Chapter 9
Spider was dumbfounded. He still couldn’t his ears. Douglas sighed, shrugged, snapped his fingers and said:
“My dear, wonders shall never end”
“Dog, are you sure that she is your sister? “Your biological sister?” Spider wondered.
“You can go and ask her yourself” Douglas replied.
“Now Dog, what do I do now?” Spider asked after a while. He was convinced at last.
“Well” Douglas said, “You have to approach her and mentally restructure what you have to tell her since you’ve just discovered she is my sister, perhaps you could talk her over”
“What do I tell her? That is the question. Look, I’m confused” “Are you a kid? That’s the answer”
“Dog, I really want to marry that girl, that’s my aim. Remember, I’m in love with her already” “Have you told her that before? Moreover, are you still referring to her as ‘that girl’? Henceforth,
you should not refer to my sister as ‘that girl’, Spider”
“I’m sorry. Also, I haven’t told her that I want to marry her before. Anyway, do you think she will agree?”
“Exactly how many hairs are on your head?”
“Ah? I don’t know. What do you mean?”
“Likewise, I don’t know whether she will agree or not. The decision is hers” “Okay, let me go and try my luck”
Douglas started to laugh again. He called Spider and said:
“Don’t rush Spider, don’t rush. The approach must be a calculated approach. Anyway, if you really want to marry her as you said, you can go ahead …but that must be on condition that…”
“What on earth is the condition?” Spider interrupted. “Look, I am ready to do anything. The
question is: will she agree?”
Douglas smiled and asked:
“Are you sure that you are ready to do anything?”
“Sure Dog, sure. I’m ready to do anything”
“Spider, in short, I won’t permit you to marry my sister, that’s just the truth” “Ha, Douglas, haa!”
“Well, what if it amounts to making a sacrifice…? Will you readily make the sacrifice?”
“Yes, I am ready”
“Sure?”
“Yes”
“Well, I’m afraid. You cannot marry my sister”
“Ha Douglas, you’re tantalizing me”
“Okay, you can go and meet her. I hope she will agree. But if she fails to agree, I will make her to agree”
“Great! That’s what I want to hear” Spider rejoiced.
Douglas smiled and said:
“Hold it! It is not yet time to rejoice. It’s now time for the condition and it is that you must withdraw from the gang. So, that’s the only sacrifice you have to make. I will also withdraw from the gang”
“Withdraw from the gang? No Dog, I – I think that’s not possible at the moment. How…how can I– I with…withdraw from the gang?” The condition is too hard, it’s too hard!” Spider complained. Douglas shook his head and patted Spider like a baby.
“Well, Spider” he began. “I agree with you but we all know ourselves. It is as clear as crystal that we don’t have our lives in our hands. The truth is that we may be caught and jailed or even killed at any time. Therefore, I suggest that we withdraw from the gang as early as possible and plan on how we will spend the rest of our lives positively and comfortably with peace of mind. Please try to understand” Spider was disappointed. He wasn’t expecting such a sermon from his fellow gang member because they were benefiting from the gang. Also, he thought that if he go ahead and withdraw, he wouldn’t easily find any other means of getting quick money. He thought very deeply on what Douglas said.
“Well Dog,” he began, “I heard what you said. I must say that you are a good friend. You see, I so much love that girl, sorry, your sister that I will do anything possible just for her to be my wife. But on the other side, you’ll agree with me that if we withdraw from the gang, we’ll find it difficult to survive…”
“Yes, but…” Douglas interrupted, “Since both of us are going to withdraw, I suggest that we use the little amount of money we have at the moment to jointly start a little business. We can’t just continue to risk our lives. So cheer up and let’s quit this dirty business. I believe that God will see us through”
Spider sighed and started to cry. Douglas also cried briefly. Later, he left Spider and returned to Doris:
“Oh, I’m sorry; I know I wasted a great deal of time”
“That’s alright. But where did you get the name ‘Dog’ from?” Doris queried.
Douglas scratched his head and lied:
“Oh, that was my nickname during my secondary school days”
“I see, but I can’t take ‘Dog’ as a nickname. It’s degrading and contemptuous” Douglas smirked. Shortly, Spider came re-appeared.
“So, em…Doris, meet…em…” Douglas introduced. He did not know which name to call Spider at that moment. Spider cut in quickly and said: “Smart”
“Yes, Doris, meet Smart, a very good friend of mine. And Smart, this is my sister, Doris” “I’m pleased to meet you again, Doris” Spider said. “I’m pleased too” Doris said.
