The park buzzed with soft laughter and the gentle hum of weekend life, children chasing kites, mothers with picnic baskets, and trees swaying like they too were enjoying the breeze.
Esther sat on a mat spread across the green field, her legs crossed neatly, fingers loosely wrapped around a bottle of juice. Her gaze shifted between Betty, who was chasing bubbles with a group of kids, and the soft sway of leaves above.
"Okay, when you said picnic, I thought you meant like, an outing on the beach or something," Dija muttered beside her, grabbing an apple from the basket of fruits. "Seriously, this is so boring. Sitting here watching kids have all the fun?"
"You can join them if you want," Esther offered, not looking away from Betty.
"I could," Dija said, crunching into the apple. "But then I'd go viral, and my mom would have a cardiac event."
Esther chuckled, shaking her head at Dija's signature dramatics. "Alright, next time I'll be more specific, picnic doesn't include waves and bonfires."
"You better," Dija said, smirking. "And you should also.."
Her sentence broke off at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Esther."
They both looked up.
Steven was walking toward them from the path, dressed casually in a polo and jeans, one hand holding that of a little girl, maybe six or seven, her beads clicking gently as she skipped beside him.
Esther rose slightly from the mat, her smile polite. "Steven. Hi."
"I didn't expect to see you here," Dija added quickly, eyeing him. "Wait, you're not stalking my friend, are you?" she said bluntly, ignoring Esther's discreet glance of warning.
Steven gave a small, disarming laugh, letting the comment roll off. "Not at all. I'm here with my niece. Her school's having their picnic today too."
He gestured to the little girl beside him. "This is Tima."
Tima offered a shy smile and a tiny wave.
"Well… good to know this is just coincidence and not some elaborate plan," Dija quipped, still studying him like a judge on trial.
Before Steven could respond, another voice chimed in from behind.
"There you two are. I've been looking everywhere."
An elegant woman approached, mid-thirties, confident, wearing a chic sundress and the kind of presence that made people take notice.
"Seriously, you two walk like you're being chased," she added with a playful sigh as she caught up.
"And who's she?" Dija asked immediately, sizing her up with practiced speed.
"Oh, orry," Steven said, stepping aside. "This is my elder sister, Adama."
Adama smiled and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."
"This is Dija," Steven continued, "and… Esther."
"Wait… did you say Esther?" Adama asked, her brows rising the moment she heard the name. Her eyes locked onto Esther with sudden recognition.
"You're the Esther from the photo Steven keeps in his safe drawer!" Adama exclaimed, eyes wide with cheerful excitement. She stepped closer, oblivious to Esther's hesitation. Esther blinked, caught between confusion and discomfort, unsure how to respond to something so personal, so unexpected.
"My goodness, I'm really glad to finally meet you," Adama continued, ignoring the silent gestures Steven was making behind her. "Now I understand why he insisted on coming today, after days of persuasion."
She scanned Esther with warm admiration. "Honestly, you're beautiful."
"Thank you," Esther replied softly, her smile polite but reserved as she looked away. The whole exchange felt off, too familiar, too forward. She hadn't come here for this kind of attention, and certainly not to build bridges with Steven's family.
"Seriously, Esther, you have to visit our house sometime. Our mother would be so relieved to finally meet the girl keeping her son up at night," Adama added, laughing. "He talks about you constantly, blabbering about you twenty-four seven. It's ridiculous."
Esther chuckled awkwardly, her smile barely holding.
Steven stepped forward quickly, placing a hand on his sister's arm, his face flushed. "Adama. That's enough."
But she only waved him off. "Oh, please. I think you two should get married. Now I understand why he cancelled his engagement."
Esther's gaze sharpened as Steven visibly tensed.
What Adama hadn't said, but what lingered in every unfinished sentence, was the truth that couldn't be ignored. Steven had left everything behind: his fiancée of three years, the apartment they shared, the comfortable job abroad that promised stability. All of it, discarded.
He had returned not for ambition, not for family, but for Esther.
And even when his mother had raged, when his uncles accused him of madness, Steven stood firm. The woman in his heart was here, and no one could talk him out of that choice.
Then, turning back to Esther with a playful grin, Adama added, "Help us out, will you? Just say yes, and I promise my family will be at your door to pay your bride price first thing tomorrow."
Esther's smile tightened, the awkwardness fully settled in now. "That's… flattering. But I'm married."
The words landed like a dropped glass.
A hush followed.
Adama blinked, her gaze falling to Esther's hand. She hadn't noticed the ring before. "Oh."
She glanced between the two, now visibly uncomfortable. "I, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things awkward."
"It's okay," Esther said gently, the warmth in her voice making it easier than it should've been.
