Friends are the best gift anyone can get, and having them around can go a long way in making our lives better because they stand by us through the good and bad times. Friends can be made anywhere, even in the unexpected places. I'm blessed to have amazing friends who have impacted my life in diverse ways, and in this article I'll be telling you how I made one of my favorite friends during my university days. We've been friends for almost fifteen years now. I'll also tell you the story behind how we met and much more information surrounding our friendship.
Like I said above, I've made a lot of friends; even at the university I made a handful of friends, and among them I'd be telling you about one of my closest friends among all I made during my undergraduate days. I'm talking about no other person but my very own friend 
I'm not sure Drey himself would remember this story, but the first time I met him was during our matriculation ceremony in school. A lecture was supposed to start immediately, and the majority of the students had already gotten a place to stay or had roommates. For me, I didn't have a roommate yet, and neither did I have somewhere to spend the night or the next few months I'll be in school before we vacate. And so I began to ask different people and strangers I'm meeting for the first time if we can be roommates so I can have someone to lay my head on, since I can't afford to rent a room by myself.
Oluwadrey was among those I asked if I could be his roommate, and just like every other person, he said no. The truth is that I was actually disappointed about being turned down by all these people, but then I understood it's not easy to just agree to be roommates with someone you just met, and besides, for Drey, he already has two roommates, so technically their room is filled up, and he can't even take a decision on his own, as I'll also need the input of his roommates. Thankfully, though, I was finally able to have someone take him from me, and so I have no point worrying about searching for a roommate for the next year.
Despite the initial letdown, we became friends still. Like I said, we're in the same department, so it was quite easy to relate, from discussions before and after lectures to creating a reading group alongside other friends that goes on to prepare us for exams and aid our understanding of various courses. Aside from all of these, we ended up being roommates towards the end of our 200 level, and that's due to the fact that my roommate dropped out of school and I stayed close to them. By then I was already close with him and his other roommate, so it was quite easy to move in.
We've evolved beyond those days now, doing mind-blowing things together and experiencing life together for the last fourteen to fifteen years, from working as a waiter to working as a caterer to working as a cook for caterers, even to working as a laborer at a construction site. Despite the fact that we've graduated from the university since about nine to ten years ago, we're still friends to date. Even despite staying miles apart now, we still manage to maintain our friendship and help each other out in our little ways.
Oluwadrey has been a blessing to me in diverse ways through the years, helping me academically and with other aspects of life, even financially. He usually comes to my aid whenever I need help, and I try to be there for him whenever he needs me too. Even though the last time we met each other physically was January of the year 2021, we still reach out to date, and I can't help but thank God for making our paths cross, because he's one of the best friends anyone can have.
He's not just my friend now, he's my brother who I'll come through for any time, and any day.
All photos are mine.