdom after the whole ceremony was over. He spent nine days waiting for them at the station. 

The journey, which lasted for two days, was so stressful. They all arrived at the rented apartment at midnight on the third day after the train left the station. 

The arrival of Gift and her children, together with his brother-in-law, Uncle Siyabong, popularly called The Siya by his neighbors in a rented apartment situated in the west of Abasia Kingdom in the eastern part of the country surprised his neighbor. They were all happy and joyous to see him because he left the without informing any of his neighbors even his best friend Nathaniel, also an engineer working at the same place as Siyabong. No one knows his whereabouts. They all assume he went to his village to support his tribe in the ongoing war in the region.

Siyabong had left the Kingdom since he got the message from his uncle, lethal, that they will be coming to stay with him for a while till the inter-tribal war ended waiting for them at the train station outside the Abasia Kingdom. 

After greeting all his neighbors, he then turned to his uncle's wife, Gift, and his Children, "All glory to the gods that we arrived here safely. This is where I live. Where I rough things together. Though this apartment is not that spacious, I am actually planning to move out of this apartment after my wedding. I want you to feel at home. The house is yours". Siyabong said to the family as he was struggling with the door. 

"What's wrong with this door? Is it that am with the wrong key? This is the key, why is the door not opening?" He was worried and relentlessly turning the key.  

Gift and his children, Jacquard and Jack, were standing right behind him with distressed looks. "May you should ask for lubricants, be it grease or engine oil from your neighbors. That should really reduce the friction between the surfaces in contact. It might be because it has been a long you make use of it." Gift said to her brother-in-law, Siyabong. 

"Ohh! you are right, my brother is such a lucky guy to get married to a scholar". Siyabong said as he tried to pull out the key from the door and adherence to her advice. 

Gift was once a student of a well-known college in the west. Gift was known as well respected by her colleagues on campus during her college days for her excellence. She was the only child of her late parents. Her parents died in a motor accident when she was in her second year at the college. Gift parents owned a lot of manufacturing companies, and shares in many enterprises.

Immediately after her parents died, she had to nullify her studentship at the college because all her parent's property was seized by the government, which claimed that her parents accumulated all this from their illicit business and also illegal immigration to the country. Everything was seized and she was left with nothing. 

Gift struggled, and engaged in a lot of casual work to sustain herself. She didn't know any other members of her family because her parents are Illegal immigrants to the country.

 During her strive for survival, she crossed paths with her husband, Lethabo, who was the manager of the restaurant she was working with as a waiter. They were in-loved, got married, then traveled to his husband's village, Ifakoko. After a short period, she got pregnant and gave birth to a twin, Jack, and Jacquard. They were all living happily before the disastrous incident occur, which later led to a tribal war.

Back to the very moment, " pls give me some minutes, I will be back in a jiffy," Siyabong told Gift and her children. He quickly ran to the neighbors to ask if any of them have a lubricant. Fortunately for him, he got what he needed at his first guess. 

It will open now, (door cracking) wow! At last, it opened. 'Let's move in now, I will pack all the luggage inside, just go inside," He told them. 

"You welcome to my small home. Firstly, I want you to have your bath as I enter the kitchen now to prepare something for us all, I am goddam hungry. I knew your mum's favorite, what will your kids love to eat? Or should I prepare the same for you kids.?" He asked the kids.

" Both nodding positively, we want the same, but uncle we are no more kids, we are now young adults, if not for what happened in the village, I would have shown you our " Jack replied his uncle as his mother cut the conversation without completing the last Statement.

"It's high time you guys went to the bathroom to freshen up, everything you gonna need is inside the visitor's room. Before you guys are done, dinner will be ready, okay!" Siyabong told his nephews, Jack and Jacquard. 

As the kids left for the bathroom, Siyabong faced Gift, " Mama J, I don't like the way you are moody, we are all into this, what we just need is to pray to the gods that may your husband come back safe and healthy soonest. I know it is hard to do, but need to stay cheerful because of your health and your kids. I promise to take up the responsibility of my brother till his arrival." Siyabong told Mama J, as he fondly calls Gift. 

"Thank you very much, I am grateful for everything you're doing for my family, May the gods continue to bless you. Are you just saying am moody, who's supposed to be weeping right now, I don't know whether my husband is dead or still alive. No one to say if he is gonna make it, which kind of life Is this?

