Friends Are Important,What Kind of Friends Do You Have?

I've learned that all a person has in life is family and friends. If you lose those, you have nothing, so friends are to be treasured more than anything else in the world. -- Trey Parker and Matt Stone.


I was on my sick bed when the news got to me that their is a new comer in our class who is so arrogant ,proud and very pretty and everyone is planning a showdown for her. I took is all in as if I wasn't listening. I got well soon and I resumed back to classes and that’s when I saw her. She was tall and has a thin body that tapered down to straight long legs as well as a long jet black hair, what made me jealous about her was a moist eyes. I watched as she answered marathon of questions from Mr. Olatunji, our class teacher. Isn't she beautiful?. I muttered inwardly. She was very smart too and she hardly look like a new comer at all. She was very free.

The second day, she came up to me and asked if I was a newcomer. And I told her I was not and I asked why she want to know. She told me because she has been in the school for almost two weeks and has never seen me before, plus I was quite. Yes I was a quite girl. I don't talk in class, don't answer question except our class teacher call out my name. And whenever the bell rang for any of the breaks or back to my hostel. I just walked diligently. My hostel mates are so mean that I hardly cross their path. So I keep to myself all the time always and the junior ones look at me with inferior eyes because I was so gentle in fact very frail that when I asked them to do something for me is either with a tip or when I threatened to repost them to the house mistress where as my class mates would only call once and they will come running helter-skelter.

Days passed by and we became friends. I mean the newcomer and I. her name is Rakiyat, our friendship was so strong that my hostels mates became jealous and they started harassing me because I make friend with an enemy they loathed so much. But I was past caring. I ventured ahead with my friendship with her. And she helped me in a great way to overcome my fears.

Rakiyat was a nice girl, we became best of friends, we were like a unit, stronger, wittier and more attractively combined. We study together, play together, eat together etc. But after three years, we parted amidst tears.

On looking back on my life and what our friendship has impacted in me. I realized a lot of what she has instilled in me. Rakiyat thought me how to stand for myself, she counter my shyness and broke me out of my confining nature. I learn how to trust myself and whatever change am going through. And those time whenever I told her that someone is bullying me, harassing me or anything of the sort, she will take me to the person and made me fight my own battle. She taught me to be one step ahead and never to rely on anyone and urge me to handle my own problems in life with certain maturity. she made me a good student who stood up in class and answer questions in the class even if she stand to be corrected. She also thought me how to challenge myself as life is a learning curve.

Many years have passed; we exchanged gifts, letters and pictures. She sent hers too but thanks to Nipost, I never receive hers. And every now and then when I think of her, I tried to imagine what she's look like now. But all I have at my disposal is that jet black hair, long legs, moist eyes and I wonder would they still be the same? And I remembered her tear stained face as we parted 15 years ago.

I believed friends enclose us like a pair of parenthesis, each one of them knows us differently, each sustain us in a different ways. I am who I am because my friendship keep on growing and I pick my friend because of things we can share together. Values we can add to one anothers and not because of who they are. Though that's important too.

Why is it that we need friendship? To me friends are rare jewels, they make you smile and encourage you to succeed, they inspire you, lend a listening ear, they offers their shudders in time of need, they open their hearts willingly and selflessly. Though we have fair weather friends too, they are only there when things are rosy, immedietaly things are bad, they are no where to be found.
Here is to the nights that turned into mornings and the friends that turned into family. What kind of friends do you have?


PS: This is an old note that I published in a magazine wayback..Just love to share it here. I have since made contact with her and weive hooked up like twice. Anyway to all my friends, I love you all. You've all been great part of my life in your own unique ways.

Pss: I have a new phot blog; http://spicyinc.blogspot.com/ Check it out and let me know what you feel, comments, criticism and ideas are welcome. Thanks