Hence, whenever Douglas wanted to call Spider in the presence of Doris, he would say ‘Smart’ and whenever Spider wanted to say ‘Dog’ in the presence of Doris, he would say ‘Douglas’. Few minutes later, Douglas and Doris followed Spider to Acid’s house and Douglas introduced Doris to Acid. Again, whenever Douglas and Spider want to say ‘Acid’ in the presence of Doris, they would say A.C. Spider eventually proposed to Doris and she agreed. A week later, they left for the village for the marriage formalities. However, they lodged in a hotel for four days before leaving for the village.
Douglas had planned how he would convince Theresa about Spider’s determination and proposal to marry Doris. It took him two days to carefully construct and perfect the plan. One day, he called Spider privately to ask him some questions:
“Spider, do you still remember the plan?”
“Oh yes”, Spider answered. “Do you think it will work?” “I believe it will work” Douglas said.
“I hope so”
“Well, I hope so too but if the plan flops, that’s the end of the business” “The gods of our land will not allow the plan to flop”
Douglas laughed and said:
“This does not involve the gods. It’s only requires some careful brainwork”
“Douglas you are funny”
“I am not funny”
They gangsters left for the village the next day with Doris. Spider was happy and excited but Doris was not. Douglas was almost reciting the plan like a poem. They got to the village some hours later. Gerald, Eric and Alice were very happy when they saw Douglas and Doris but they were surprised to see a stranger with them. Theresa was not at home when they returned. The children asked Douglas many questions. He had earlier lied to them that he would visit one of his friends to stay with him for some years but he turned and joined a gang.
“Douglas, who is that man? Gerald whispered pointing to Spider.
“He is a friend of mine” Douglas answered.
“Hi, ‘a friend of Douglas’”, both Gerald and Eric greeted.
Spider smiled and said:
“Hello, how are you?”
“These kids are funny” Douglas said. “Do you know what they want? They want me to tell them your name”
“Really?” Spider said. “You can tell them my name”
“Which of the names?”
“I don’t know. Just choose one”
“What if I choose ‘Spider’?”
“Douglas, please tell them my name is Smart!”
Douglas laughed and said to the children:
“Alright, his name is Smart”
The children giggled and left. Shortly, Alice came out from a room and asked Doris to accompany her to a distant stream to fetch water. Doris agreed without hesitation. She quickly changed her clothes, picked up a jerry can and followed Alice to the stream. Alice also took a jerry can. Along the way, Alice started to ask Doris many questions:
“Doris, how about Gladys and her husband, Dan?”
Doris scoffed at the mentioned of Gladys and said:
“They are fine”
“Why did you react that way?” asked Alice.
“I just remembered something” Doris answered.
“What is that thing?”
“Must you know everything?”
“I mustn’t, but I would like to know”
“Well, it’s a long story”
“Tell me the story”
“When we get home, I will tell you the story”
“Alright”
Alice continued to ask Doris many questions relating to Gladys and her family, but Doris parried the questions. At last, Alice asked the most difficult one:
“Now Doris tell me, didn’t Gladys or even her husband, Dan give you something to bring to us?”
“Alice shut up your mouth!” Doris barked.
“I’m sorry, but…”
“But what? Just shut up…”
When they got to the stream, they quickly filled their jerry cans and were about to leave. Suddenly, Alice changed her mind. She looked sideways and said to Doris:
“Doris, why don’t we have a bath? It is very refreshing to bathe in the stream”
“What! How dare you say such a stupid thing? Are you mad? So you still bathe in the stream at this your age?” Doris rebuked.
“The stream is usually cool by the day and bathing in it is refreshing” Alice persisted.
“Now I know that something has gone wrong with you, Alice” Doris said.
Alice hissed, removed and flung her clothes to some distance and dived into the stream. Doris was surprised. She stared at the stream and thought how sweet and refreshing swimming in it would be. She looked upwards and sideways, then backwards and upwards again. Then she gently removed and hid her dress beside some grasses, dived into the stream and began to swim.
“You see!” Alice exclaimed excitedly, “It’s very refreshing to swim in this stream. In fact, this stream is a gift from God to our people”
“Shut up, Alice. I just decided to …”
“Lie!” Alice interrupted.
