Best Friends For Never Read online

Best Friends For-never

  By Sunday Eyitayo Michael

  Copyright 2015 Sunday Eyitayo Michael

  I

  It was an unusually cold evening yet as I watched Achoma passing by, happily smiling with her new best friend, my brain fried like plantain chips and I sweated profusely.

  'Hi' she said casually without even looking as she walked past me in ecstasy.

  'Hello' I responded in a calm sober voice, though she had passed already.

  That was all we usually say now, 'hi, hello', like acquaintances.

  I could sense that feeling of partial uselessness once more and as her body spray danced around my nostrils, 'she could do without me' was all I thought. It's being over a year now since we indirectly dissolved the friendship yet each moment I see her, it feels like it was just the day before. Tears rolled down my cheek, I knew I had missed it all and bitterly, I murmured curses at Gift and myself.

  Achoma was not the first friend I made when I entered into school, Gift was.

  II

  This was how I met Gift-

  It was two weeks before my matriculation and I walked around the premises of Ahmadu Bello University, glad I had gotten admission into such prestigious institution. It was obvious I was happy, anyone else would be. I knew I could now raise my shoulders when I walk down my streets at home just like all those that had gone before me.

  As I walked in front of my faculty, I stumbled over a stone with my left leg.

  'It signifies bad luck' grand ma would say,' any time you experience such, be careful with decisions you make or take, it might produce bad results.'

  'That's superstition' I said to myself laughing silently like a freshly detained psychiatric patient. I dared not believe such in this twenty-first century, after all, all decisions taken must always produce either good or bad results.

  I raised my head and behold, before me, I saw an alarming beauty, her smile alone made me stagger.

  'He... l... lo' I said almost immediately I could get myself together and catch a breathe. I was shocked I did. I was the shy type, I never make friends easily.

  'Hi' she replied and the smile on her face vanished gradually, so did my words.

  'Err... err... I’m Mike' I stammered in a whisper as I did not know what else I would have said and how else I would have said it so I stretched my hand forward for a handshake.

  'Okay' she replied, pretending as though she had not seen the hand that was stretched towards her. I smiled and dropped my hand but turned to look around if anyone was looking. A few eyes did saw that and I could clearly see smiles of mockeries on their faces yet I did not mind but continued what I had started, though just to cover the shame.

  We talked for a while and soon afterwards, we became friends, exchanged numbers and called each other quite frequently.

  Matriculation came by and we took pictures, ate and drank together.

  Though we were quite close, yet I didn't feel the connection of true friendship, it was like a 'forced friendship'.

  III

  Until-

  Once I was to go home on Easter break, she couldn't go because her house was quite far from school.

  'Make sure you bring goodies for me when you return oh!' she said as she walked me to the park.

  I did not forget, it even echoed several times in my head but what I would bring for her became an issue until I came back to school empty handed. She got angry, but never said a word. Since then, whenever I called her cell phone, she would not pick or even reply my text messages. Therefore, my friendship with Gift ended, or rather had a break.

  I neither felt bad nor thought much about it; rather, I went on my normal duties as though I never had a friend.

  Months on months went by, yet all the people I knew were acquaintances, none was close enough to be called friend until after a mathematics test, I failed woefully, it was unlike me because mathematics was usually my favorite course.

  IV

  Then, Achoma came-

  I walked down the tarred road, with my sad face, straight and focused, and then suddenly, I saw myself smiling. I could not tell what made me smile at first, but I knew I saw something that could bring so much joy. I looked again and it was a girl on the other side of the road. Her beautiful black face shone beneath the sun, I could not tell which was brighter; the sun or her face, her eyes were a rare kind; very pretty kind, lovely black long hair and her teeth sparkled the moment she smiled, although the smiles were not directed to me but I smiled back.

  'Comot from road' an old woman shouted from behind me, tapping me violently. I was in the middle of the road already unknowing to me, and I rushed across.

  'Thank you ma' I said to the woman after I had crossed successfully.

  'No thank me, next time just look where you dey go, no allow woman kill you' she said and walked away whispering what I could hardly understand to herself, I was sure it was about me though. Even the old woman noticed! I screamed within, was it that obvious? How could I have being so transparent? I asked myself and tried to scold myself with a self-given knock on the head.

  I could not talk to her, I did not want to make a friend that would last for just a while and then get separated just like Gift and I. Friends are supposed to be forever. I walked away but I could not help but to think of her daily and I promised myself that when I become her friend, I would never forget to buy her goodies whenever I go home on breaks.

