We fell in love a long time ago, maybe twenty years back
or twenty -one , I have lost count but we fell in love anyway and love
held us bound. I remember the night we met. I was thirteen, young and
naive. I had seen her running the street over and over, a girl who
was physically fit, she looked like she played football or basketball,
she was definitely involved in sporting activities .
"Don't stare at me in that manner, I just moved into this neighborhood, be nice and say hi " She said without stopping.
"Hi, I am Gabriel " I smiled, it seemed I was finally
going to have a friend. " I moved in last month, I have no friends
around here yet" I joined her in running the streets.
"I like your name, my name is Fola, I love to run, I run
for my school, I run for my church parish too. " she increased her
speed.
"Slow down, I don't run too good, I am asthmatic " I suddenly stopped to catch my breath .
" You should not run then, just wait here , I would come back and talk with you, new friend!" she smiled and ran on.
That was my first principle of attraction , she didn't
think to treat me differently now that she knew I was sick. All my life I
have had people change attitude the moment they realize I was sick but
here, she acted like my sickness was normal, part of life, part of
living. This was the first principle of attraction.
"Do you have your inhaler here? I might bring up the dust
when I run past you " she hit my hands and smiled, a beautiful smile.
"I don't go everywhere with my inhaler " I laughed, "it's not my life " .
" It could save you " she held my hand. "Want to see my house? "
"sure" I followed her without asking questions.
That day, that first day was like every other day but
magical in a way I couldn't explain. This was all I ever wanted in a
friend, in a best friend I couldn't find. So I had asked...
"would you be my best friend? "
"we just met" she laughed.
" I know but, I never had a best friend. I was thinking you could be my best friend before someone else made you theirs "
" I would be your best friend. I never had a best friend too"
And so we entered into the covenant of bestfriendship. We
became best friends forever . We made our own personal sign that night
and I returned home feeling different, alive, awakened. Somehow, for
the first time in forever I had a life. Someone wasn't treating me
like I was different simply because I was asthmatic, someone was going
to hold me close and laugh with me. I had parents and a little sister
but I had no friend in my family. Fola was my first friend in thirteen years
and she was my best friend even. Best friend forever. This was the
beginning of the most beautiful thing that ever happened, the most
beautiful story ever told.
A few days after our first meeting, she invited me to her
house, it was her mother's birthday, I came as her bestfriend, did
stuffs with the family, ate the cake and sang songs. After the party,
her mother wanted to know what school I attended, she wanted Fola to
join me in my school, she felt the school her children used to attend
was now a little too far from the house. I told her everything about my
school, stressing the fact that sports was perfect in my school and
this I was sure was what convinced her, Fola became my class mate and
in fact, seat partner. We read together, talked about stuffs, spent
time together, visited each other, took so many pictures one of which I
am holding right now. Fola was beautiful, very beautiful and
amazingly fit, too fit for a skinny guy like me maybe that was why when
I fell in love with her, I didn't think to tell her, I was fine as
her best friend but something happened when we got to final year in high
school, Joshua, a regular school boy started to have eyes for
Fola. He would come to our seat and stay a while, he would visit
Fola's home, sometimes, he would take her out, he was slowly stealing
my best friend away.
The day of our high school graduation, Joshua had finally
gathered enough strength to ask Fola to be his girlfriend and she had
come to me seeking help on her best response. I was a weak guy, I had
told her to do what makes her happy and Fola had accepted to date him.
I was wounded, broken, torn and pained, my Fola belonged to someone
else. I knew Joshua realized that I was in love with Fola, so he did
all be could to keep Fola away from me and he did succeed because Fola
was suddenly too busy but I couldn't be too busy, I couldn't help this
love. Several times I would go to her house, get the news that she was
out with her boyfriend but I would sit outside and wait for her return
just so I could see her face.
This was the very way I waited outside the night Fola came
with the news of admission, she had been admitted into a school in
northern Nigeria, far away from the west where we lived. I was happy
for her, my best friend was now about to become an undergraduate. I
didn't apply to the University, this was because my parents felt I
should learn to master a trade first before going further in my
education and so, I was going to be working with a shoe maker close to
my house, mom said it was for my good, for the future. So I
cooperated.
Fola left soon after and I had to live with a broken heart.
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