A HOUSE FULL OF ALMOSTS

A NOVEL A House Full of Almosts Some dreams aren’t lost, they’re just waiting for the right time, the right people, or a braver you. by Hope F. John & Rita O. Nkereuwem 1

DEDICATION To every heart that has ever stood at the edge of “almost” — almost loved, almost chosen, almost home. This book is for the ones who still believe that the right time can arrive late and still be perfect. And to the quiet bravery it takes to try again when the checklist of almosts feels longer than the list of victories. — For the dreamers who refuse to let “almost” be the final word. 2

APPRECIATION Writing a story about second chances, unfinished dreams, and the courage to return required the kindness, patience, and wisdom of many people. We are deeply grateful. To our families — who watched us disappear into late nights and early mornings, who listened to endless drafts, and who never stopped believing that this story needed to exist. Your love is the real house we return to. To our early readers — the friends who held the manuscript when it was still fragile and told us the truth with gentleness. Your feedback shaped the heart of this book. To every person who has ever almost given up — on love, on a dream, on themselves. You are the reason these pages exist. May you find the bravery this story tries to honour. To the quiet places — the kitchens at 2 a.m., the long drives, the empty houses that still hold echoes of laughter. Thank you for the inspiration you never meant to give. And finally, to each other — for the partnership that made writing about partnership possible. Two pens, one story, and a shared belief that “almost” is never the end. 3

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Hope F. John Hope F. John is a storyteller who believes the most powerful stories are the ones that sit quietly in the corners of ordinary lives. Raised between the vibrant streets of Lagos and the quieter rhythms of the East, Hope writes about identity, longing, and the invisible threads that pull people back to what they once left behind. When not writing, Hope can be found collecting old house keys, listening to highlife records, and arguing that every good story needs a little rain. Rita O. Nkereuwem Rita O. Nkereuwem is a writer and observer of the human heart. Her work explores the spaces between people — the things left unsaid, the almosts that shape a life, and the quiet courage required to begin again. With roots in both Nigerian soil and diasporic longing, Rita brings a dual perspective to stories of home, belonging, and second chances. She believes that the right house can sometimes teach us who we are meant to become. Together, Hope and Rita created A House Full of Almosts from a shared conviction: that some of the most important journeys are the ones that lead us back to the places — and people — we thought we had outgrown. This is their first novel written as a partnership. It will not be their last. 4

CHAPTER 1 The Key That Never Turned The house stood at the end of the street like a question that had never been answered. Amara Okoye sat in her car for a full seven minutes before she found the courage to open the door. The late afternoon sun of Lagos painted everything in gold and longing — the kind of light that made even ordinary things look like they were waiting for something better. She had driven past this street three times already that week. Today, she had finally stopped. The house was still beautiful. Not in the loud, showy way of the new estates that had sprung up around it, but in the quiet, deliberate way of something that had been dreamed into existence. Wide windows. A sloping roof. A front porch that still carried the memory of evening conversations that never quite happened. The paint had faded in places. The garden had grown a little wild. But the bones of the place remained strong. Amara’s…