Mara gave her the widest smile ever with a sparkle in her eyes and said, “Thank you, thank you so very much, princess.” At that moment Mara seemed to have forgotten all about the gap in her teeth.
Leona said, “You can call me Leona, okay, Mara?”
“Okay!” Mara replied, but she was half listening, as she was totally captivated by the dolls.
Tamura and Leona sat on her bed watching Mara play on her bedroom floor without a care in the world. Leona said to him, “I really missed you, you know?”
Tamura responded, “I know, me too.” They hugged each other in a long embrace without saying a word.
They relaxed and chatted for ages and afterwards they went into the lounge area to talk to Queen Eleaza whom Tamura thanked for all her hard work once again. Queen Eleaza said, “Ooh it was nothing, most of the work was done by Leona anyway, I only helped.”
Leona protested, “That’s not true, Mother, you are the one who made all the fuss.”
The queen turned to Tamura and piped, “Ignore her, Tamura, she is just being modest.”
The queen added, “I will check if dinner is ready and I will fetch the boys as well.” She giggled, “Looks like the boys are getting on like a house on fire, prepare for trouble!” Leona and Tamura looked at each other and both nodded in agreement.
They all sat to dinner and chatted away between them. Mara kept her favourite newly found doll close at hand while she ate. Leona promised to introduce her to the subjects’ children who were her age group to play with.
“Not boys I hope?” Mara quizzed Leona.
“No, only girls like you, boys play alone,” Leona responded with a smile.
“Why?” said the king with interest, who had been sitting quietly watching the Mareto’s younger children as they ate their rations with gusto and good cheer.
Tamura said, “It’s a long story, my dear King, it’s because of Baka who is always teasing her about boys being better than girls. It really does wind her up.”
“Ooh, I see,” said the king, shaking his head trying to suppress a smile, lest he would be in Mara’s bad books too. The kids were asked about how they enjoyed their past home and if they had any regrets moving.
Tamura seemed to be doing all the talking and if Baka was asked, he would just turn around and say dismissively, “Ask Tamura, I don’t know, do I?” But Mara had a thing or two to say. Yes, you guessed it, Mama Haga and her dreams and how they were now best of friends and how she missed her already.
Queen Eleaza seemed to have been touched by Mara’s story and started sobbing quietly. Whether the tears in her eyes were out of amusement or sadness, we will never know. Baka and Tyza ate in haste and rushed off out of the dining room after excusing themselves to go to Tyza’s room where he wanted to show off his special collection of rocks to Baka, among other bits and pieces he collected in the woods, such as unusual bird feathers etc.
He was a bit of a kleptomaniac really, but nobody complained as this kept him busy apart from his schoolwork. His father was always complaining that he played too much and puts little effort in his schoolwork. Baka was interested in looking at Tyza’s schoolbooks, as he was keen to learn. Tyza agreed that he would show him his schoolbooks after he had shown him his collection of this and that first. Baka reluctantly agreed.
Mara and Leona took off to the compound to meet the subjects, and their children were gathered together around a huge fire after their supper as evenings were a bit chilly in the autumn months. They were greeted with smiles. Mara met them and took to Shula, a girl of her age, whom she thought looked really pretty.
She started chatting with Shula, and the two girls took turns to hold the doll as they talked. Leona spent some time with the rest of the people sitting by the fire before she took Mara back to the house. Shula invited Mara to come back tomorrow to play and she immediately accepted the offer.
In the meantime, in the king’s lounge, Tamura was talking to the king and his wife about the new job and what they expect him to be doing on a daily basis. They talked a little about his relationship with their daughter, and the king laid emphasis on the fact that Tamura must prove himself worthy of his daughter’s hand in marriage first before he could approve. Tamura felt quietly confident at the challenge ahead both on the job and his relationship with Leona at the watchful eye of her father.
He warned him not to do anything to hurt her or else he would have his wrath to reckon with. Tamura promised the king that he meant well with her and that he would respect and cherish her as a friend, and if in future their relationship developed, he would do what was right by marrying her.
The two men spoke at length about Tamura’s duties and agreed on a fee that he would be paid for his services. “But, dear King, you do not have to pay me for helping you, you have done enough to take us all in, more than what money can buy,” protested Tamura.
But the king grunted and said, “You will need money for all your cares and your siblings, man can’t live without money you know.”
Tamura thanked him for his generosity and left to tell his family and of course to break the good news to Leona. By now, she was biting her nails with nervousness, which was her habit and her mother had told her off about it many times before.
“Sooo?” said Leona dismissively as though she wasn’t interested in what Tamura was about to say.
“Sooo,” Tamura imitated her as he