“Hey, hold it, Alice. I know you are a fish but you can’t swim better than me” Doris challenged. “What?” Alice said, “Let’s bet, you are not my equal” Then she quickly swam to a corner,
uprooted some grasses, threw them some distances in front of Doris and said:
“Now, let’s see who will get there first”
“Alright, let’s see” Doris said.
Then they started to swim towards the grasses and Alice was to first to reach there.
“You lose!” she said to Doris. “You are not my equal” Doris was annoyed but she pretended she was not.
“Alright, I admit” she said.
Then they started to swim again. Suddenly, a group of lanky village hunters emerged from nowhere and came to the same stream to swim. Alice and Doris did not see them in time. As the hunters were coming towards the stream, one of them saw the sisters and stopped. He quickly beckoned the rest and whispered, “Look at these extraordinary beautiful beings”
One of the hunters cleared his throat gently and said, “Today is our day”
“Wait a minute” said another hunter, “I heard a story, a very long time ago, that extremely beautiful and extraordinary beings usually bathe in this stream at this time of the day. So, if we must bathe in the stream, we must do that gingerly and quickly”
“That’s true” said another hunter. “There’s some sense in what he said”
“Wait, wait, wait, is that one, by the left, not Alice, the daughter of late Francis?” one of the hunters asked after a short while.
“That’s her and the other one may be her sister or her friend” remarked another hunter. Another one scratched his head and said:
“These girls are sweet to the eyes, I must say the truth” “That is exactly what I want to say” another hunter remarked.
The hunters noiselessly started to walk towards the stream. Midway to the stream, one of the hunters cleared his throat and said:
“Let me say my mind, these girls shall not go untouched” “Exactly” replied some of the hunters.
In a short while, the hunters approached the stream and shouted: “Yeeeee!!”
Alice became afraid. She turned and said to Doris:
“Doris, we are trapped!”
But Doris wasn’t afraid. She only turned and said to Alice:
“Keep quiet, I know what to do”
The hunters started to laugh.
“What do you think you can do?” one of them asked. “Of course, there’s nothing you can do and there is no way for you to escape”
Alice started to shiver. She wanted to step out of the water but Doris swam up to her and whispered: “Don’t move”
“Don’t move? Shall we continue to stay in the water and for how long?” asked Alice.
“Don’t move, Alice, don’t move” Doris repeated.
Some of the hunters went into the stream, clustered at one corner and started to murmur. The rest were some metres from the stream. After a long period of murmurings, one of the hunters inside the stream scratched his beards, pointed to Alice and said:
“You, yes you, I choose you, come forward”
Alice started to beg the hunter. She looked at Doris and said, “Doris, what should I do? These people are up to something. What exactly should we do now?”
“Don’t beg anyone. Just relax and think” Doris said. Alice started to shiver again.
“You, yes you, I said that you should come forward” the hunter repeated.
“I’m afraid, Doris, I’m afraid. These people are up to something. Honestly, I’m afraid” Alice said this time with a tremulous voice.
“Don’t be afraid” Doris assured.
Then they continued to stay in the water waiting for the hunters to go away but the hunters did not want to go away. Instead, one of them looked sideways and saw Alice’s clothes. He got out of the stream and picked them up.
“Doris, they’ve taken my clothes!” Alice cried.
“Don’t worry, I know what to do” Doris said.
Suddenly, one of the hunters, some metres from the stream, hissed and exclaimed:
“Look, I’m not here for child’s play!”
With that, he pulled off his clothes quickly and dived into the stream. Then he gleefully started to swim towards Alice. Instantly, another hunter pulled off his clothes, dived into the stream and started to swim towards Doris impatiently. In a moment, Doris and Alice were surrounded.
“Doris, what do you think? What do you think! These men are approaching us. What do you think? Oh!” Alice cried. She became increasingly afraid as the distance between them and the hunters started to decrease.
“Alice, are you deaf? For God’s sake, do not be afraid” Doris reassured.
Now the hunters were just about a metre from Alice and Doris:
“Go back!” Doris shouted at the hunters.
“We won’t!” the hunters retorted.
“Go back all of you!” Doris shouted again.
“No way!” the hunters retorted again.
“I said that you should go back!” Doris shouted once more.
“No way! We must not go back!” the hunters retorted.
Doris snapped her fingers and said: “Okay, let’s see!”
The hunters snapped their fingers too and said:
“Let’s see!”
