Chapter 2 — The Umbrella That Started It All
1299 Words
For the next two days, Daniel couldn’t stop smiling.
He smiled while delivering bread.
He smiled while bathing.
He even smiled when his father shouted from the bakery, “Daniel! Did you burn the bread again?”
Normally, that kind of shout would make him panic, but this time, he just laughed it off. Because all he could think about was Amelia — the girl with the yellow umbrella and a smile that refused to leave his head.
He had looked at the small paper where her number was written so many times that the ink had started to fade. Each time he pulled it out from his pocket, it felt like holding a secret piece of sunshine. He wanted to call her — really, he did — but every time he tried to dial, his heart would start racing like it was running from a police siren.
He kept asking himself, “What if she doesn’t remember me? What if she gave me the wrong number?”
So, he waited. And while he was still gathering courage to make that call, fate decided to surprise him again — this time with something small, yellow, and familiar.
It was early morning. The sky was dull and gray, heavy with clouds that promised another stubborn rain. The smell of wet earth filled the air, and people were already walking briskly, hoping to beat the downpour.
Daniel, with his usual bread box balanced carefully, walked along the same street where he’d first met Amelia. As he approached the small bookshop, his eyes caught a flash of yellow at the corner.
He blinked once. Then twice.
“No way…” he muttered, squinting.
There it was — the umbrella.
The very same one that had betrayed her that day.
He picked it up gently, brushing off the dust. It looked a bit bent, one side still refusing to close properly. Yet, seeing it made him grin like a man who had just found gold in his backyard.
“Perfect excuse,” he said to himself, smiling. “I’ll return it… and maybe return to her heart too.”
The only problem was — Amelia’s house wasn’t close. He didn’t even know where she lived. But Daniel wasn’t one to give up easily, especially not when love had just begun whispering.
He walked from street to street, asking questions. The first person he met was an elderly woman roasting corn by the roadside, her wrapper tied firmly and smoke curling lazily around her.
“Good morning, ma,” Daniel greeted, bowing slightly out of respect. “Please, do you know a lady called Amelia Brooks?”
The woman eyed him suspiciously for a moment before replying, “Which one? The tall one that walks like a model or the small one that smiles too much?”
Daniel chuckled. “The one that smiles too much.”
The woman’s face softened. “Ah! You mean Grace’s daughter. Their house is the blue gate down the street. But if you see one woman shouting, don’t run. That’s her mother.”
Daniel laughed nervously. “Noted, ma. Thank you.”
He found the blue gate easily enough. It looked freshly painted, with flower pots arranged neatly in front — a sign that someone inside loved beauty. He took a deep breath and knocked gently.
No response.
He knocked again.
Still nothing.
Just when he was about to knock a third time, the gate swung open — and standing before him was a woman whose expression could silence a crowd. Her face was stern, her eyes sharp, her hands folded across her chest like a school principal waiting to scold a late student.
It was Mrs. Grace Brooks — Amelia’s mother.
“Yes? What do you want?” she asked, her gaze dropping briefly to the bread box Daniel carried.
Daniel cleared his throat. “Good morning, ma. I’m… I’m Daniel. I came to return this umbrella. It belongs to Amelia.”
Mrs. Brooks raised a brow. “Umbrella? How did my daughter’s umbrella end up with you?”
Daniel smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “Um… rain fell. And, uh, she shared my roof. Not house roof o! Just… small bookshop roof.”
Her frown deepened. “Rain fell and she shared your roof?”
Daniel panicked immediately. “Not like that, ma! It was a Christian kind of sharing!”
Before Mrs. Brooks could respond, a voice echoed from inside, “Mama, who’s that?”
Amelia appeared — wearing a long T-shirt, her hair messy from sleep, and her face filled with surprise.
“Daniel?” she gasped. “You came here?”
Her mother turned sharply toward her. “So you know him?”
Amelia scratched her head, smiling awkwardly. “Um… He’s the bread guy, Mama.”
“Bread guy?” Daniel whispered under his breath. “Ah-ah, so that’s my name now?”
Mrs. Brooks sighed deeply. “So you’re the bread guy that shares roofs with my daughter in the rain.”
Daniel almost melted into the ground. He held up the umbrella helplessly.
“Ma, I swear it’s just umbrella ministry.”
Amelia burst into silent laughter, trying not to worsen his situation.
Mrs. Brooks collected the umbrella, muttering under her breath, “These boys of nowadays. Rain must not touch them before they turn evangelists of love.”
Just as Daniel turned to leave, a loud, playful voice came from across the street.
“Amelia! Who’s that fine boy at your gate?”
It was Aunt Brenda — the neighborhood drama queen. She stood there in her wrapper, wearing only one slipper, and holding a steaming bowl of pap like it was a microphone.
“Come here, young man!” she shouted. “I need to see your teeth before I can trust you!”
Amelia groaned. “Aunt Brenda, please don’t start.”
Daniel, trying to be polite, turned and greeted. “Good morning, ma.”
Aunt Brenda grinned mischievously. “Ah! So this is the boy who gave you smile fever since last week, eh?”
Amelia’s eyes widened. “Aunty!” she hissed, embarrassed.
Mrs. Brooks groaned, “Brenda, please, not this morning.”
But Aunt Brenda was just getting warmed up. “Let the boy talk! I want to know if he plans to buy bread or marry the baker’s daughter!”
Daniel nearly dropped his bread box.
“Ma! I just came to return umbrella!” he blurted out.
Aunt Brenda laughed so hard she almost spilled her pap. “Umbrella? My dear, no man returns umbrella unless he wants to borrow the heart!”
The whole compound burst into laughter — except Mrs. Brooks, who had already turned around, shaking her head and muttering something about “children of this generation.”
Amelia leaned closer to Daniel, whispering through her giggles, “You better run before Aunty asks for bride price.”
He smiled back. “Too late. My heart already paid half.”
Her eyes widened, and for a moment, everything around them faded — the noise, the laughter, the morning rush. It was just the two of them, standing there, hearts talking louder than words.
Then Aunt Brenda clapped her hands dramatically. “Ehen! See romance in my compound this early morning! I’ll fetch water to cool this love down!”
Daniel finally walked away, his steps lighter than before, grinning all the way home.
The rain didn’t fall that day — but something else did.
Something warm, steady, and deep poured quietly inside both their hearts.
They didn’t know it yet,
but that yellow umbrella wasn’t done with them.
It was going to bring sunshine… and storms they never expected.
To be continued… ☔❤️
- Writer
