Amara

CHAPTER 1----Boyfriend at 16??!

The shouting started at exactly 4:12 p.m.—the kind that made neighbors consider minding someone else’s business.
“I’m telling you, you are too young for this nonsense!” Daniel snapped, pacing the living room like an overworked security officer.
“I am not too young!” Amara fired back, folding her arms. “You’re just dramatic and jobless!”
“Jobless?!” Daniel stopped mid-step. “I’m 24, not your mate!”
“You behave like one,” she said. “Always shouting like a broken generator.”
“At least I’m useful! You? You’re here texting somebody’s son like it’s a full-time career!”
Before Amara could respond, their mother walked in.
“What is going on here?” she asked, looking from one to the other.
“Mummy, ask your daughter,” Daniel said immediately. “I saw her texting one boy. When I asked her, she said he’s her boyfriend. Boyfriend. At 16!”
Their mother blinked once.
“And so?” she replied calmly.
Daniel froze. “And… so?”
“Yes, and so?”I heard you very well,” she replied, dropping her bag. “She said she has a boyfriend. The sky did not fall.”
“I can’t believe this,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re supporting her?”
Amara smiled slightly. “Thank you, Mummy.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” their mother said. “I haven’t finished.”
Daniel threw his hands in the air. “Mummy, she is sixteen! At that age, she should be reading her books, not dating somebody’s son that probably doesn’t even know his WAEC number!”
“And you,” their mother turned to him, “when you were sixteen, were you reading only your books?”
Daniel hesitated. “That is different.”
“How is it different?”
“I’m a boy.”
Their mother raised an eyebrow. “So foolishness now has gender?”
Amara laughed. “Exactly!”
Don’t laugh!” Daniel snapped. “This is not a comedy show!”
“It actually is,” their mother said, sitting down. “Because the same person who used to press phone under blanket at night is now forming moral police.”
“Mummy, that was research!”
“Research? On who? Somebody’s daughter?”
Amara burst out laughing. “Research ke!”
Daniel groaned. “You people will not understand. The world is dangerous now. Boys are wicked!”
“And you are what?” Amara shot back. “A saint?”
“I’m a reformed citizen!”
Their mother raised an eyebrow. “Who reformed you? Was it me or heartbreak?”
Silence.
Amara clapped once. “Mummy, 1 – Daniel, 0.”
Daniel pointed at her. “Don’t let me start with you. You think having a boyfriend is achievement? What does he even do?”
“He’s a student!”
“Ah! Two students dating each other. So who is sponsoring who? Love or garri?”
“Mummy!” Amara protested.
Their mother sighed, finally stepping in properly. “Okay, enough. Both of you, keep quiet.”
They both fell silent—though Daniel was still breathing like he wanted to file a complaint with the United Nations.
She looked at Amara. “You. We will talk about this boyfriend matter later.”
Amara nodded slowly.
Then she turned to Daniel. “And you. Reduce your volume. You’re not her father.”
Just then, the front door opened.
Their father stepped in, dressed for work, holding his car keys.
“What is all this noise?” he asked.
Daniel’s face lit up immediately. “Ah! Finally! A reasonable person has arrived.”
He pointed at Amara. “Daddy, you need to hear this. Your daughter is saying she has a boyfriend at sixteen, and Mummy is supporting her!”
Their father frowned. “What?”
“Yes!” Daniel continued. “Please explain to them. Let them hear sense today.”
Their father turned to their mother. “Why would you support something like that? She’s still a small girl. Sixteen? That’s too young.”
Daniel nodded vigorously. “Thank you! Finally!”
Their mother scoffed. “Small girl? What do you mean by small girl?”
“She is sixteen,” their father repeated. “She shouldn’t even be thinking about boys.”
Their mother folded her arms. “Please. When I was sixteen, I knew exactly what I was doing.”
Daniel coughed. “Mummy…”
“And you,” she continued, pointing at her husband, “why are you trying to cage the girl? A child you cage too much will want to escape.”
Their father frowned. “That’s not the point.”
“It is the point,” she said firmly. “Whether we like it or not, she will still have a boyfriend. So is it not better she does it openly where we can see, guide, and correct her?”
