"What of now, has he got another hubby?" Eddy inquired. Despite his fatigue, his face exuded pure joy. He had spent most of his life sitting and standing for extended periods was taking its toll on him. But the happiness he felt in that moment made it all worth it.
"Not! He's living the single life to the fullest!" Ben answered with a burst of energy, "The man is still grieving in regret of the ten million which he had just paid as dowry to the woman's family two days before the incident. He eagerly expressed his sincere appreciation to the woman's parents for nurturing his beautiful wife. He considered it an opportunity to convey his gratitude to them for their valuable contribution in raising a remarkable individual. He never knew the bodyguard would bring home the bacon in rescuing her and later overthrow him from his throne."
"I find this story quite intriguing," expressed Eddy confidently, "it bears a striking resemblance to that of a man I am familiar with."
"Story! Of a man you are familiar with? I like stories, my friend. Though they say he who tells you about others, tells others about you. I am not one of those. I always keep whatever I get from a friend a secret. So, please feel free to tell me about it."
On hearing his statements, Eddy became extremely scared. He thought Ben could have indirectly admitted that he was a good-for-nothing gossiper who rambled from place to place digging the dirt. His lips started freezing every time he opened his mouth to talk as if he was not a fan of gossip.
Ben lifted his head high on noticing his untold worries and spoke with unwavering confidence, "Do not be alarmed, for the truth is on my side. The public has spoken, and I have verified evidence to support my claims. I have no time to waste wandering around gathering information, but what I do know is indisputable and sufficient to silence any naysayers."
Eddy's eyes widened as he asked, "What credible source do you talk of?" "The Newspapers," replied Ben in a hushed tone.
"Hmm… Well! I get you, but I hope you are a hard-nosed speaker," Eddy commented.
"Absolutely! That is exactly how I would describe myself. Your words hit the nail on the head," Ben replied eagerly.
Eddy nodded shortly, then glanced into the sky, and when he looked down at the green cap in Ben's hand, a rooster crowed from a nearby home with a susurrant voice. The crackling sounds it produced were similar to that of a stolen rooster whose throat was clogged to prevent it from crowing.
Eddy could have been thinking much then he exclaimed with curiosity while looking in the direction where the rooster crowed, "Hey, hold on a second! Are you telling me that the newspapers are the real deal here?"
Ben was already stretching his head like a giraffe, looking in the same direction.
At the peak of their voices, many people were conversing in that place. Despite being far away, Ben still tried to eavesdrop on their conversation. Eddy noticed this and paused before speaking. He only spoke when Ben's attention was back to their location. "Hmm... I think you might be referring to the former governor of BN bank."
Ben's face lit up with a smile as he confidently placed the cap back on his head. "You are right! That is the exact guy I have been telling you about," he exclaimed. "It was all over the news, I mean, every TV station around the world had it on repeat. Even the presenters in non-English speaking countries gave it their best shot at translating it!"
"The whole world heard about him because of his bodyguard!" Eddy wondered.
"Yes, that's it," Ben said, smiling as he touched the cap on his head to check if it matched his bald head correctly.
Eddy wondered, "Don't you think that incident made him a global celebrity overnight? I mean, everyone's talking about it! What do you think?"
"Yes, I think he must have become one, but through a painful way." Ben eagerly agreed, and slid the spectacles onto his face, slightly below his eyes. He took a moment to adjust them perfectly and then looked around with a newfound clarity that left him feeling excited and invigorated. As he adjusted the spectacles, his eyes gradually lowered and he began to peer at Eddy through the tiny space beneath the frames, as if trying to study him more closely.
"Great," said Eddy, squinting at Ben's glasses. "I understand how you feel, but I believe the governor should show some appreciation to the bodyguard. After all, he made the governor famous worldwide in just one day! Don't you think world leaders could discuss this and perhaps even declare a public holiday in his honor?"
Ben was surprised. He kept grinning for a while before he could speak out. "Well! You talk of the bodyguard being appreciated. Didn't you hear the circulating rumor about the bodyguard's issue with the governor?"
"Rumor! Which rumor again? Ben, is it the one of salary payment that you talk of?"
"Exactly! Eddy, you seem to know everything. I don't understand why you pretend otherwise. Anyway, that's the one we were talking about. I heard that the governor owed his bodyguard twelve million. It's been circulating that the bodyguard claimed the governor hadn't paid him his salary for a whole year."
"That is too much!" exclaimed Eddy, " I hear many people say the bodyguard had earlier informed the governor that because of the money, he would do something so unique and important that would prompt him to pay all the active salary balance and even increase his monthly salary. Maybe what people ignored as lies has now been proven right."
Ben scratched his head and said, "I'm not sure if it's true, but these days I tend to ignore rumors. Even the one I'm about to share is particularly unbelievable."
White chalk dust-looking particles dispersed from Ben's head, and Eddy frowned. The former, however, did not realize and remained calm.
