Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1495

Lowell asked, "Why didn't he leave?"

"He can't," the driver said. "He has to take care of his younger brother. They're orphans; their parents passed away a long time ago."

Lowell was surprised. "He's an orphan?"

"Yep. His father died before Diaz was even born, and his mother died in childbirth. Diana raised Diaz all by himself. It's just the two of them, depending on each other."

Lowell frowned. "How do they get by?"

"When they were little, they needed help from the neighbors. Now, Diana is the one helping everyone else."

"Diana is a hard worker. He raises over a hundred head of cattle and sheep, and sells them for money to support his family."

"His eagle is incredible, too. It catches fresh prey every single day."

"If the catch is small, Diana and his brother eat it themselves. If it's big, he shares it with the neighbors or sells it at the market for cash."

"Even without parents to rely on, Diana has raised his brother to be strong and healthy."

Lowell nodded in agreement. "That is impressive."

"He's not just capable, he's also very kind," the driver added. "Whenever the elders in the village need a hand, he never refuses. If he can help, he will."

Lowell asked, "How many families are still in the village now?"

The driver shook his head. "I don't know the exact number, but the town should have a record of it."

"Are they doing okay now?"

"Definitely better than before..."

The two chatted casually all the way to their destination.

At the entrance to the village, a few old men were basking in the sun. Lowell and the driver got out of the car to ask for Diana's house.

The driver shook his head. "Must be some kind of connection. I heard he came back from the outside and just went to live on the mountain. Once Diana got a little older, he started bringing him food regularly. In return, the man helps watch over Diana's cattle and sheep."

Lowell grew suspicious. "He came back from the outside?"

The driver nodded. "The story goes that when he was young, he went to the big city to make his fortune. He earned a lot of money, but then someone cheated him out of all of it, and he just... went mad."

A strange look flashed in Lowell's eyes. He expertly concealed his thoughts, bid farewell to the old men at the village entrance, and headed towards Diana's house.

Diana's home was a small brick bungalow, not much different from the others. It clearly looked like part of a newer housing development.

Lowell asked the driver to wait for him at Diana's house while he went up the mountain to find him.

The driver, worried about him, even handed him a stick for fending off stray dogs. "Just stick to the mountain path. Don't take any of the smaller trails; it's easy to get lost."

Lowell smiled. "Okay, I will."

After Lowell left, a few villagers came over to ask the driver about him. The driver repeated the cover story, "He's an outsider, here to see Diana's falconry. His boss's son loves eagles..."