Chapter 34

This was what happened. When they got to the farm, everyone was tired and ready to sleep, so Winston performed his miracle. He brought out a set of folding beds and demonstrated how they turned into useful beds, complete with mattress. It only required some sheets or blankets to make the miracle complete. The beds were distributed around the house, and after a sequence of visits to the bathroom, everyone got settled for the night. Even the youngest, Adebayo, fell fast asleep at once, at the other end of the bed from his sister Folake.

Winston checked round the house for windows and doors closed, then went off to his own bed. He fell asleep thinking about the twins – they were almost adults now!

The morning started with children crying. Winston got up to see what was the matter, and found that the youngest two were crying about the strange beds they found themselves in, with no sign of Mama or Papa. Winston's appearance did nothing to help, so he sought some other member of the family. Looking in to the next room, he found the twins still sleeping, obviously used to the children's cries. The bedclothes had slipped somewhat, and arms and legs were exposed to view. Unfortunately, to his mind, nothing more could be seen, so he looked to find Olu or the parents. It was Olu he found next, snoring on his back. Winston shook his friends' bed, and got a reaction. "Olu! Your youngest brother and sister are crying! Can you sort it out, please?"

Olu dragged himself out of bed, shivered, and wrapped his blanket around himself as he said, "Where are they?". Winston gave a short laugh, and said, "Follow the sound, stupid!" Olu gave him a scowl, and went off to console his younger siblings.

Already fully awake, Winston took himself to the kitchen, to start preparing some breakfast for his guests. Finding that it was time he was up, anyway, he switched the kettle on then returned to his own bedroom to dress before proceeding with this chore. He checked that he had enough cereal for everyone to choose what they wanted, and fetched a loaf of bread from the freezer to thaw, cursing himself for not getting it out last night.

Deciding to wake the others, he returned to tell the twins it was time to get up, as he reckoned they would take longest to dress. Looking into their room, he was startled to find that both girls' bedclothes had slipped down their bodies, revealing enticing breasts on both of them. His breath hissed as he took a sudden intake of air, and his face flamed with embarrassment as he went back outside, closing the door again before he rapped on the outside. He then called out, "Time to waken, girls!" and went to do the same to the parents.

Inside, the girls turned and grinned at each other cheekily. They were delighted at the effect they had had on their host.

After breakfast, it was time for the men to have a look at the farm, to decide what they needed in the way of tools and equipment. They walked steadily to certain points where Winston knew they could get the overall impressions of the ground, but they talked as they walked.

Papa Odumosu had experienced a number of hand tools, and had driven a large tractor for some of the work, but the mini-tractors were new to him. Olu told his father, "Papa, it is just the same, but smaller. I can't be THAT different."

Winston did point out that the linkages for tools might be different, so they could ask at the supplier how things worked. He got them to change their discussion. "Before we decide on tools and equipment, what are we going to grow here? I have spent most of my time getting the house built, and establishing the garden beside it, for kitchen crops. The main farm is different.

It is our joint decision, not like back home when Father made all these decisions. If certain crops are easier for you to cope with, let me know. I have been speaking with our farming neighbours, and have some ideas on what suits this area best, in terms of climate: rainfall, temperature gradients, wind speeds, and so on. Any steep slopes might require terracing, to stop soil erosion, but most of our land does not have that problem."

Olu went for the jugular, "Winston, can we average out the crop requirements, and go from there, please, or we might argue all day about this. The sooner we get the tools, the sooner we can start working the land. Do we need to trench for some of the crops, or just turn the soil with a plough? Are we going to plant trees, and if so is it for shelter belts, or cropping – fruit or nuts; or even both – shelter AND crop? Some trees take up a great deal of water, so we have to be careful where these are planted, if for example we want walnut trees. I doubt if we could have black pear, star apple or bush mango trees in this climate. We have to be sure of pollination, and ripening of fruits."

Returning to the farm house with their decisions, the men found that the ladies had been exploring Winston's food stores. Mama exclaimed, "Winston? I do not recognise some of the foods you have here. They are not from Nigeria, are they?"

