The Land of Hope And Other Stories

                              Mberu’s Investiture
 
He was a son of the soil, a member of that clan; but he had
lived abroad for many years. And while abroad, he had made
money, the type that could bring improvement to his home
town. He had wed a comely wife that had borne him four
children all stout limbed, and he had bought a house and two
cars in the city. Then his kinsmen began to send him letters,
asking him to come home for a chieftaincy title. They said they
were proud of him. They said they had heard of all his grand
achievements and wanted to reward him. It was so they said
in their letters, the many they sent him from the village.  
 He showed the letters to his wife, a shrewd woman
named Faith; she had been his prop since their marriage and
her prayers had supported him in raising their children. She
was a teacher, and she had acquired wisdom from many years
of leading classes. It was said that she seemed to read into
people’s souls by looking carefully at them. Her husband never
made any plans without talking with her first. So when he
received those many letters from the village, he showed them
to his wife; he wanted her to tell him if he should go or not.  
 Faith read the letters carefully, and she sighed. She did
not feel her husband should go. She was afraid of the village
and its people....