"We'll… let you enjoy the rest of your picnic," Adama said with a small nod, her tone softer now. She took her daughter's hand and began walking off, noticeably quieter than when she had arrived.
Steven lingered behind a moment longer. "I'm sorry," he said, voice low, hands in his pockets. "She means well… just speaks way too much."
Esther gave a tight smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I can see that."
He let out a short chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll see you around."
She didn't reply, just nodded again, polite, reserved. Steven stood there for a heartbeat longer, as if hoping for something more, then turned and followed after his sister, the wind tugging at the hem of his shirt as he faded into the sea of families, balloons, and distant music.
The silence that settled between them was brief.
"Well, that was awkward," Dija muttered, popping the straw into a juice box she had snatched from the cooler. "I knew his presence was calculated. No man appears out of thin air at a random school park in jeans that crisp unless he has a motive."
Esther exhaled slowly, her gaze trailing after Steven. Her heart didn't race, not like it used to, but something about the encounter unsettled her more than she cared to admit. Maybe it was the past, nudging. Maybe it was the guilt.
"Dija," she started, shaking her head.
"I know, I know. You don't want to talk about it," Dija replied, raising her hands in mock surrender. "But just for the record, keep your heels planted. That man still carries a torch the size of a bonfire."
Esther forced a laugh, more out of courtesy than amusement.
Dija leaned in, eyes narrowing. "Anyway, let's shift gears. I heard Sarah was arrested."
Esther froze for a split second, subtle, but enough. Then she forced another small smile and reached for a grape. "Yeah," she said lightly, "crazy, right?"
Dija tilted her head, watching her closely. "You okay with all that?"
Esther kept her gaze on the children ahead, Betty chasing a balloon, another kid tumbling into the grass. "I'm fine," she said. Too quickly. Too easily.
Dija didn't push. But she didn't buy it either.
"Mm-hmm," she murmured, sipping her juice again. "You're the worst liar I know."
Esther gave a half-laugh. "Maybe. But it's just easier than explaining what I really feel."
Dija nodded, quiet for a moment. "Well, if you ever do want to talk… I'll be here. Judging, obviously," she added with a smirk. "But listening too."
Esther smiled genuinely this time and leaned her head on her friend's shoulder.
The wind blew a little cooler, rustling leaves and secrets alike, but for the first time that afternoon, Esther felt something close to peace, or at least the beginning of it.
"Esther mom!" a small voice called, pulling her back from her thoughts.
Betty came running toward them, two little girls trailing behind her, all three barefoot, giggling, grass-stained, and breathless from play. Behind them, a boy wearing a handmade paper crown strolled with exaggerated regality, holding a twig like a scepter.
"Esther mom, we're hungry," Betty announced, her cheeks flushed pink. "And King Musa wants a royal feast," she added, gesturing dramatically to the boy in the crown.
Dija nearly choked on her juice. "Did she just say King Musa?"
Esther laughed and stood, brushing crumbs off her jeans. "Well then, Your Majesty, we shall see what the queen has in her basket."
She began handing out mini sandwiches and juice boxes, setting them carefully on small plates while the children settled cross-legged on the mat like it was a royal banquet. Betty took her spot proudly beside the self-declared king, while one of the girls tried to balance a grape on her nose.
"You do realize this is how love story start right" Dija said, watching the kids squabble over the last cookie.
Esther chuckled, her hands busy. "You're impossible, they're kids. Let them be one without your imaginative thoughts."
Just then, her phone buzzed in her back pocket.
She wiped her fingers and checked the screen.
Ma Calling.
Her breath hitched.
She stepped aside, away from the giggles and crumbs, and answered.
"Hello?"
"Esther," her mother's voice came, low and edged with something strange. Not panic. Not exactly. But… not her usual tone either. "Are you busy?"
"Yes, a bit . Why?"
There was a pause, long enough to stir unease.
"I need you to come home," her mother said at last.
Esther straightened, the smile fading from her face. "Is everything okay?"
Another pause. Then, softly, "Just come. Please."
The line clicked. Call ended.
Esther stood frozen, the warmth of the day suddenly replaced by a chill that crept up her spine.
She turned back to Dija, her voice steady but her eyes uncertain. "Something's up. Ma wants me home… now."
Dija sat up straighter. "You want me to come with you?"
Esther shook her head. "No. Please stay and see Betty home after the picnic. She's having a good time, I don't want her worried."
"You sure?" Dija asked, already sensing the shift in energy.
"I'll be fine." Esther bent quickly, kissed Betty's head, and whispered something into her ear before straightening.
Then she grabbed her bag and walked off toward the outer gate of the park, the tension in her shoulders saying what her lips wouldn't.
Something was wrong.