Daniel shook his head. “No, no, no. I don’t support this at all.”
Their father nodded. “Exactly. Not under my roof.”
Their mother turned sharply. “Excuse me? What do you mean ‘not under your roof’?”
“I mean exactly that,” he said. “My daughter will not be dating at sixteen.”
Their mother laughed dryly. “Oh really? You? Saying this?”
“Yes, me.”
“Have you forgotten what you were doing at sixteen?” she asked. “Or should I remind you?”
Daniel slowly turned to his father. “Daddy… what were you doing at sixteen?”
Their father cleared his throat. “That is not relevant.”
“It is very relevant,” their mother said. “You were worse than this your son here.”
“Hey!” Daniel protested.
“And now because you have suddenly become a saint,” she continued, “you want to act like she cannot have a boyfriend?”
Their father sighed. “That’s not the issue.”
“It is the issue,” she insisted. “She will have a boyfriend, and we will know everything about it.”
At this point, sides had clearly formed.
Amara stood beside her mother. “Exactly.”
Daniel moved closer to his father. “We are not agreeing to this.”
“Yes, we are,” Amara shot back.
“No, we are not.”
“Yes, we are.”
“No—”
“Enough!”
Amara suddenly raised her voice, surprising everyone.
They all turned to look at her.
She sighed. “This is getting too much. Everybody is shouting, nobody is listening.”
The room fell quiet.
“Fine,” she continued. “If everybody has a problem, let’s just settle it properly.”
Daniel folded his arms. “How?”
“Let him come,” she said.
“Who?” her father asked.
“My boyfriend.”
Silence.
“Let him come to the house,” she repeated. “You people can see him, talk to him, ask him questions. Then you’ll know the kind of person he is.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes. “Hmm. That one makes sense small.”
Their father nodded slowly. “Alright. That is reasonable.”
Their mother added, “Yes, let’s see him.”
Daniel smirked. “Good. What’s his name?”
Amara hesitated slightly. “Tobi.”
“How old is he?” their father asked.
“...Nineteen.”
There was a pause.
Then suddenly—
“NINETEEN?!” their mother shouted.
Everyone jumped.
“A nineteen-year-old boy following my sixteen-year-old daughter?” she exclaimed. “What kind of nonsense is that? Is he mad?!”
Daniel blinked. “Wait… weren’t you just supporting—”
“Don’t confuse me!” she snapped. “This one is different!”
Their father folded his arms. “Now you understand.”
“That boy must explain himself!” she continued. “We need to see him. Properly.”
Daniel nodded. “Yes. Interrogation style.”
“Pick a day,” their father said. “Let him come.”
Amara sighed. “Fine. I’ll tell him.”
Their mother shook her head. “Nineteen years old… God will help us.”
Daniel leaned back, satisfied. “This is about to be very interesting.”
Amara rolled her eyes. “You people are doing too much.”
She turned to leave, then paused dramatically and faced Daniel.
“You know what?” she said. “This is a very sensitive issue. I’m going to my room to talk to my man.”
Daniel scoffed loudly. “Your man?”
“Yes, my man,” she repeated. “Something you cannot relate to… since your own girlfriend ran away.”
Their mother gasped softly. “Amara…”
But Amara wasn’t done.
“She left you because you’re a terrible person,” she added sweetly. “Let’s not forget that.”
There was a brief silence.
Then—
“Excuse me?!” Daniel snapped. “She did not run away!”
Amara folded her arms. “Oh? So she disappeared mysteriously?”
“I broke up with her!”
“After she told you to stop calling her,” Amara shot back.
Their father coughed to hide a laugh.
Daniel pointed at her. “At least I’ve been in a relationship before!”
“And failed,” she replied.
“Better than starting one that will fail!”
“At least mine hasn’t failed yet!”
“Give it time!”
“Daniel!” their mother warned.
Amara smiled in victory. “Exactly.”
Daniel shook his head. “Go and talk to your ‘man.’ Let’s see how long it lasts.”
“I will,” she said confidently, already walking away. “And you—try to heal.”
Daniel opened his mouth to respond but she had already disappeared into her room.
He stood there for a moment, annoyed.
“This house…” he muttered.