In a flash, Doris submerged. She quickly swam towards the hunter that was swimming towards Alice and blocked him underwater. The other hunter that was swimming towards her stopped abruptly and started to swim towards Alice too. Doris, still underwater, engaged in a little fight with the hunter. Tactfully and purposely, she slid her hands into the hunter’s underpants and stretched his organ to a breaking point. The hunter struggled to set himself free but Doris did not want to let go her hands. Instead, she submerged him deeper in the stream. When the other man saw what was going on, he quickly turned and swam out of the water. The other hunters dropped Alice’s clothes and ran away. Doris and Alice started to swim again. They finally got out of the stream, picked up their clothes and went home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Inside his room, Douglas and Spider were discussing and laughing over their past operations. They also rehearsed the plan. After a while, Spider stood up and asked:
“Dog, please where can I go and urinate?”
Douglas opened the door and pointed to a certain place. Spider left. In a moment, Theresa entered the compound with a basketful of cocoyams. She was returning from the farm. Eric went to her and told her that Douglas and Doris returned but that they returned with a stranger. Theresa was so happy that she bumped into Douglas’ room at once.
“Douglas, my son, when did you return?” she greeted. Douglas went and embraced her for a long
time.
“Oh, mama you are welcome. We returned today” he said.
“Oh, thanks be to God. How was your journey?”
“It was wonderful, very wonderful”
“You are welcome home, my son”
“Thank you, mama”
“Eric said you returned with a stranger…?”
“Yes…but…actually, he is not a stranger”
“I see. Where is he?”
“He went out”
“Okay. You are welcome once more”
“Thank you”
“Emm…but where is Doris?”
“I think she is sleeping”
Theresa cleared her throat. Then with an unusual voice, she asked:
“My son, I hope all is well…?”
“Yes mama, all is well. All is well, but em…there is a little problem” Douglas answered. “A little problem?”
“Yes, but it is a mixture of good news and sad news”
“A mixture of good news and sad news?”
“Yes, but don’t worry mama, we will discuss that later”
“Alright” said Theresa, “But my ears have started to itch” Then she opened the door and left.
In the evening, Theresa went into the parlour and called Douglas to discuss with him. She was a bit anxious to know what the little problem could be. Spider came out from Douglas’ room and sat beside
Douglas mentally rehearsing the plan. Alice also came out from the kitchen and sat beside Spider. Doris, who had been sleeping, also came out. Theresa was then forced to change the topic she had wanted to privately discuss with Douglas. She turned to Doris and said:
“Doris, you slept for a long time”
Doris smiled. After some time, Douglas introduced:
“Mama, this is that friend of mine Eric called a stranger. His name is Smart” “Oh, you are welcome, my son” Theresa said to Spider. Spider said: “Thank you, mama”
A brief period of silence followed.
“Welcome, my children, you all are welcome. Emm…Doris, how about Gladys and her family?” Theresa asked after some time.
“They are all fine” Doris replied.
“Glory be to God. You look so fine and healthy. Oh thanks to Gladys and her family”
Douglas signalled to Spider quickly. Another brief period of silence elapsed. Theresa then cleared her throat and began:
“My children, you are all welcome. You see, I am getting old and I can’t see properly but I can see your bright faces are beaming with hearty smiles. Our people say that the frog…”
“Mama!” Douglas interrupted. “Your words are always full of proverbs and loaded with deep proverbs. Please try to withhold them now, we did not return with a proverb-interpreter”
Theresa continued:
“Em…Doris, my daughter, em…isn’t there anything for me from Gladys and her husband?”
The question hit Doris like a blow. She thought quickly and said:
“We will discuss that later, mama. There’s a hanging matter I would like us to discuss now” “A hanging matter?” Theresa asked.
Spider and Douglas exchanged glances. Doris drew closer to Douglas and mumbled: “Douglas, it’s over to you” Douglas cleared his throat and commenced with the plan:
“Em…mama, without wasting time, let me go straight to what brought us home. I can see you are anxious to hear that and, as you said, your ears have started to itch. Once more, this is Smart, a very good friend of mine. He is a successful business man…”
Spider adjusted his shirt. Theresa looked at him and said:
“Welcome my son. You are welcome once again”
Douglas winked at Spider quickly. Then he continued:
“So mama, to start with, your friend, Gladys had been very cruel to Doris. One of my friends, who lives in the same yard with them, noticed that and reported it to me. One day, I decided to go and visit Doris. When I reached there, I discovered that Gladys had locked her up and left for an unknown place. I gave someone my address to give to Doris when Gladys might have released her. Few days later, Doris came to my house and reported that Gladys sent her packing empty-handed…”
“Empty-handed? You mean Gladys sent Doris packing empty-handed?” Theresa asked in disbelief.
