The next morning, the house was calm.
Dayo woke up before everyone else. The sun was barely out, and a soft light came through the curtains. He walked to the kitchen, tied on an apron, and started making breakfast — eggs, toast, and tea, just the way his mom liked it.
One by one, his family came out of their rooms.
His mother smiled when she saw the food. "You woke up early today," she said.
"Yeah," Dayo replied, setting plates on the table. "Just wanted to do something normal."
They all sat together — his father, mother, sister Janet, and younger brother Jeffrey.
The air felt lighter than the night before. They talked about random things — how weird American bread tasted, how Janet cracked her phone screen again, and how Jeffrey still hadn't cleaned his sneakers.
Everyone laughed.
For the first time in a while, Dayo smiled like himself. He looked around the table and thought, this is what peace feels like.
After breakfast, they moved to the living room.
