UYAI ✔️

Uyai (three)

It was mid afternoon and like all other times he had company, many came all the way from their homes to escape their wives and some came for the addicting game of Draft, while they placed unnecessary bets. Others came to argue their Chieftaincy title, who was deserving of it or not. Sometimes he often wondered why they always called on their dead forefathers who they'd never even met while they argued. It wasn't long before he heard them rain profanities at each other. 

Ete Affiong shook his head.

Despite the rowdy atmosphere, he still felt it was serene and like always smelled of wood and other pungent smell that came from the occupants of his front yard. The smell of snuff filtered through the air reminding him of the lone man at the corner sniffing away with glazed eyes. Again the sweet smell of palm wine greeted him erasing every other smell.

"How is Mama Affiong?" His best friend the renown palm wine tapper asked, after downing a large gulp of palm wine leaving some to trail down the sides of his lips. They sat opposite each other with the game of Draft separating them.

"She is faring well. Ah you have been outnumbered!" Ete Affiong exclaimed as he took out his opponent's stone, his eyes pointedly looking at the almost emptied spots that once had his opponent's stone.

"Chai... You caught me unawares. But you should know I still have an advantage here." The palm wine tapper forced a grin, his eyes looking intently at the bored as if wishing for  a miracle to happen, hanging on a single thread of hope, his king which he tried to place in an advantageous position. He gulped loudly, hoping it'll sway Ete Affiong off his track.

Ete Affiong smirked as he observed his game. He had two gateways and also a  loophole which he hadn't failed to notice. Of course he kept silent not giving away his knowledge of the fact that whatever move the palm wine tapper made, it had him at a disadvantage granting  Ete Affiong the victory like always.
"Indeed?" He furrowed his brows in concentration as he curiously observed his work and his opponent's pretending to be unaware of the game he had purposefully set to guarantee his win.

Hmmm...

"Let us make this interesting...Let us make a bet." Ete Affiong finally said and leaned forward towards the still half smug and half petrified looking palm wine tapper while raising a daring brow.

"A bet? Wouldn't your wife disapprove?" The palm wine tapper paused and shot him an indecisive look but Ete Effiong maintained a steady front, a look that told him he was serious.

"What she doesn't know won't kill her my friend." Ete Affiong smirked. 

"Okay...if you say so. Name your price" he relented after a second thought.

"One week of free Palm wine." Ete Affiong belched out, his left hand caressing the bottle of palm wine he held, while his right hand held the wooden cup which was filled with palm wine.

"Really? Isn't it always free? Íbod affàna fi?" what was wrong with his friend? As long as he could remember, he always brought free palm wine. How narrow minded was his friend that he couldn't even tell the palm wine clutched in his hands which was heading towards his mouth was free.

"Ha! But not your best. This time I want the full bottle every day for a week." he said in between large gulps of the said palm wine.

"How is that possible? I only tap once a week." he glared at Ete Affiong as if his head had grown wings. "You must be drunk out of your mind, name another prize. I won't settle for that." he shook his head

"Very well ." Ete Affiong hiccupped "A hectare of your land then for the new set of wonder yams I am going to plant." he finished and wiped his mouth with his wrist.