"Which one?" Eddy's words rushed out, betraying his discomfort. But he knew he had to make a decision quickly.
"It was hard to believe that nurse Ken was involved, but since rumors do not stray too far from the truth, I'm somewhat certain it could be true," Ben confessed.
"What are they saying about him?" Eddy asked incredulously. He couldn't believe his ears and was unsure about Ken's involvement.
Ben replied, "According to rumors, Ken supported the governor's affair, and the refusal of the governor's wife to return to him was allegedly attributed to Ken's deeds. The governor would spend a night away with another lady and return early morning the next day with a cannula on his arm on the pretext that he had been admitted unconscious at the hospital for a night. Ken was behind putting the cannula, and he would do it incorrectly when he was slightly drunk." He then throated, coughed, and scratched the hair on his head. "And when her wife discovered the trick, she was never the same. She didn't attain any maximal happiness till the incident occurred."
"My friend, did you know that rumors can be so misleading sometimes?" Eddy asked him with a hint of disappointment.
"Yeah, but to some extent they have been true," Ben partly agreed.
"To some extent! Do you know what people say about you? Do you think they are true?" Eddy inquired, and Ben just nodded.
Shortly, Ben wiped his face and remained calm while gazing silently at his Eddy. Suddenly, he said, "They say when I look at a person with my bear red eyes, the person dies. Did anyone die in this area, and people associate it with my red eyes? No, of course."
Ben removed the spectacles from his eyes immediately. As soon as Eddy caught sight of Ben, his heart almost leaped out of his chest. Ben's eyes were bloodshot and devoid of any life, sending shivers down Eddy's spine. He had heard countless negative stories about another man called Den in the neighboring village where Ben comes from, so he was so scared that Ben could be the one he had heard of, and maybe his name was not just pronounced well.
Nothing had prepared Eddy for the sheer terror he felt at that moment. It was as if the entire atmosphere had turned cold and eerie, leaving him on edge and gasping for breath.
"Hey, I have a visual impairment and struggle to see clearly without my glasses," Exclaimed Ben, "however, some people have made hurtful comments about me, claiming that I am a dangerous individual when I am not wearing my glasses. They have even gone so far as to say that I am more harmful than a toxic substance because my medium is light, rather than a solid or liquid. Can you see my eyes?"
"Yes," Eddy responded with a hint of fear and asked Ben, "Excuse me, are you Den, the one whom everyone in Jokon village talks about?" while maintaining eye contact with him.
"Exactly! I am the one. Den is the most well-known name in my village, but my full name is Den Ben. Outside my village, I only use Ben because I am also interested in interacting peacefully with other people. That's why you and your friends know me as Ben," he replied enthusiastically while putting his spectacles back on. "Head home and even inform your wife that if you die, my eyes are the real cause of your death."
Eddy became even more afraid that fear ran down his spine, with a sharp pain like an electric shock. His bladder also became filled with urine straight away, and before elapsing a minute, the need to micturate had aroused in him.
"It's fine," Eddy replied in a subdued tone. When he pushed his hand in his pocket to remove a handkerchief that he wanted to use for wiping sweat from his face, the hand became so heavy that after exiting the pocket, the trouser was left lopsided to the right, and he shivered uncontrollably.
Ben turned slowly and looked in either direction through which the road ran, and then another fear got Eddy taken aback. Ben became so agitated with Eddy's strange appearance that made him thought Eddy could easily collapse and faint before him. Who was to blame? His words had never been kind, and they were all emotion-provoking. Ben's name would rock the area, and everyone would prove his eyes' killing.
Ben underwent a second thought and asked soothingly,
"My friend, for so long we have been discussing without fully recognizing one another's identity. Now that you have known me and my name in detail, may I also know your full name please?"
"I am Eddy Mukili," he replied while breathing in deeply.
"Oh! Eddy, it has been nice talking to you. I always hear your name 'Eddy Mukili' among the best mathematicians in this area. I never knew you were the one people usually talk of."
"Well, what you hear may be right. To cut a long story short, I have been the secretary of Mar Savings Group, (MSG) for seven years. After I had worked for a year, the group could not find any minor mathematical errors, and they just decided to do away with the election of secretaries. I am therefore the standing secretary. Since then, many groups have hired me to help balance their books.
After some time, a few people appeared over a distance, chatting as they retreated from the scene of Don's military actions and headed to the main road. When the two men saw them, Eddy immediately said, "I am no longer interested in letting those people find me here. Can I leave, please?"
"It is well. We can depart. It's good we have known one another. I know people and their behavior. If they are to find us here again, we may change their topic of discussion and may even become the next topic." Ben supported the idea.
"Wow! That is great. See you soon, bye!" Eddy held Ben's right and warmly embraced him.
"Go well, see you soon," replied Ben, tapping Eddy's back.
Ben later retraced his route while Eddy proceeded.