They all went in to commence the dedication of the child.
Rick went to walk along side Velmont who was wearing the outfit necessary to blow Rick's cover.
In order to prevent further problems, he talked as they walked.
"I case you didn't notice. I am trying to prevent my wife from knowing that I am in the union", Rick exclaimed softly in a tone he knew not even Thomas, who stood next to him could hear.
"So you are lying to your wife", Velmont then claimed seeing the urge for Rick to reduce his voice.
Velmont then continued by saying that he would never have done that to his wife, though he did not even have a wife.
Rick just said that he should reduce the way he speaks about him and his union days to his wife.
To him, the moment that he would tell his wife about his union days was yet to come.
He and Velmont spoke a bit more as they sat down.
As Rick looked around, he was impressed as well as he was distorted.
All the hardwork and the dedication looked as though it was prepared by a rather poor individual.
The place didn't look as flashy as he expected it to when he first got married to Mrs. Rick.
The hospital days had completely ruined their plans for this dedication day.
'At least we did our best. In 24 hours, we planned a decent dedication ceremony to this extent', Rick smiled to himself as he thought.
He looked towards his left and casually saw Mrs. Rick and Thomas sat beside him, his smile grew bigger as family company was the main thing Rick ever wanted.
As Rick began to get comfortable and clear his mind, a thought soon exploded in his head like a diffusable bomb.
He raised his head from the White not covered chairs and began to get that horrible realization about what Mrs. Rick had said towards his death.
Mrs. Rick tried as hard as possible to keep it in but her efforts were to no avail as at first glance you could notice her worry.
Thomas soon noticed Mrs. Rick and tried to calm her down while at the same time trying to calm Rick down.
Velmont just said nothing nearly falling asleep.
As the two couples were calmed by Thomas, they thanked him as they both cleared their minds and got happy for this monumental occasion.
The pastor prayed for the child for about an hour showering him with blessings and gifts. ("Yes, the child is a boy").
After a while of waiting, the parents of the child were then called on for naming.
In front of the hundreds of people that attended, Rick with his wife standing beside him holding the baby in her arms looked down at Thomas and smiled.
Then he spoke.
"It is an honor to stand here before you with my wife on my left side.
It was only days that I thought I might lose my wife, but to God be the glory. Here she is", an applause rained through the crowd.
"The child passed through the same fate. For two years I had waited to give birth. I longed to be a father and I was finally granted the opportunity.
Troubles came lots, the child even failed to breath, came first through the legs and was given birth to prematurely but neither my wife nor the child is dead", a huge applause rained through the audience in attendance.
"It is a miracle that when all hope was lost, this child turned a fate of destiny and lived. Therefore we name him Paul", Rick concluded with a smerk as the applause from the audience reached new heights.
Mrs. Rick was then brought up to the podium where she gave a speech and retired back to her seat.
The baby was given back to the pastor for coronation as after the service everyone left the venue.
All but Rick, Mrs. Rick and Thomas who made a deal with the church to tidy up after service so as to use the venue. Velmont was already long gone.
"Its getting pretty late, let's go", Thomas told the couple who just stayed in the corner discussing and sharing comments.
Finally, after about an hour of constant discussing and tidying up the area, they all went into the taxi and returned to the neighbourhood.
The next day, after a good night sleep, Mrs. Rick woke up first and dragged the baby from his multi-coloured crib into her arms.
Paul was now nine days old. The thought of accomplishing the dedication had truly satisfied the state of Mrs. Rick.
***********
After about a month, Mrs. Rick and Rick decided to visit Thomas.
Rick brought a few of the leftover souvenirs while Mrs. Rick brought along the baby.
It was the first time in years that the couple felt free.
From the moment that they stepped into the neighborhood, neither were truly settled. After that it was hospital visit and frequent shocks.
Thomas was the only who stuck by them through the whole experience.
He funded some of the hospital bills as well as he visited the hospital at separate intervals to check on Mrs. Rick and the baby.
One the reasons being why he was the first to know when Mrs. Rick had given birth to the baby as a boy.
Thomas as usual, when visited, invited them as he would do to every other neighbour.
Rick handed him the souvenirs as a way of saying thanks for his help.
Thomas, being a known man in the neighbourhood helped a lot of people.
Old folks, young folks, disabled, enabled, homeless, you name it.
He was respectful, kind, handsome and had a few wrinkles as he neared his late fifties.
He usually loved to stay indoors and enjoyed old artifacts and accessories, such that could be found around his house.
Rick and Mrs. Rick sat down for a quick talk as Thomas sat down to listen.
After the quick word, Rick and Mrs. Rick returned back home with Paul still being held tightly in Mrs. Rick's arms. Both had completely gotten their mind of the experience at the hospital.
"You love him don't you", Rick said smiling as he watched Mrs. Rick bounce the child around as if he was a ball.
"Could--", Rick was cut half way as his phone burst into its ringtone.
Rick's mood changed once he caught sight of the name that appeared on screen.
'Velmont', Rick muttered to himself as Mrs. Rick instantly grew worried by his sudden change of heart.
"Sorry, I have to take this", Rick commanded as he slowly walked out of the room.
Mrs. Rick disliked the fact that she supposed Rick was keeping secrets from her.
She took it up to herself to uncover the truth of the matter but worried not about it at the moment.
She shook it aside and continued to glavant with the child.
"What do you want", Rick then gushed out as if he was on braces.
"Just wanted to inform you that we are coming over. Me and all the other union members I could get in contact with", Velmont slowly added with a smug on his face.