Mark left them in that area where a significant number of Orag clan people lived. There were dozens of villages to cover today. Tomorrow she would somehow escape from Mark and Matthew to go and cover the villages inhabited by Isakh clan people. Meanwhile, the matrilineal culture of Orag and Isakh people empowers the youngest daughter to inherit the mother's property, while a lady is usually made the Chief of a family.
When Veronica brought up a suggestion about visiting only the elders as they did before, Matthew concurred. A little girl who was running beside them grabbed her, said something in an alien language and then pointed at one little mud hut. As he let go of the little girl, he started walking towards the house.
She asked, "What did you ask?"
He said, "Is there any old lady staying here?"
"Hmm, right."
They met the door of the house open on their arrival there. When Matthew knocked on the door, a white-haired, feeble-looking old woman with wrinkled skin appeared before them.
She acknowledged Matthew's greetings by smiling back which surprisingly revealed that her teeth were still intact.
Then Matthew requested Veronica to show the old woman Andrew's photo. Veronica promptly obliged, but he said something to the old woman whose gesticulation indicated a negative response. Before he could translate that, Veronica had already understood that the old woman did not know Andrew.
Matthew said to Veronica, "We should randomly make more enquiries in two or three more houses, before moving to the next village." She hesitated, but he encouraged her not to worry.
I know you will want to behave like a researcher, but this will be time-consuming. Let's just make everything snappy as we have to knock on not less than hundred more doors tomorrow." She gazed at him and said, "You need not worry. After two days our work will be done. We will cover almost all the Orag and Isakh villages around here. We won't be here then and there is no problem if people talk about us: two teenagers asking for a missing man and showing his photo."
But she was thinking about someone or something different. If I leave the cover, no doubt, I will be very fast; but it will attract some unwanted attention and that will be very dangerous. But if I am cautious, I will lose a lot of time: she reasoned.
Matthew said, "Decide something Veronica. Time is ticking."
"Hmm, your suggestion is better."
They went to dozens of houses in each village and showed Andrew's photo to the eldest member of the house and asked whether they had seen him in their entire lifetime. Whereas some could not see very well because of old age, others squinted at the photo for a very long time, thereby giving Veronica some hope, only for the same hope to be dashed almost immediately. This was a dauntingly frustrating task for her.
Matthew stated, "This is fun. They look long at the photo. I think they know the man, but they say nay. These elderly people surely have a sense of humour."
Veronica was so tired and frustrated that she needed a break – a joke or anything. She smiled and said, "But your sense of humour is very bad."
"Thanks mam," he enthused.
The duo had to cross a forest before they could get to the next village which Matthew immediately fell in love with, mainly because of its rich greenery of grass and trees. Then he stopped and spoke in a singsong voice, "I like this place, let's call it home. Be my bride and I'll be your groom." Then he revolved around Veronica almost dancing and continuing his song, "I love this place; let's build a house here. There's neither nothing to gain, nor lose."
"Is this some hit number," she asked giggling.
"Yes, and do you know who is the lyricist," he asked, jumping round Veronica like a monkey.
"No."
"The most famous, the dashing, the one and only, Matthew Mullohland."
She laughed and said, "I did not know that you are such a talented man. I mean, knowing so much of languages, singing, composing poems and this monkey dance."