Anger swelled inside as she spoke, I wanted to slap her, how dare she! How dare she advise me! She knows nothing of my situation yet she has the audacity to tell me dating a married man is wrong!
What does she know? Was she there when I had to struggle with a single mum all the way through uni? Was she there when I was suffering with 1 meal a day? When I asked her for 10k did she give me? Hiss! Now she’s telling me I shouldn’t be with Kunle.
I looked at her with fiery balls as eyes, wanted to yell “get out” but spoke calmly “Tosin, thanks for your concern but I don’t think you should be giving me advice or correcting me. You’ve never been in a relationship so you would not understand what I am going through, you can’t help who you fall in love with”. “A married man? That’s your choice?” she said. “We are in love Tosin and there’s nothing that can be done about it, he’s having a hard time at home and I’m the only person he can turn to” “so what should happen to his wife? What if you were in her shoes?” “I will never be in her shoes because she does not know how to treat her husband” I retorted. “You know what, lets drop the issue” “I’ve heard you” she said. “Just remember sha, there’s a proverb which says The broom that swept out the housewife from her matrimonial home is the same broom that will sweep out the concubine”. I didn’t say a word and that was because Kunle drove in at that moment. She’s very lucky he did because I was ready to give her a piece of my mind.
Annoyingly, that’s all I could think of while in the car- her self-righteous words, as if she‘s better than me. She has forgotten the time she almost cheated in that test or the time she almost dated Fred! If I didn’t tell her he was with Remi! She would have and she and Fred were even close to marriage! Hiss! “Sugar, are you okay?” “I’m fine o, just thinking”. “What’s my baby thinking about?” “Stuff o! My friend just annoyed me… its nothing really”. The car fell silent. He pinched my chin to get a smile, I usually like that but I was just upset that my best friend would say such a thing. I mean she should understand now. How many times have I told her the story!
My father left us when I was very young! It was just my sister and my mum who wasn’t working at the time. She got pregnant for me at an early age so could not finish her education. My father promised he would always be there for her, he kept part of it by marrying her but anytime she wanted to start a trade or finish her education he would tell her it wasn’t necessary that his income was sufficient. Then one day he packed his bags, said he was travelling to Abuja for a business meeting and was never seen again.
Imagine how distraught my mum was, I was barely 5 and my sister was just 3 years old! Heartless wicked man! I can never forgive him! He put my mother through so much pain! Thank God she had the strength to put her life together! At least she knew how to sew so opened a little shop and that’s how we’ve been managing. I promised myself I would do all I can to help my mother, now God has sent Kunle who gives me money from time to time and somebody is telling me it’s wrong? Hiss!
It is my right! I am a woman ahan! I deserve to be petted and lavished with gifts! It’s not as if I went to meet him ahan! I was jejely on my own when we met so please Tosin should mind her business!
He took me for ice-cream because he said he didn’t like how I looked, how sweet of him! (Such a gentleman!) I decided to leave my thinking aside and start a conversation, I even felt better after the sweet strawberry flavour had cooled the heat on my tongue “how’s your wife?” “She’s okay; she’s still the same sha, always nagging! Pay this pay that! I’m tired of her! At least when I’m with you I feel better” he said while brushing his hand on my face. “So beautiful”, I blushed “thank you”. After that he took me shopping, gave me cash then dropped me home. I felt much better and even forgot about our argument.
While I was sorting out my new clothes my mum came in. “ahan, where did you get these clothes from? Hope you’re not using your school fees money o!” “Haha! Relax mummy, my friend got them for me” “hmm… nawa for this friend, this famous friend I haven’t met that buys you phone and clothes! We cannot afford that kind of friend o! Before she will think you can buy her iPod for present! Let her know who we are o!” I laughed at the thought that she assumed it was a girl “haha mummy, she knows don’t worry” “sigh, my dear, wish I could even afford to make it possible for you to do that, such friends are treasures and you should also be able to show gratitude, at least be a good friend to her sha” I chuckled then smiled “sigh, if only I finished school. It’s your father o! Told me I’ll be fine, (tears ran down her cheeks) said I should not worry then ran away with one small girl! Imagine that, said it was business trip found out was secretary! Sigh, such is life”. She left the room sniffing…..
I said nothing.
