chapter 8: A place called home
1868 Words
The hallway outside Apartment 3B was quiet except for the tired sound of footsteps dragging across the cracked floor tiles.
Amara adjusted the strap of her worn handbag on her shoulder and sighed softly as she stopped in front of the door. Every part of her body ached.
Her legs hurt from standing all day.
Her back burned.
Even her smile felt tired.
The mall had been unusually busy, and dealing with difficult customers for hours had drained the little energy she had left. Yet somehow, standing in front of that old brown door always made the exhaustion lighter.
Home.
Even if home was a tiny apartment with peeling paint, a leaking kitchen tap, and bills stacked secretly inside a drawer she prayed her siblings never opened.
From inside, loud voices echoed through the apartment.
“Give it back!”
“I said no!”
“Jayden, if you touch my assignment again, I will actually beat you!”
Amara smiled immediately.
She hadn’t even entered yet, and chaos had already welcomed her.
The moment she pushed the door open, something tiny crashed into her legs.
“Amara!”
Jayden wrapped his little arms around her tightly like he hadn’t seen her in years instead of hours.
Amara laughed softly despite her exhaustion and bent down to carry him.
“You’re still awake?”
“You brought food?”
“Wow. Welcome first, greedy child.”
Jayden grinned shamelessly.
Behind him, Maya sat on the couch wearing oversized pajamas while pretending to focus on her school notebook. Daniel was sprawled across the floor with headphones hanging around his neck.
The TV played loudly in the background even though nobody was watching it.
“Welcome back big sis,” Maya said.
Daniel lifted two fingers lazily. “Survivor has returned.”
Amara narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the messy living room.
Snack wrappers everywhere.
Jayden’s toys scattered on the floor.
One sock hanging from the standing fan for some unknown reason.
“What happened here?”
Nobody answered.
Amara pointed at the sock. “Why is there a sock on the fan?”
Jayden looked away immediately.
Maya burst into laughter.
“Your son was experimenting.”
“I was testing gravity,” Jayden defended himself proudly.
Daniel nodded seriously. “Future scientist.”
Amara stared at the ceiling briefly like she was asking God for patience.
Then she dropped Jayden gently and headed toward the kitchen.
“Did anybody cook?”
Silence.
Amara stopped walking slowly.
“You people have been home since afternoon.”
Daniel coughed awkwardly.
“We were doing some assignments.”
Maya nodded immediately. “Very important work.”
Amara blinked once.
Then twice.
“You couldn’t boil rice?”
Jayden raised his tiny hand proudly. “I drank water.”
Amara laughed helplessly.
“Unbelievable.”
She tied her hair into a messy bun before opening the almost empty fridge. A few tomatoes. Pepper. Half an onion. Eggs.
Enough.
Somehow, she always made enough.
As she started cooking, the apartment slowly filled with the comforting sound of sizzling oil.
Amara stood by the stove, one hand stirring the pot of noodles while the other rubbed the ache in her neck. Her feet hurt badly from standing all day at the mall, and the faint smell of expensive perfume from the clothing store still clung to her uniform.
A strand of dark hair fell across her face as she leaned forward to check the pot.
“Amara, don’t burn the food again o!” a female voice called from the sitting room.
“I heard you, Maya,” Amara replied tiredly.
Maya, her sixteen-year-old sister, sat cross-legged on the old couch in her school uniform, flipping through her assignment book while trying not to laugh at Jayden’s dramatic storytelling.
Beside her sat seventeen-year-old Daniel, still loosening his school tie while eating groundnuts from a nylon bag.
Almost immediately, Jayden dragged a plastic chair into the kitchen and climbed onto it dramatically.
“So yesterday at the mall—”
“Oh God,” Maya muttered from the sitting room. “It starts again.”
“It was very serious,” Jayden said proudly.
Amara shook her head while cutting onions. “You’ve been talking about it since afternoon?”
“He wants us to know he’s rich now,” Daniel replied.
“I am rich,” Jayden said confidently. “A rich woman bought me toys.”
“And then!” Jayden exclaimed loudly, nearly falling off the chair in excitement. “That big man just carried me like this—whoosh!”
He stretched his tiny arms wide for demonstration.
Daniel burst out laughing. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying!” Jayden protested. “Her guards were huge! Bigger than our landlord!”
“That part I can believe,” Maya muttered.
Jayden puffed his cheeks angrily before continuing.
“And she bought me toys! Real toys! Not bend-down-select toys.”
Daniel nearly choked on his groundnuts. “Wait… an actual rich woman bought you toys?”
“Yes!” Jayden yelled proudly. “And her handsome son too”
From the kitchen, Amara sighed. “Jayden…”
“What? She was pretty.”
Maya grinned mischievously. “So our sister met rich people ?”
“It wasn’t like that,” Amara replied quickly.
“She was not rich.”
“She smelled rich,” Jayden argued.
“That’s not a thing,” Maya replied.
“It is!” Jayden insisted. “Even her hair smelled expensive.”
Daniel burst out laughing so hard he rolled sideways on the couch.
“And then,” Jayden continued dramatically, “Amara almost fought somebody.”
Amara turned immediately. “I did not!”