"How do you expect me to get over it and move on with my life? Am noting without him." Gifts lamenting and weeping profusely. 

"You need to take it easy and stop crying,  all this is not going to help you or improve your health, instead it deteriorates it, pls am pleading and asking for your indulgence. My uncle will return to us, he loves his family so much that he will fight to his last breath to ensure that he returns. I believe that. He just needs to assist him with prayer and pray to gods to put an end to the bloodshed". 

" I want you to go in and freshen up before you are back dinner will be ready. Then we all eat and go to bed. I have everywhere set". Siyabong added.

Some minutes later Jack and Jacquard came out of the room. They went straight to the dining table where Siyabong was sitting waiting for them to get settled before he starts serving. Waiting for Gifts to come out and join them, Jack asked.

"Uncle, what are you experience when you first got here,"  he then smiled, walking towards the kitchen to get the fruit he had sliced, and then replied," Things aren't easy at first. I had to cope with mundane, real-life problems, including paying the rent, which I'm not used to backing than in the village, dealing with people's squabbles as a Westerner and also new to the environment and the system, and facing danger, loneliness and ostracism. Although what actually made those challenges so was that, the kingdom was in a period of hardship, with no rain, they had to adopt an irrigation system and the returns are not so appreciative of the efforts and time ingested which resulted in insufficient resources, particularly food. Though with time, things started changing positively,  started making new friends, and getting used to the customs and traditions of the kingdom.

"Thanks to the gods, I can see everything is getting back to normal with the birth of the promised child as written in the holy book of the kingdom, The Kitaf. referring to Princess Diana. I could everywhere is green, and the smiles on the face of the people. Our hardship period is gone. Now it is time to be flourishing." He added with a smile on his face signifying a sense of relief and happiness. Gift came out of the room to join them at the dining table.

"That sounds interesting you are happy. You have known a lot about this Kingdom within the short time you've spent here." Gift commented. " Uncle, there must be at least one amusement park or a place where people can just go to have fun here. Or there is non? Jacked asked him, uncle.  Instantly his uncle replied," there are numerous here. There are amusement parks, and gardens where you can go to relax, and free yourself from boredom. Also, there is a museum. A very big one I mean. You will definitely like to be there and which I will take you kids there to see some paintings, artifacts, and art's works and a lot more. Just feel at home. The Kingdom is for all. No discrimination."

"The first time I visited the museum inside the castle of the King of this great kingdom, I expected to be impressed by its famous large paintings,  sculptural works, and a lot more as far from thousands of years ago. For instance, I couldn't wait to view the paintings of the first-ever king of this kingdom, and also other kings. Most of the kings were molded because their memories are still fresh to everyone. It took me by surprise, then, when one of the artworks, paintings, that I've always been eager, I mean willing to see at the museum was one of its tiniest: the History of the First king of this great Kingdom, King Abasia, whose this great kingdom was named after".

"Kids, what is the thing you would like to have or become in the future," Siyabong asked. " Okay, I will like......" They chorused their responses. "It's okay. I want you guys to talk one after the other. I don't want chorused responses." He interrupted. 

Jacquard spoke," I will like to engage in bizarre adventure. I also like to have super strength, so I will be able to hurdle big buildings, castles, and Leap  tenth of Miles; run faster than a streamlined train; withstand anything than a "bursting shell";  lift a train over my head; and be able to fight and defeat thousands of Zuluh warriors, those evil being, within few minutes." 

"Wow, you really want such strength, that's great. That means I will always want to be by your side, so you could protect me from any attack. Mama J, hope you are listening to your son. We already have a superhero in our family." He said holding Jacquard close to him while teasing Gift to make her feel among because she has been moody for a while.

"That's really great Jacquard, I hope that will come to pass. Jack let hear you out." He said to jack. "Okay. It I don't really think much about the future. But I believe it will be fine." Jack replied. " It is good to be optimistic but it is quite advisable to have plans for the future. I hope you will have that as you grow." 

"It's late already, let us all go to bed by tomorrow morning we will decide on what next. Good night everyone." Siyabong said to Gift and his Children, jack, and Jacquard as they all left the dining table for their rooms.  There are just three different rooms in the building. Jack and Jacquard are to share one, Gift is to be in a separate room, then the last room for Siyabong. They all went to their rooms and slept.