"No, Ma'a mi. They are what is readily available in the Colony. The majority of the population are from Northern climes, and the food supplies tend to reflect that. The same applies to planting of crops, so we are all adapting our meals accordingly. The food is all nutritious and tasty, I assure you: I have been eating it for a year or so already. I have several cook books to consult, and some of my favourite recipes are in my phone: I will pass them to you as soon as we get a phone for the house, and one for the farm, so that you can call in for a meal whoever is in the fields."

"My goodness! Won't that cost a lot? Phoning just a kilometre away?"

"No, Mama. Phone calls are very cheap now. Anyway, if you want particular foods, you can come into town with us and look around the food shops. You might be lucky and find yams or plantains on sale, but I have not noticed cassava in the shops. Green bananas are another food I have not seen here."

"We have come to a new world, so we must adapt to new foods," said Mama Odumosu. "It is the way of things: change happens all the time, no matter what we might prefer. Tell me, Winston, is it true that this Colony has a policy of polygyny?"

"No, Mama, strictly speaking, that is not so. The policy is to allow marriage with one or more spouses – men or women – as long as there is no close genetic relationship. It is solely by choice of the parties involved. You may be interested to know that a man may not take another wife unless his earlier spouse supports him, and she has to sign a legal document to that effect. If she does not approve, it cannot happen. Women have as many rights here as men."

Mama grinned, "I like this place! However, if my man finds a woman who could share the household chores and looking after the children, I might not object. I might prefer her not to be very pretty, though our tradition demands that a husband treat his wives equally."

Winston saw an opportunity an coughed politely before asking, "Talking of that subject, Mama, it is my impression that Adeola and Eniola are of marriageable age. Am I correct?"

"It is true, Winston. Neither has shown an inclination towards any man as yet, and most Nigerian men are wary of taking on a twin, in case of bad luck. I know it is superstition, but it still affects our society. I blame the old religion for that. We may be Christians, but many people in our country – both Christian and Muslim – are still affected by the Old Religion and its customs."

"Thank you, Ma'a mi. It would therefore be acceptable if I showed an interest in these two?"

"Both of them?" She raised her eyebrows, then relaxed. "Still, this is another world. If that is your inclination, I should not object. To have you as a possible son in law would be quite acceptable in our present community, Winston. Back home, it would have been quite impossible to have such a marriage. Your father would be horrified."

The young man explained, "I have always liked these girls, back home, Ma'a mi. They have delighted my soul, but as you say, my father would have objected to me considering them as marriage partners. My own feelings are the opposite. I admit, Mama, that I find nothing to separate these two beauties, these wonderful girls. They are both delightful, and they have turned into desirable women during my absence. I was pleased to discover they were not married. Now I am very happy that you would consider me as an acceptable suitor to both."

Mama Odumosu was generous, "I have always considered you a nice boy, Winston, and you have turned into a very nice young man. Your attitude towards estate staff contrasts with your father's autocratic views. That may be because you are not the heir to the land, but whatever, you have treated us well, and I am grateful. Now you are giving our family a share of your land here. That is much appreciated, and shows your adoption of new ways. This also applies to marriage. I shall prepare the girls for you to speak to them later."

That had to wait, for the purchasing trip to the city was urgent.

The twins were asked by their parents to stay and look after their younger siblings while the adults went into Metropolis for more purchases. They looked glum at the prospect, but did as asked.

Once in Metropolis, Papa Odumosu and Winston visited the ironmongery section of the Lownie Emporium to browse the available tools and look at the prices and quality; while Olu took his mother on a tour of food shops, looking for fruit and vegetables they were used to in Nigeria. The latter were soon back at the Lownie shop, laden with several bags of discoveries paid for from Winston's bank account, and some news from Olu.

"Winston, there is a new Farm Supplies store opened a few streets away!"

Winston was delighted. "Now we can haggle on prices. Let me have a word with the manager here." He found the man. "Sir, it appears you have competition a few streets away. Are you prepared to guarantee that your tool prices are the same or lower than theirs; or do we have to take a trip over to make such comparisons ourselves?"

The man was unhappy, but prepared to make changes to ensure he got the sales. "Show me what you want to buy, and we can negotiate if the total is large enough. You will not lose out by choosing Lownie Stores, the best Emporium on the planet."