Collins and Margaret have been married for fifteen years without a child. They have attended school and graduated together as friends, then as livers. When Collins proposed to Maggie, she had long awaited the day and now that it has finally come, she took it with all her might.
Every year, they'd both attended the Montenegro High School theatre of arts display as special guests. And now they look up to every other year with much enthusiasm. The previous year, the art students had presented cool music while another student acted a monologue on stage. It was an interesting sight to behold.
The fluffers field
Show me a man who keeps the scent of butterflies in his abode and I will show you a man who has the most treasured wealth.
A dwarf was seen saying these lyrics like a poem. Without fear of who's eyes looked his direction, he continued:
Now I see the silence in your faces, the one that comes from your soul, a confused state of the mind. Aren't butterflies treasure able to be kept as gold?
Everyone looked at the other person as if the answer to his question were on his forehead.
You have been caught of spying the face of you neighbour
The audience chuckled in laughter.
This year's stage play was quite enticing. The students acted well in their parts and that made it a memory that the audience won't forget in a jiffy.
When Collins and Margaret got home in the evening, having laughed out their heart as the picture of the rhetoric of the stage play flashed in their thoughts, they embraced each and in the warmth of their home made sweet love and dinner and continued.
Few weeks later, her early sickness ensued. It is her first time getting pregnant and she never knew. Collins was always by her side and she felt so relaxed. When the month ended and her monthly flow wasn't coming, she complained and decided to do a check up, using the Urine test tube and it came out positive.
Pregnant! This can be true.
Margaret talking herself out from the dreamy thoughts. She had to pinch her side to feel the pain and discover that she wasn't dreaming.
She wasn't going to give Collins the news yet. Quickly, when it was day break, she went to the old nurse in the maternity ward to check her health status only to be told she was right weeks gone already.
Collins was so happy when Maggie broke the news. It was the best news if the century as far as he was concerned. He called his friends from the office and church society to dinner. A dinner that he made by himself. A large he-goat was slaughtered. Barbeque, pepper-soup and dried meat were made from the slaughter.
He could not say anything in particular to friends as to why the dinner was held. Nonetheless, his emotion depicted everything.
Maggie is a strong woman. She decided not to listen to advice from older women to keep away from hard work. She had been seen walking in the morning and doing house chores despite her state.
One evening, when her pregnancy was ripe enough for delivery, she went to see how her oil bean tree was doing. It had been planted on the day she was married to Collins as a sign of her entry to his home.
As she looked at the tall oil-bean tree, her water broke. What could she do? Now that Collins isn't anywhere around. She walked bravely to their doorpost, picking the bag of delivery materials that had been bought in preparation for this time.
Maggie moved slowly to the maternity ward where she later was delivered of a set of triplets.
Before the arrival of Collins, she had already been cleaned up by the medical team. It was a time of happiness, or should one rather call joy for the couple.
Pia, Pearl and Pheby grew in no time. The three girls were fond of each other. They never were seen alone except in school.where they are in the same arms but different classes. Mr. Collins is so particular about the triplets.
When they graduated from college, he told them the tradition of himself and their mother always visiting the theatre arts display of Montenegro High School from the year they got married. That was about thirty years ago.
Pheby was the most artistic of the triplets. She could move her body in different directions while she stands. She has an unpleasant voice. Whereas, Pia could sing with a melodious voice like a canary and Pearl could act in any scene or script assigned to her.
Maggie and Collins were kitted in their black suits, the first time when their wards were mounting the stage. They both were expectant. When they arrived at the theatre, only a few guests who made the audience had arrived. So, they wasted no time sitting strategically where they will have a better view of the stage.
Lights out
A tiny voice from behind the stage sang, the voice was quite melodious that everyone kept silent, trying to pick every word from the song, where they gazed on, a dancer appeared on the stage. She could carry herself so elegantly but her costume hid her face that everyone in the audience could not tell who is who. But Collins and Maggie knew every step, the voice of their wards.
Plea for mercy. The beast has come to us like mortals with long nails and black patches in their eyes.
A voice from the back stage hammered.
Woe to the earth, this beast is among men. The meanest experience is awaiting all that fail to follow the path of righteousness.
With their eyes growing larger at the message of the presenters, the audience first muttered at one another, then had a standing ovation when the beast, a giant grizzly bear walked up and collapsed to a deep sleep as the sweet melody sang in secret as the mortals walked away unnoticed.
The audience gave a long round of applause as the play came to an end. To see their wards as active members of the crew, Collins and Maggie we're happy beyond reasoning.