“Yes, she sent her packing empty-handed. It was this Smart, my very good friend, that helped us” Douglas continued. “He sent Doris to school; he took her to the market and bought some beautiful wears for her. He also started a little business for Doris and had been caring for her up till this moment. In fact, he had been helpful to us”
Theresa looked at Spider again and said:
“Oh, thank you my son, may God reward you abundantly”
Spider nodded and said: “Amen” “Don’t worry, mama. You shouldn’t thank me for doing such a little thing like that for Douglas, a very good friend of mine. So, don’t thank me”
“I must thank you, my son, I must. In fact, I don’t know what to say but I must say that God will reward you” Theresa said. Then she turned to Doris and asked:
“Doris, is it true that Gladys did all those things to you?”
“Yes mama, it’s true. If not for Smart, I wouldn’t have been able to survive. Please help me to thank him…” Doris replied.
“Ha! Gladys. Ha, ha, haa!” Theresa exclaimed. She sighed and shrugged. Spider winked at Douglas quickly. They had planned that he would roughly chip in his intention to marry Doris at this point.
“Well mama, I think Smart has something else to say…” Douglas said after a while. Theresa sighed again and turned to Spider:
“My son, I don’t know that you have been so kind to my children especially to Doris. Thank you very much. God will surely reward you. Do you still have something else to say?” Spider adjusted his shirt again and began:
“Thank you mama for giving me this opportunity. Once again, my name is Smart, a very good friend of Douglas. Your son, Douglas, is also very good and kind to me. In fact, we have been two close and inseparable friends. So, when he told me about Doris and her plight, I was so much touched that I almost cried…”
“Oh, my son. Oh…so Gladys could do this kind of thing to me? Ha! Gladys, ha!” Theresa interrupted. Spider heaved a sigh and shook his head.
“Mama, you haven’t heard anything yet. Just allow him to finish” Douglas chipped in. Doris was silent. Spider sighed again and continued:
“Well, mama, I have studied Doris and discovered that she is a wise and well-behaved girl. I am convinced that she would make a good wife. Therefore, with all due respect, I have decided to come and seek her hand in marriage…”
Theresa was shocked. She looked askance at Douglas and Doris, and then to Spider. Doris beamed a smile but Douglas was speechless. There was a long period of silence. Alice was greatly annoyed at Spider’s intention to marry Doris. She had wished that he would marry her because she was older than Doris. She was so angry and disappointed that she hissed loudly and left the parlour. Theresa did not know what to say. She looked in turns at Doris, Douglas and Spider; then at Douglas, Spider and Doris, also at Doris, Spider and Douglas, then at Spider, Douglas, Doris and finally at Spider, Doris and Douglas. She cleared her throat and said:
“Smart, my son, please could you excuse us for a while?”
“Alright,” Spider said. He got up and left the parlour. Theresa cleared her throat again and asked:
“Doris, did you hear what he said?”
“Yes mama, I heard him” Doris answered.
“What do you have to say? Do you agree with him?”
“Yes mama, I agree” Doris answered.
“Are you sure, my daughter?”
“Yes mama, I’m sure”
“I see. Douglas, what do you have to say?”
“Well, I – I - em…I think that we should allow him to marry Doris. He had been a very good friend of mine for so many years. He is a trustworthy, industrious and successful businessman. I think he is the right person for Doris – nothing more, nothing less”
Theresa faced down, thought for a while, and called Alice. But Alice did not respond because she was fuming with rage.
“Alice!” Theresa called again.
“Yes mama” Alice then answered from the kitchen.
“Please come quickly”
Alice stopped cooking and entered the parlour. She was pounding a little quantity of dried pepper in the kitchen.
“Emm… Alice, what do you have to say about Smart’s marriage proposal to Doris?” Theresa asked. Alice hissed and looked away disinterested.
“Alice mama asked you a question!” Douglas barked. Alice stirred a bit.
“Well mama” she began, “I think Doris is being too fast. You see, I think that I should have married before her going by the tradition and custom of our town. Have you forgotten that?” Theresa snapped her fingers and exclaimed:
“This is a hidden thorn, a real thorn! Douglas what do you have to say?”
