Chereads / The landlord of Mankayane [Novel] / Chapter 10 - Part 2 (4)

Chapter 10 - Part 2 (4)

The young man listened to Mr. Paddy and was appeased by his words. He looked at the baby that the landlord was carrying and found him very cute. He laid his hands on the infant's head and wished him a great destiny.

The baron was pleased by the young man's kind gesture toward his heir, so he questioned him about his name.

"Siyabonga." He replied, then asked the landlord how he could help them. 

Mr. Paddy explained to him that their vehicle ran out of fuel and they needed to go back to his manor in Mankayane as fast as possible for the kid to be breastfed by his mom who was certainly worried about why they hadn't returned home yet.

Siyabonga told the baron that it wasn't a big deal at all because he lived nearby and had a huge reserve of carburant in his house, which he used to refill his bike and his Jetski to navigate on the water of the Ngwempisi river.

He thereupon suggested that the landlord, his servant Lungelo  and the newborn wait for him in the log cabin in front of them while he drove quickly home to pick the fuel up and he would come back in a light speed. 

Therefore, the young man hastily mounted his two-wheelers, started the engine and departed for his residence.

Siyabonga out of their sight, Mr. Paddy and his servant Lungelo walked up to the log cabin which looked vacant. 

They inspected the outside to see if there were any sign that people were occupying the shelter. 

Though they were convinced that there was no dweller, Lungelo knocked at the egress before turning the handle from the left to the right to open it.

The inside was dark. Lungelo told his Master who was standing with the sleeping toddler at the doorstep to hold on while he searched the interior in the hope to find a lantern.

He marched in the obscure cabin and strolled blindly his hands in every corner. He even made unidentified objects fall on the ground. 

And when it seemed there was no luminant, Mr. Paddy suggested his servant to check under the bed, for he kept one in the same hideout in his private apartments at the manor house in Mankayane.

Lungelo thought the idea of his Master was brilliant. So he did as he was told. He located the bed at the right side of the log cabin's narrow space.

He put his right hand under and touched an object relatively big and in the form of a square. He pulled it out and it was a bit heavy.

He thereafter began to palp it and ultimately he felt a button that he pressed. A powerful light emerged from the apparel and lit the room.

Contentment invaded Mr. Paddy. He congratulated  his employee for his unwavering commitment and penetrated the cabin. The landlord locked the door before directing himself toward the bed.

He laid the snoozing infant on the mattress, then soothed the latter with the flowered bedsheet.

His servant Lungelo went to the left side of the shelter and was about to rest on the small couch but it was dusty. He thus looked for a cleaning cloth and grabbed one that was hung on the wall.

He tidied up the divan and jumped on it, badly exhausted and sleepy. He dozed right away, leaving his Master alone awake. 

Mr. Paddy sat on the stool near his son's bed and assured the security of the place while wondering when the young man with the bike, Siyabonga, would finally come back.

At the same time, the landlord heard the purr of a motor outside. Had he barely guessed it was probably Siyabonga, someone knocked at the door.