Friendship

By Olaniyan Boluwatife Kendrick,
 
Sometimes in life, we are just destined to be with someone.
It was a lonely year for me in my first year of junior college. I just got admitted to one of the biggest colleges in Ibadan. New faces everywhere, new life. I had just one friend that also happened to be my seatmate in the class, coming from a modest and decent background I didn’t mingle with those so-called “big boys”, I chose my friends wisely like mum always said.
Oyinda was my only friend and seatmate. We talked often and shared things, at a point we became close and we shared personal issues, but then we still quarrelled childish grudge. Every time we fought, she would go straight to Mr. Oyedele (our class teacher and guardian) to report me. Soon, Mr. Oyedele developed an interest in the two of us and decides not to separate us; we were sucked with each other for the rest of that year. By the end of our first year, our friendship had grown stronger, and we became so used to each other, we chose to sit together till our third year in junior college. It was a hell of a memory for me and I am sure it is for her as well.
It was a new year, a new section, a new level. It was senior secondary school! What every junior student always dreamed of. Am I now a senior student? I couldn’t stop asking myself. The very first week was fun as we were all still carrying the ‘seniority vibe’, it wasn’t really fun for me as something was missing; that was my seatmate. “Have you heard from Oyin?” Like I fondly referred to her, I asked her friends Dolapo and Favour. Soon, I got to know that she had left and now schooled somewhere far away. I battled with this for quite some time; I felt bad and cheated, why could she not tell me she’s going to leave? I asked myself (I was already in love with her, but I didn’t know what love is then, I was an innocent learner.), I got over it. It dawns on me that she wasn’t coming back, so I had to choose a new friend(s). I moved on for some couple of weeks without a friend and a totally new crazy seatmate, little by little I started mingling and hanging around with the big boys.
By the end of my first year in senior secondary school, I was a big boy already; I started doing some really cool shit too (bad teenage vices). Dipo was my mentor; he was one of the big boys, tall, dark and handsome with seductive pink lips. Every girl crush.
I was now a big boy too. Yes! I have what I wanted. I was introduced to joint (bar) where we go to every evening to shaye (enjoy life.). I can vividly remember my first time, a funny one, a cup was passed to me with a liquid content in it, I took a sip out of embarrassment. Oh man! I couldn’t swallow it; it was very bitter, just like the agbo (concussion) grandma used to serve us every time we visited her. Soon, I had to force it down my throat; I wondered, how on earth will someone in his right senses take this poisonous thing and derive pleasure in taking it always.
We visited the place often and at some point, I fell in love with that life. “33” Export Lager Beer it is! That’s my choice, anytime, any day; I take it virtually every day.
I went on with that lifestyle until I got to my final year in senior college. One particular day, Oyinda showed up, what! Oyin!! I shouted. She catwalked as she approached me, I felt like the glory of God was about to descend on me, she was simply the perfect epitome of beauty! We hugged and talked. The ignorant love I had then rekindled immediately, we established contact and started talking again. Roughly two years later after I’ve been in God knows how many relationships; I’ve drunk different acclaimed lager beer, I returned to the one person and one real lager beer.
I formally declared my feelings to Oyin, our friendship turned to love. What did I miss? I’m also back with my “33” Export Lager Beer.
Good for me, Oyin loves it too! We are proud partners of “33” Export Lager Beer.