The first day we bumped into each other, we weren't wearing nice faces, the frown on my face with how she hit her phone screen shows how frustrated we both were. The sun that day in Bauchi could fry anything and in it, I was walking Helter Skelter from one street to another looking for veggies. I never knew someone noticed my frustration before her own frustration started, she sat by a store at the roadside loading the airtime she purchased from a POS store.
"Siiiiiiiii," a sign of calling one's attention. I turned towards the direction and she waved her hand to my direction signalling me to come.
At first I wanted to be rude by ignoring her and focus on my needs but my instincts urge me to go. Maybe she could have a solution to my problem. Just when we were about to start talking, her phone rang and she excused me to answer the call. The frown on her face was enough to tell that it was due to the poor network for the past few days.
"Network has been bad, you just have to give it some time," I told her, trying to still look around if I could see what took me out of the house, tomatoes.
She looked at me and gave out a relieving sigh, then replied. "The fact that I can't tell my sister what I want is the most frustrating thing right now. From one problem to another, from losing a huge sum yesterday to scammers to not being able to seek help from my sister! all thanks to the network!"
I have been in her shoes and know exactly how it feels. Without waiting for her to speak further I sharply chipped in, "you still invest in online business this 21st century? When we all know the majority of these things are scams?"
"Hmm, my sister. I blame myself for trusting my friend, Isaac! Now I have turned into a beggar," she said, almost crying.
"That's okay, you don't have to do this. I can actually sponsor your meal today, you don't have to pay back. Just manage this, I believe it will serve till you can reach your sister."
She hesitated, then collected it. "Oh my God, thanks so much, I called you because I saw the look on your face and I felt you needed help and here you are helping me."
"I know right, I was having a problem finding where to buy tomatoes but it turned out yours weighed more than mine and needed more attention."
That was how our friendship started, just a little act of kindness. We exchanged contacts and she was always on my DM, checking up on me and making sure I didn't have any problem trying to navigate Bauchi. Then for the tomatoes, I was able to get it at last through her assistance too but not at the market.
From that day on, Bauchi became fun, we hung out together. It was one Saturday night, I got a message from Nancy asking me what my plan for the weekend was and I replied her with "no plans." She came to pick me up at home around 7pm and we went to a bar to cool off. We ate and drank, and we had the best fun ever that night. Nancy love gist, I was all seated being a good listener. It was from how her boss is using her at her place of work to how the pressure is too much on her.
"I didn't tell you what happened today at work, my boss called me to her office and started asking me if I can work under pressure," she said with her two eyeballs rolling non stop. I can't tell if it's the alcohol working or just my friend being dramatic.
I replied surprisingly "work under pressure? What was your response then?"
"I told her I can't and she said that means I'm incompetent and unready to work."
"The fact you are overworking for such a small amount is what's pissing me off. I wonder why people just like being inconsiderate."
She looked at me and smiled, then said "enough of her, my beloved, she knows my value, even if she doesn't need my services, I will always get to work elsewhere."
" I'm happy we met because we are just like identical twins, the way we blend so easily. This is like a match made in heaven. You are more than a friend to me Mary, thanks for everything. I'm glad everything happened for us to meet."
Nancy is that one and only friend that holds a spot in my heart. She's just so fun to be with and the more time we put together, the more I realize that her presence in my life is a blessing. As our party came to an end, we went home together and she spent her first night at my place.
