WHERE THE HEART FINDS HOME

Episode 1 — The Woman in Yellow The rain started just before seven on Monday morning. Not the gentle kind that made people smile and enjoy the weather. This was Lagos rain. Heavy. Unforgiving. The kind that turned roads into rivers, made traffic twice as terrible, and forced everyone who had somewhere to be to question every decision that had brought them out of their homes. Daniel Okafor sat behind the steering wheel of his Toyota Camry, staring at the line of vehicles ahead of him. He sighed. "Wonderful." His phone rang. He glanced at the screen. Mum. He answered reluctantly. "Good morning, Mama." "Daniel, where are you?" "In traffic." "Traffic? At this time?" "Mama, it's Lagos." "You people in Lagos always have an excuse." Daniel smiled. "What's wrong?" "Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to remind you that your aunt is coming this weekend." "I remember." "And your father wants you to be around." "I'll be around." There was a brief silence. Then his mother said, "And Daniel..." "Yes?" "Don't forget what we discussed." Daniel already knew what she meant. "Mama, please." "What?" "You know what." "I'm only saying that you're not getting younger." "Mum, I'm thirty-one, not sixty." "Thirty-one is not thirty-one anymore. Before you know it, you'll be forty." Daniel laughed. "Is that supposed to scare me?" "It should." "Mama, I have to go." "You're already going?" "I'm driving." "You and that your driving. Be careful." "I will." "And Daniel?" "Yes?" "Find yourself a good woman." He shook his head. "Bye, Mama." "God bless you." The call ended. Daniel placed the phone on the dashboard and looked at the traffic again. His mother had been on his case about marriage for almost two years. Every family gathering ended with the same questions. "When are we coming for your introduction?" "Do you have someone?" "When will you settle down?" Sometimes Daniel wondered if his family had forgotten that marriage was supposed to be a personal decision. He reached for his coffee. Then the traffic moved. He drove forward. Ten minutes later, it stopped again. Daniel looked at the time. 8:12 a.m. He was already late. He decided to pull over near a small café. Maybe a coffee would make the morning slightly less miserable. He parked and stepped out. That was when he saw her. She was standing at a bus stop across the road. She wore a yellow blouse tucked into a long black skirt. Her natural hair was packed neatly behind her head, and she held a small black umbrella over herself. She was beautiful. But that wasn't what caught Daniel's attention. She looked angry. Very angry. A danfo driver stood in front of her, arguing. "I told you, madam, this is where you entered." "No, I didn't!" "You entered at Yaba." "I entered at Ojuelegba!" The driver shrugged. "Same thing." "How is Ojuelegba the same thing as Yaba?" Daniel almost laughed. The woman pointed angrily at the bus. "I know where I entered. You can't just charge me anyhow." The driver waved his hand dismissively. "Madam, forget it." "No, I won't forget it!" People around them began watching. Daniel leaned against the wall of the café, quietly entertained. The woman eventually pulled out her phone. "Give me my money." The driver sighed and handed her a few notes. She counted them. Then she frowned. "You're still short." "Madam!" "You're short." "How much?" She told him. The driver shook his head. "Take what I gave you." "No." The argument continued. Daniel couldn't help himself. He laughed. The woman immediately turned. Their eyes met. Her expression changed. She looked directly at him. "You." Daniel straightened. "Me?" "Yes, you." He pointed at himself. "What's my offence?" "You were laughing." Daniel tried to keep a straight face. "I wasn't." "You were." "I was laughing at the driver." She folded her arms. "Really?" "Yes." "Why?" "Because he said Ojuelegba and Yaba are the same place." For a moment, she said nothing. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled. Just a little. Daniel smiled back. The moment lasted only a few seconds. Then a strong gust of wind came from nowhere. Her umbrella turned inside out. She gasped. "Oh, come on!" The umbrella flew from her hand and landed in the middle of the road. Without thinking, Daniel ran after it. He picked it up and returned it to her. She looked at him. "Thank you." "You're welcome." She examined the umbrella. One of the metal rods was bent. "Perfect." Daniel laughed. "At least you can still use it." "Can I?" "Maybe." She looked at him again. "Do you always laugh at people's problems?" "No." "You've laughed at me twice this morning." "That's because you're funny." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not trying to be." "I know." She shook her head. "You're strange." "And you're angry." "I'm having a bad morning." "I noticed." She looked at the time on her phone. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God." "What?" "I'm late." She quickly picked up her bag. "Where are you going?" "Work." "Where?" She looked at him suspiciously. "Why?" "I was just asking." "I don't tell strange men where I work." Daniel smiled. "Fair enough." She started walking away. Then she turned. "Thank you." Daniel nodded. "You're welcome." She walked toward the roadside, raised her hand and stopped another vehicle. Daniel watched her enter. He stood there for a moment. Something about her stayed in his mind. Maybe it was her smile. Maybe it was her confidence. Maybe it was the way she had argued with the driver like she was prepared to take the matter to court. He didn't know. He only knew that he wanted to see her again. But Lagos was a big city. The chances were almost impossible. Or so he thought. --- Three days later, Daniel walked into a small café in Yaba to meet a client. He was early. For once. He ordered his coffee and sat near the window. His client hadn't arrived yet. Daniel opened his laptop. He had barely typed two sentences when a familiar voice came from behind him. "Please, I said no sugar." Daniel froze. He knew that voice. He turned. Yellow blouse. Not the same one. But definitely her. She stood at the counter, arguing with the waiter. "No sugar," she repeated. The waiter nodded. "Yes, ma." She turned. Their eyes met. Her face changed immediately. "You!" Daniel smiled. "Me." She walked toward him. "The man from the bus stop." "The woman with the broken umbrella." She looked at him suspiciously. "You remember?" "Of course." She sat opposite him without asking. "I thought you were following me." Daniel laughed. "I work around here." "Really?" "Yes." She studied him. "Okay." "What?" "Nothing." "You don't believe me?" "I haven't decided." Daniel smiled. "What's your name?" She hesitated. Then she smiled. "Amara." "Amara." "Yes." "Nice to meet you properly." "We've already met." "I know." "So what's different?" "Now I know your name." She smiled. "Daniel." "How did you know my name?" "You told me at the bus stop." "I did?" "Yes." He laughed. "Then you remembered." "Maybe." For the next twenty minutes, they talked. Daniel learned that she worked for a real estate company. She learned that he worked in finance. She loved old Nigerian music. He loved football. She couldn't cook very well. He claimed he could cook. She didn't believe him. They argued about which Nigerian artist had the best old-school songs. They laughed. By the time Daniel's client arrived, he had completely forgotten about the meeting. Amara stood. "I have to go." "Already?" She smiled. "You'll survive." "Can I have your number?" She looked at him. "Why?" "So I can know if your umbrella survived." She laughed. "Nice try." She wrote her number on a piece of paper. "Don't misuse it." Daniel took it. "I won't." She walked toward the door. Then she turned. "Daniel?" "Yes?" "You still owe me coffee." He smiled. "I thought you just had one." "You watched me drink it." "Yes." "So?" She smiled. "I'll call you." Then she left. Daniel looked down at the number in his hand. For the first time in a long time, he felt excited about something he couldn't explain. He picked up his phone and saved the number. Amara — Yellow Blouse. He smiled. He didn't know it yet, but that woman was about to change his life. And three months from that morning, he would be sitting across from her, holding her hand and promising her that no matter what happened, he would never let her go. But before they got there, life had a few surprises waiting for both of them.