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By Dr. Ivan Edwards

Koru storms in,

like a lion…

entering a savannah plain

he already owns.

He steals the air.

Big, strong.

Overbearing.

His eyes sweep the room.

He doesn’t greet Daniel.

Menacing.

He doesn’t greet Amara.

Angry.

He waves a finger

at Daniel Asaba

without uttering a word,

as if he were vermin.

Amara stiffens.

She doesn’t like

what she sees.

Daniel rises,

fists clenched.

He won’t just

sit back

and watch

a menacing big bully

push him around.

“I am Daniel Asaba,” he says,

angrily, with some pride

attempting to surface,

“son of Derrick and Monica Asaba—”

“Shut up,” barks Koru,

interrupting with contempt.

Nostrils flaring.

Like a lion denied its mate,

Koru steps forward,

towering.

“You speak only after

I give you permission,”

he speaks,

wealth and privilege

seasoned in a posture

that demands obedience.

He looks Daniel up and down

with contempt so fierce

it could curdle goat milk.

“You are nothing,”

he says.

“But a pitiful dreamer

who has entered territory

unreserved for him.”

Daniel’s jaw tightens.

His fists clench harder.

But he does not step back.

Koru smirks.

Daring.

He enjoys this,

watching lesser men

try to stand tall

with him.

Amara suddenly gets up

and steps between them.

Enough.

“Stop.”

Koru freezes.

He has never heard “stop” said to him.

Not even by his parents.

His eyes widen,

just a little.

Enough to show

Amara has startled him.

Amara steals the moment,

glaring at him.

“I am not your property.

I am not something you wave at

or command.”

The lantern trembles

and dances.

The air heats up

with tension.

Daniel is breathing hard.

Koru’s nostrils flare more.

The lion is appalled.

Silence arrives.

It lingers,

begging to stay.

Then a phone rings,

breaking the brief spell.

It is Daniel’s mother calling.

A motherly instinct has nudged

her heart.

She senses danger.

Daniel answers the incoming call.

His voice tries too hard

to keep his fear masked.

“Mother?”

Her worried

voice spills out.

“Daniel… come home,” she says.

“I feel something.

I feel danger.

Come home now.”

His face changes.

Fear.

Obedience.

He looks at Amara.

Their eyes talk.

The lion remains subdued.

Daniel darts out,

past Amara,

and past the frozen lion.

His footsteps sound

frantic and loud as he exits…

with the sound of his steps

dying out in seconds.

He is eaten up

by the night.

Silence lingers.

Amara unfreezes.

She dashes past a motionless Koru

and runs out into the night,

overwhelmed.

The lion is alone.

Breathing hard,

humiliated.

He digs out his cell phone

and calls Amara.

No answer.

He calls again.

No answer.

Then he

calls his mother.

Feeling unsure,

the lion needs

the great lioness.

She answers immediately.

“Yes, Koru, may I help you?” she asks,

calmly,

in a tone accustomed to power.

He explains everything:

Daniel,

the disrespect,

the confrontation,

Daniel and Amara leaving…

Silence returns.

Then she speaks.

“The royal gathering is coming,”

she says.

“You must look strong.

You must be in control.”

Koru breathes out slowly.

“And Amara?” he asks.

“She is running around

with that Asaba fellow… a nobody.”

Another round of silence.

Longer.

Heavier.

Then her voice returns,

soft,

dangerous.

“Do not worry,” she says.

“The men in the black car

will solve the problem

soon…

very soon.”

Koru closes his eyes.

Listens.

Accepts.

The night continues

its restless hum.

Daniel hurries home,

fear propelling his footsteps.

Amara runs to a friend’s apartment,

in Bugolobi,

the darkness swallowing her up.

Broken.

Love and tradition

wrestling for her.

Either the man she loves

or the man her clan demands

will take her hand.

Meanwhile… the night continues

to watch the city’s villains.

Even…

the black car,

with men in it,

starting its engine.

To be continued…

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