Doris was disappointed and Douglas felt like disappearing from the parlour because he had not informed Spider of anything like that before. He did not say anything. (The customs and tradition of their town stipulate that that a girl in a family must not get married until after her elder ones have gotten married unless the elder ones traditionally permit her to do so. In some cases, a certain period of time must elapse before the next girl gets married).
“Anyway, Douglas go and call Smart” Theresa said after a while. Douglas went out and met Spider in his room.
“Spider, Spider, there is a snag!” he shouted.
“What? What snag?” Spider asked impatiently.
“Spider, I’m afraid…”
“Dog, what is that?”
“By tradition, Alice must get married before Doris. For goodness sake, our plans have flopped!”
“Oh my God!” Spider exclaimed. “Haven’t such nonsense been abolished? What do I do now?”
“We must reconstruct our plans immediately!”
“Dog, what do I do?”
“Think, think, think and think fast!”
“Dog, my brain seems to be blocked like a congested gutter. I – I mean I can’t think again. The disappointment is too much. It is too much. Please think up another plan quickly” Douglas sighed. He thought quickly and began:
“Now listen, the next plan will go this way: You will tell my mother that you told me sometime ago that one of your friend wants to marry Alice. I will pretend that I forgot to tell Alice about the proposal and you will blame me mildly for forgetting to tell Alice about that earlier on”
“What if Alice insist on seeing the man before she permits Doris to go ahead and marry me?” “Alice cannot say something like that. She is a village girl and village girls are easily convinced.” “Alright Dog, I’m counting on you” Spider said.
Then they went inside the parlour. Theresa waited for some time and said:
“Alice, please repeat what you said before”
Alice was still fuming. She looked away and said:
“Mama, I said and still maintain that I must get married before Doris according to the custom and tradition of our town”
Theresa turned to Spider and asked:
“Smart, my son, did you hear that?”
Spider pretended to be shocked.
“Well em…” he said, “I think there must be a mistake. You see, I had told Douglas earlier on that one of my friends, a rich and successful businessman, wants to seek Alice’s hand in marriage. I think Douglas must have told you about that” Alice’s countenance improved a bit.
“Douglas did not tell me anything like that” Theresa said.
“Ah Douglas, why didn’t you tell your mother that one of my friends wants to marry Alice, your sister?” Spider rebuked.
“Please I’m greatly sorry” Douglas apologized. “I don’t know how it escaped from my mind. Alice, please I’m sorry. Anyway, I had wanted to take you by surprise but now Smart has made me to say it at the wrong time. I also forgot to tell you that the man would have followed us to this place but he went to the wharf to clear his consignment. I’m greatly sorry once again. Alice, please forgive me”
Alice smiled. Theresa continued:
“God, I thank you. Riches are gradually overtaking my poverty” Then she turned to Alice:
“Alice, my daughter, did you hear what Douglas said?”
“Yes mama”, Alice replied, “but seeing is believing”
“Well, my daughter, seeing is not always believing. I don’t think there’s much to talk about in this matter. The case is settled – but Douglas you have to bring the man here first before I agree to hand over my daughter to him. Like Alice said, seeing is believing. We must not ignore the custom and tradition of our land”
“That’s okay, mama” Douglas said, “I heard you”
Then Theresa turned to Spider and said:
“My son, I will be glad to have you as a son in-law, but let the will of God be done”
Douglas and Spider later left the parlour and entered his room. Alice left for the kitchen and Doris accompanied Theresa to visit one of her friends.
“We made it!” Spider exclaimed as they entered the room.
“I told you. Alice is a village girl. She is not always difficult to convince” Douglas said.
“Dog, I never knew that you’re so inventive and demagogic. Maybe, we might have made you our informant instead of Black Axe…”
“Hey” Douglas interrupted. “Forget about the gang now. I have no business to do with them again. Remember that our next plan is to withdraw from the gang”
“I agree with you” Spider said. “We must withdraw from the gang”
The next day, Theresa called Doris privately and asked her many difficult questions but she, as planned, answered all the questions correctly and convincingly. Douglas and Spider later went and planned with a man to come and act as if he was the one they told Theresa and Alice about. Alice was delighted as the man acted exactly as he was told. She later permitted Doris to get married to Spider. After some months, Spider did all the marriage formalities and finally got married to Doris.
