Chapter 1 The Lemon Tree and the Last Goodbye

The morning began the way all good mornings should-with light pouring through the shutters like liquid gold, painting stripes across Tiara's bedspread. She could hear her mother humming in the kitchen, a tune that had no name but always meant safety. The smell of frying eggs and yam drifted through the house, mingling with the earthy scent of morning dew still clinging to the garden outside.

Tiara stretched, her small body reluctant to leave the cocoon of blankets. She was eight years old, and the world was still a place of infinite possibilities. School was out for the mid-term break, which meant days spent climbing trees, reading adventure books, and helping her father in the garden.

"Tiara! Come and eat before your food gets cold!" her mother called, her voice warm and insistent.

Tiara tumbled out of bed, her braids askew, nightgown twisted around her knees. She padded barefoot down the corridor, past family photographs that documented different achievements and celebrations-her first birthday, her parents' wedding, her father receiving a business award. Each frame was a testament to love carefully built.

In the kitchen, her mother stood at the stove, her wrapper tied expertly around her waist, her face glowing with the particular contentment of a woman who had chosen her life and loved it. She turned and smiled at Tiara, reaching out to adjust one of her wayward braids.

"Still sleepy, starlight?"

"A little," Tiara admitted, climbing onto her chair. She loved when her parents called her by her nickname. One time she asked what it meant, and her mother simply said "You are a city set on a hill that cannot be hid". Tiara smiled softly as she looked at the table that was set with care-plates arranged neatly, a small vase of fresh flowers in the center. Even ordinary mornings in this house felt ceremonial, intentional.

Her father entered, newspaper tucked under one arm, reading glasses perched on his nose. He was a tall man with kind eyes and a laugh that could fill rooms. He worked in import-export, a business he'd built from nothing, and Tiara loved the way he spoke about "integrity" and "character" as if they were tangible things one could hold.

"Good morning, starlight," he said, bending to plant a big fat kiss on the top of her head. "Big plans today?"

"I'm going to guard the lemon tree," Tiara announced solemnly. "Mama said I have to make sure no thieves come."

Her father chuckled, settling into his chair. "A noble mission. That tree is our family's pride. Do you know why I planted it the year you were born?"

Tiara shook her head, mouth full of yam.

"Because lemons are survivors," he said, his voice taking on the storytelling quality she loved. "They grow in difficult soil, weather harsh seasons, and still produce fruits. I wanted you to have a symbol-something to remind you that strength isn't about never facing hardship. It's about what you choose to become despite it."

"Can lemons be sweet?" Tiara asked, wrinkling her nose at the sore memory of accidentally biting into one.

Her mother laughed. "Not naturally, but with the right care-sugar, time, patience-you can make something beautiful from them. Lemonade. Lemon cake. Lemon tarts."

"Life is like that too," her father added, suddenly serious. "Sometimes you'll face bitterness, Tiara. But if you're patient and brave, you can transform it."

Tiara didn't fully understand, but she nodded anyway, filing the words away in the part of her mind where she stored important things.

~~~~~

After breakfast, her parents prepared for their trip to Oyo. Her father had an important meeting with potential business partners; her mother was accompanying him to visit an old friend who'd recently given birth. They'd planned to return by evening-a quick day trip, nothing unusual.

Tiara followed them around the house, trying to invent reasons they should stay. "What if it rains? What if the car breaks down? What if I get lonely?"

Her mother knelt, taking Tiara's face in her hands. "You won't be lonely. Mrs. Okafor is here, and you have your books and the garden. We'll be back before you know it-before the sun sets, I promise."

"But what if-"

"No more what-ifs, little one," her father interrupted gently. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Here's something sweet for you while we're gone. Don't forget-you're the guardian of our lemon tree. That's a very important job."

Tiara reluctantly accepted the chocolate, her worry not quite dissolved but manageable. She walked them to the car, the morning sun already climbing higher, promising a hot day.

Her father loaded a briefcase and a small overnight bag-just in case, he'd said-while her mother adjusted her headscarf in the side mirror. They looked so ordinary, so alive, so permanent. At that moment, it was impossible for Tiara to guess that she was memorizing them.

"Be good," her mother said, blowing a kiss through the open window.

"Guard the tree," her father added with a wink.

The car engine rumbled to life. Tiara stood by the gate, waving as they pulled away, watching until the car disappeared around the corner. The dust settled. Birds resumed their songs. The world continued as if nothing had shifted. If she had only knew, she would have hugged them tightly and breathed in their familiar scent one last time. But no one ever planned ahead to lose their loved ones.

Tiara walked back to the lemon tree and sat beneath it, opening her storybook. The tree's shadow was cool and comforting. She read about princesses and dragons, heroes and quests, imagining her own adventures. Hours passed in that golden, liminal space children inhabit-where time is elastic and the boundary between reality and imagination blurs.

~~~~~

By mid-afternoon, clouds gathered-unusual for the season. Tiara watched them with a child's superstition, wondering if her earlier worry had summoned them. Mrs. Okafor, the housekeeper, called her in for lunch, but Tiara barely tasted the food.

"They'll be home soon," Mrs. Okafor said, though her voice carried a tremor Tiara didn't understand.

The afternoon dragged. Tiara tried to distract herself with drawing, but her pictures came out wrong-trees that looked like scribbles, houses that wouldn't stand straight, colorings that refused to stay within the lines. She returned to the garden, to the lemon tree, pressing her small hand against its rough bark as if it could offer answers.

Sunset arrived in shades of orange and purple, painting the sky with false promises of beauty. Still, no car pulled into the driveway. Tiara's stomach knotted with a feeling she couldn't explain.

When the gate finally opened, she ran towards it but slowed down when she realized it wasn't her parents. Instead, neighbors began arriving-Mr. Taiwo from three houses down, their church Pastor, her mother's friend Aunty Femi. They faces didn't look so good.

Mrs. Okafor met them at the door, and Tiara heard fragments of whispered conversation: "...highway... trailer... instant..."

The words didn't make sense until Aunty Femi sat her down, tears streaming down her face, and tried to explain. "Your parents... there was an accident, Tiara. They... they're with God now."

The world tilted. Tiara shook her head, certain this was a mistake, a misunderstanding. Her parents had promised to return before sunset. They never broke their promises.

"No," Tiara said frantic. "They're certainly coming back, right? They promised!"

But as the house filled with mourners, as women began wailing and men stood in grim clusters, reality pressed in like water, drowning her disbelief. Her parents were gone. This morning's goodbye had been final, and she had not known it. Or maybe she had, maybe that was why she was so adamant on them leaving. Was it possible that she had sensed it?

That night, Tiara lay in her bed, dry-eyed and hollow. Outside, the lemon tree stood guard as it always had, indifferent to human tragedy. She slipped out of the house and sat beneath it, pressing her face against the trunk.

"They said you're strong," she whispered to the tree. "Teach me how, it's your turn to defend me now"

As though her words resonated with the tree, a lemon fell beside her-perfectly ripe, impossibly bitter. She picked it up, squeezed it until juice ran down her hands, and tasted it. The sourness made her eyes water, but she didn't spit it out. Instead, she let the bitterness coat her tongue, an initiation into the life that waited beyond childhood's end.