Some of my close friends to date were built in school. The end of our school academic activities didn't end our friendship but extended up till now that we all have our new families in different states, yet the bond is still there. No doubt friendship is one of the sweetest gifts, and whenever I meet a great friend, I hold such a person in high esteem.
This is how much I value people and friendship. My mum will always remind me that I may find myself in a situation one day where money cannot save me but people can. It's a lesson I placed at the back of my mind as a reminder to embrace good friends and people around me without taking them for granted.
Indeed, school isn't just about attending classes and adding more knowledge to ourselves, but also where we create memories with others. I met lovely friends in a school back then; some of them were through unexpected fun meetings, and we clicked, but there is a particular friend I met that I will choose to talk about as the prompt demands.
This good friend of mine is disabled. His name is Victor, a very quiet guy, intelligent and kind. I first met him crying over his legs; he was in pain. His disability in his two legs wasn't from birth, according to him, but after his 6 years on earth. He had a sharp pain in both legs at night that almost made him a cripple, but after all the running around, he is able to walk around but is living with the disability.
The severe pains come routinely, and when they start, this guy will cry like a baby and will be sent back to his village for herbal treatment that will take weeks before he will be able to return to school and continue with his academic work. So the day he was in pain was the day I met him and then assisted him to travel to his village. We exchanged numbers, and I was calling him, updating him on what's going on in school. He returned after three weeks, and asked that I put him through on what he missed, and I gladly did, even prepared him for the quiz he missed, and he wrote it all and passed very well. Since then, we became reading mates, going to night classes and doing topic discussions even on break time.
Victor was very good in practicals, but I was struggling with it. He was so humble to always teach me after the lecturer, and that was how I started picking up. We were so close until we graduated and got a job in Abuja in the same hospital. Later on, I got married and left Abuja, but Victor found his way all the way from Abuja to Enugu for my wedding. He surprised me. I told my husband everything about him, and they became friends.
Victor is married now with two boys and with a lovely, humble wife, working in one of the dental lab in Ekiti State. He never allowed his disability to stop him from reaching his potential in life. That guy has been a source of motivation to me. I have no excuse not to reach my potential if I am determined. What a value from friendship. I still communicate with him more often, share ideas, and speak with his wife too.
What started like a school friendship has extended into family friends to date; it's simply amazing.
Images were taken from canva