Three jolly friends that’s what we've been to one another
right from our senior secondary years. We were the kind of friends that were
intelligent, smart and good looking. Our intelligence made us stand out from
the rest of our mates and of course, we got the attention of the girls - even
our seniors. Tunde, Emeka and I spent hours studying together; we were renowned
for our pranks too. My teenage years was really fun, quite memorable.
We were the three best graduating students in our class; our WASSCE results were quite outstanding. I remember my dad had taken the three of
us to a bar to celebrate our graduation since we also just aged 18. He
celebrated our success and introduced us to 33 export lager beer, as the beer
for real men. He taught us to drink responsibly and recognize our limits.
In retrospect, I think that was the happiest period of my
life. We bonded over drinks and we made pacts to keep our friendship strong.
Three months later, Emeka's parents got admission for him in South Africa and
he moved there. I remember Tunde and I went with his family to the airport to
say our goodbyes.
Strangely, Emeka's parting words to me were ‘Patrick do not
let the bond of our friendship break. We are stronger together and not apart'.
It seems life has a way of testing bonds of relationships.
If truly we trust ourselves enough; if we can forgive ourselves truly. Right
now, I’m sipping my 33 export lager beer brooding and missing my lost
friendship. I haven’t had a true friend ever since Tunde and I parted ways too.
Quite unfortunate was the cause of our rift, all because of
a lady that caught our interest. Tunde and I got admitted to the same school
but different faculties. We had met Cynthia with her friend at a club during
our second year while chilling with our 33 export lager beer. We took interest
in Cynthia but strangely we didn’t share how serious our individual interests
were; so we secretly pursued and dated her till it blew up in our faces.
Cynthia had been playing us and made us turn against each other to the extent
we sabotaged one another’s trust.
Its been 4 years now and I have lost contact with him, our
egos brought us to this point. On my part, I just wasn’t ready to accept that I
was also at fault by allowing Cynthia to drive us apart. Emeka tried to help us
reconcile but maybe due to his absence and the difficulty that comes with long
distance phone calls we couldn’t compromise.
I got a call from Emeka yesterday night telling me he is
back finally in Nigeria and he had been In contact with Tunde. He has scheduled
a hangout for the three of us next week at the bar we had our first taste of
beer - 33 export lager beer. He is quite convincing and persistent so I’m glad
he has not given up on our friendship.
I look forward to our reunion, it's high time the past is
buried. I can easily visualize it. Sipping the purely blended 33 export lager
beer, catching up on times we’ve missed out on, building back our natural vibe
and, making solid plans for our future. We have learned from our mistakes and I
am excited by the possibilities of our future.
Truly! “We are stronger Together and not apart”.
- OLANREWAJU OLUWATOSIN
- OLANREWAJU OLUWATOSIN
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