  Two months later, I went for an event, just as I walked past the door, I saw this same girl on stage, acting as an angel. 'They picked the right person for that role', I thought as I smiled to my seat.

  The drama was over but I could not tell what it was all about because my concentration was totally fixed on her.

  'What group of people organized this event?' I asked the person sitting beside me when we were about leaving.

  'The engineering student fellowship' he replied, I could see slight look of surprise on his face.

  The next week, I joined the ushering unit of the fellowship not even knowing what it was all about. All I knew was that, I was an engineering student and a Christian.

  I made my text message the first she sees when she wakes up and the last she sees before she sleeps as soon as I got her phone number.

  'Meet me outside the class' she texted me one evening and thoughts ran through my mind. 'Could it be she have accepted to be my friend?' was the dominant question my mind asked me because she smiled at me a day before.

  'I would prefer you stop texting me' she said in a low melodious tone and immediately I could audibly hear the sound of cracks from my heart and I went away regretting I ever met her but yet still promised myself not to give up on her.

  Time went by and gradually, we became closer, I later knew that she was not just beautiful on the face but also at heart and I loved her. Achoma was her name; I was the only one that called her that, everyone else calls her either Jessinta or Echon.

  Weeks went by and we just kept getting closer. I could tell she liked me too even when she turned me down at first and that was why I had promised never to give up on creating friendship between us both.

  After about four months, we became almost inseparable; she became my best friend. A day never passed by that we would not speak to each other, whether over the phone or physically, except we intend to fall sick that day and we made sure we had unnecessary quarrels at least once a week; it made us closer too.

  V

  It went on like that a long time until-

  I began to feel too comfortable about our friendship, unnecessarily, I began to annoy her yet she remained the one who kept apologizing so I felt she could not do without me. It was childish; I must admit to have thought that I was indispensable to her.
r />   I wanted to change my acts towards her, I wanted to be the best person she have known but that was when Gift showed up again, more beautiful, though it could not compare with Achoma's beauty.

  She apologized for the wrong she did. Since I was already very close to Achoma, I had almost forgotten her value, I believed even if I went away from her, just like the prodigal son, I would be taken back when I return so I agreed to Gift's plea.

  Her coming back seemed more promising as we had same likes and shared same passion; she loves to write, so do I but Achoma loves to act drama. My foolish mind did not make me realize that Achoma and I were more compatible with related passion than with same.

  'I will spare you one more hour if you buy me suya' Gift said on our first outing after reconciliation. It seemed strange to me, but I didn't object, I bought as much as she wanted.

  'So why did you just abandon me?' I asked.

  'I’m really sorry about that, many of my friends complain about that too but you see if you keep buying me air time, I will call more often' she said again. It was her second request in minutes. I didn't object but offered to keep buying air time for her.

  I could not forget Achoma quickly. Even if I spent the whole day with Gift, 3-fourth of the time will be used to think of Achoma.

  Gift's requests kept escalating as days went by. From suya to recharge cards then to lunch and later she just told me, she don't have money or food.

  'Am I her father?' I would ask myself, yet I could not still say no, I did not want mere gifts to destroy a friendship I did not care I lost at first; how foolish.

  For months, we continued that way and how badly I treated Achoma increased that I did not notice when she stopped calling me and how far our hearts had become.

  Gift always ate 80 to 90% of my total allowances, I began to even borrow handouts; I could not buy any longer. I got tired of it all, I could tell I have gotten so lean and I decided to let her be.

  VI

  'This friendship can't continue' I finally told Gift, 'it has eaten deep into me and even my result, so goodbye' I said and I walked away from Gift, I felt the air of freedom around me once more. Then I began to compare my life when I was with Achoma and Gift, I knew Achoma helped a lot academically, spiritually and mentally. I decided I would go back to my true best friend, Achoma. Only then did I realize my place has being taken by someone who seemed to show more respect and knows her value. I only knew her value when I lost her.

  As I sat watching them share a meal after they passed me smiling happily, I got a text, it was Gift and it reads,

  'Okay, I’m really sorry for doing all what I did. Just forgive me please.'

  'I have forgiven you' I replied the text almost immediately, glad that perhaps she wants to change for good.

  'Okay, prove to me you have forgiven me by buying me Thereja, it is a textbook I will be using this semester, it’s just N5000' she replied and I quitted replying further.

  'Are you there?' She texted again and I knew the only reason she had made me her friend.

  ****