“You were angry.”
“Because you embarrassed me!”
“He embarrassed himself,” Maya corrected.
Jayden gasped. “Traitor.”
Amara couldn’t stop smiling as she stirred the stew.
The truth was… today had been strange.
That woman at the store had been unusually kind.
And the little boy—
Something about him tugged at her heart. Maybe because he reminded her so much of Jayden.
Quietly emotional beneath all the stubbornness.
Still, she pushed the thought aside.
It wasn’t important.
Just another customer.
“Amaraaaa,” Jayden whined dramatically. “I’m hungry.”
“You’ve been hungry since birth.”
“Because I’m growing.”
“You’re growing into trouble.”
The room filled with laughter again.
A few minutes later, everyone gathered around the tiny dining table balancing mismatched plates.
Jayden immediately reached for meat.
Amara slapped his hand lightly.
“Pray first, greedy boy.”
Jayden sighed loudly like prayer was a personal attack.
After eating the first few bites in peace, Amara suddenly noticed Maya smiling at her phone.
A slow suspicious smile spread across her face.
“Maya.”
Maya froze immediately.
“Hmm?”
“Why are you smiling at your phone like that?”
Daniel looked up instantly.
“Ohhhh.”
Maya glared at him. “Don’t start.”
Amara leaned back in her chair. “Start what?”
Daniel grinned wickedly. “Our sister went on a date today.”
Jayden dropped his spoon dramatically.
“WHAT?!”
Maya nearly choked. “Daniel!”
Amara’s eyes widened in fake shock. “Excuse me?”
“It wasn’t a date!”
Daniel laughed loudly. “So holding hands under the school staircase is now educational?”
“YOU SAW US?!”
“Unfortunately.”
Jayden looked horrified. “Maya has a boyfriend?”
Maya covered her face with both hands. “I hate this family.”
Amara laughed so hard she almost spilled water.
“My innocent daughter has fallen.”
“Amara please.”
“What’s his name?” Daniel asked immediately.
“Nobody asked for your contribution.”
“How tall is he?”
“Daniel!”
“Does he have money?”
This time even Amara laughed harder.
Maya pointed angrily at all of them. “You people are so annoying!”
Jayden frowned thoughtfully. “If he breaks your heart, should I bite him?”
The room exploded.
Maya finally laughed too, shaking her head helplessly.
“He’s actually nice,” she admitted quietly.
Daniel placed a hand on his chest dramatically. “It’s over. Our baby is in love.”
“I AM NOT IN LOVE!”
Amara wiped tears from laughing too much.
God.
She loved moments like this.
Moments where they forgot how hard life really was.
Moments where they sounded like a normal family again.
Then Jayden suddenly pointed at Daniel.
“At least Maya went on a date. Daniel skipped school.”
Dead silence.
Daniel slowly turned toward him.
“You little snitch.”
Amara’s smile disappeared instantly.
“You skipped school?”
Daniel avoided eye contact immediately.
“It was just for today.”
“Daniel.”
“I went to work.”
Amara frowned deeply. “Again?”
“It was only a few hours.”
“You’re supposed to be in school.”
“And you were supposed to still be in college.”
The words escaped before he could stop them.
The air changed immediately.
Maya looked down quietly.
Jayden blinked in confusion.
Daniel closed his eyes briefly. “Sorry.”
Amara didn’t speak.
Daniel swallowed hard before continuing softly.
“I just hate watching you struggle alone.”
Amara looked away.
“You work every single day,” he continued quietly. “You barely sleep. You’re always tired. Sometimes you pretend you already ate just so we can eat more.”
Maya’s eyes became watery instantly.
Daniel’s voice cracked slightly.
“You already sacrificed your life for us.”
Amara’s chest tightened painfully.
Years ago, she had been a university student worrying about assignments and exams.
Then one phone call destroyed everything.
Their parents were gone.
Just like that.
No warning.
No preparation.
One moment she had dreams.
The next moment she had hospital bills, crying siblings, and responsibilities too heavy for nineteen-year-old shoulders.
She remembered leaving school quietly.
Packing away her textbooks.
Promising herself it was temporary.
Yet years later… she was still here.
Still struggling.
Still trying.
Amara looked at her siblings carefully.
Maya.
Daniel.
Jayden.
Everything she lost suddenly felt worth it.
She reached across the table and flicked Daniel’s forehead lightly.
“Did I ever complain?”
Daniel looked up slowly.
“You think taking care of you people is a burden?”
“No…”
“You’re my family.” Her voice softened. “I would do this again a thousand times.”
Maya wiped her eyes quickly.
Even Daniel looked emotional.
Then Jayden spoke innocently.
“So… nobody is angry that Maya kissed somebody?”
The entire room froze.
Maya’s jaw dropped.
“JAYDEN!”
Daniel fell off his chair laughing.
Amara covered her face helplessly.
Jayden blinked innocently. “What?”
Maya threw a spoon at him.
“You tiny demon!”
Jayden screamed dramatically and ran around the apartment while everybody laughed so hard tears filled their eyes.
And for that moment…
Inside that tiny apartment filled with noise, laughter, and love…
None of them felt poor.
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