Old good friends are gold

Sade sat lonely on the red sofa outside their verandah; she drew a long hiss and released it in a dragging staccato. She rose and sat down again, fuming. She wiped her face and sniffed like a child, who just lost her beautiful doll.

She and her best friend, Sadetu, just had a terrible brawl over her heartthrob, Segun. Many feared the brawl had surely brought an end to their unbreakable friendship.

Sade and Sadetu had been best of friends since Sunday school days. Sade had missed several lessons and had been threatened by her father, Elder Abe, not to fail the exam.  Elder Abe was a man after God’s own heart, an engineer of good repute and also a disciplinarian. Sade had arrived early enough for the exams and inadvertently sat behind Sadetu.

Sade whispered at Sadetu.

Sadetu allowed her peep the answers. They both did well in the exam. Sadetu came first while Sade came second. Elder Abe spoke well of her performance and encouraged their friendship.

Sade bumped into a lanky fellow, Segun, on her way to the children’s department to pick her nephew. Segun’s teeth shone like stars and his eyes were glossy. She was struck by the depth of his voice. His baritone voice, strum certain chords on the strings of her heart. She quickened her steps out of his sight and bumped into a naughty deaconess. The deaconess chided her careless walk and waved her out of her way.

Sade sniffed at her rude submission and stomped to the church parking lot to report the nosy deaconess to her father. Elder Abe gave her a cursory look and waved her into the car. She looked up at the old church clock and snorted.

Sade thought about Segun all day long. His well carved beards and tensile eye-lashes; pressed her soul with sinister admiration.

She spoke well of Segun to Sadetu.

 Sadetu was flummoxed and advised her to be discreet.

She went to meet Segun at a popular bar behind a Catholic seminary. He already gulped 3 bottles of “33” Export Lager beer. Segun was smitten with her intelligence and decorum. He was kept at sea at her deft use of words. He invited her to his house.

Sade flung her legs out of the creaking bed and quickly dressed herself up. She was shy and scrambled for the tissue paper on the left side of the compartment.

 Segun grabbed his glass of “33” Export Lager beer and gulped it till the glass was empty.

She came into the room and stared at him with mild trepidation and uncertainty. She felt awkward about her untamed hormones. She laid her hands on the bottle of “33” Export Lager beer and rubbed her palms around it. She examined the fizzling content, ran her index finger across the prints on the bottle and heaved. She poured herself some beer and then sipped with due diligence.

‘O, you drink beer?’ Segun asked, startled.

‘I only sip smooth, finely brewed beer’, she giggled.

‘Have some more’, he insisted.

She laughed, nozzled up his jaw and gave him a departing soft kiss and whispered something indiscreet into his ears.

Sade caught the door knob and immersed herself in the drizzling rays of the golden Sunlight.

Sadetu quizzed Sade about her movements. She pleaded that Sadetu come see Segun with her.

v   

The cloud was a bit misty but breezy. Sade and Sadetu sat close to each other at the same bar where

 Segun first sat with Sade. He came in with his friends and was awe-struck by the hypnotizing eyes of Sadetu. He was trapped in the moment and forgot to leave her hands until Sade had to slap his hand off Sadetu’s brittle palm. The atmosphere was sunk in awkward silence. Then, Sade tore the silence with her order for chilled bottles of beer.

‘Bar man, 4 bottles of “33” Export lager beer’, she jeered.

 Segun gave them a good treat and Sadetu quizzed Segun about Sade and when he was going to come see her family. Her question was interrupted by the comic banters of the friends of Segun. One of Segun’s hilarious friends, Bode, asked for Sadetu’s Instagram handle. She gave him. Sadetu sipped her glass of beer and nudged Sade that it was time to go. Segun objected but Sadetu pleaded that they had to leave if he wanted their friendship not to be nullified by Elder Abe.

Segun stared at Sadetu with salacious interest.

He later sent her a direct message on Instagram professing his love for her. Sadetu was startled and asked if he wanted to ruin her friendship with Sade. He cajoled her and convinced her that Sade was desperate about him and was crowding him. Segun invited her to a date. Sadetu invited Sade to the same date but asked her to come an hour later without giving her the details.

 Sade’s whatsapp messages to Sadetu were not dropping. She became pensive and ran to the venue sent to her by Sadetu. She recognized the house and  flung the door open and saw Segun, fast asleep and Sadetu wiping her face with a white towel. She yelled and ran away. Sadetu ran after her. Sade told her off and asked her never to come around her again. She threw stones and sands and sticks at Sadetu.

Sadetu sent Sade the screen shots of all the chats she had with Segun.

 Sade was still crying on the sofa when she read all the chats and watched the video of what transpired in the room. Her eyes were swollen with tears. She called Segun, he didn’t pick. Sade ran to Sadetu’s house and thanked her for preserving their friendship. She took her out and treated her to some bottles of ”33” Export Lager beer, and a bowl of fish pepper soup. They recounted all the events and wiped the tears on the cheek of each other.

Written by -  OLOYEDE MICHAEL TAIWO

Instagram @oloyedetom