All through my days in elementary school, I never had a taste of true friendship. My experience with a young boy who was about my age or perhaps older than me made me view friendship differently from other people. No matter how I saw either my school or classmates being too fond of their friends, I used to think that it was a mere obsession that would never last beyond childhood or that one would get to harm the other later on. A friend I had then did something very bad to me. I was playing with him one day when he deliberately threw a piece of stone into my eyes, I nearly lost one of my eyes, but I am grateful for that compassionate woman who lived close to the school for her timely intervention and that of my parents.
There was a little adjustment during my high school days. Though I did not want to make any friends because I was scared that the incident that happened to me during elementary school would repeat itself, there was a particular boy who was so close to me. Initially, I didn't want to give him the name 'my friend'; I thought he would be as wicked as my old friend. His name was Okon, and he was the most intelligent in our class.
He became endeared to me when I needed a fellow student in our class who could take me on home lessons for mathematics. Of all the students I met who were exceptionally good at mathematics, he was the only one who agreed to take me on after-school classes. Okon was not only academically intelligent, but he was also very humble and kind and was willing to impart his knowledge to any student who was eager to learn. I lost Okon at the time I thought I would have a taste of true friendship. He fell ill and died in our fifth year in high school. Though my friendship with him was ephemeral, it changed my perspective about friendship positively.
My circle of friends grew larger as I continued to navigate through my academic journey and Edidiong was the first female friend I had in the university. I met her while I was processing my admission and she became one of the most precious of them thereafter.
I later discovered she was so intelligent when we completed our admission process and began our classes fully. She answered nearly all questions, including the complex ones, in class, and would sometimes volunteer and answer questions thrown randomly at students by lecturers. For many of the courses I found difficult, Edidiong would always organize lessons for me and other students who were also in my shoes. She was responsible for the happiness that I had each time I looked on the notice board and discovered that I was among the few students who performed excellently in a course. At a time when I was critically ill, and it was so severe that I had to spend half of the semester in the hospital, it was Edidiong who went to the appropriate authorities and obtained permission on my behalf.
The most emotional moment in our friendship was during our sign-out day when Edidiong gave me a portrait that she had made for me and a little note in which she expressed how she treasured our friendship.
Blessing was another friend who made my days on campus memorable. She was a friend who was always fond of sharing the little she had with me. I remember a certain day when I was left with nothing at home, and I wasn't sure where my next meal would come from either. As if it was divinely arranged, I saw her on my way to church, and she told me that she had just got back from home and that I should not fail to stop at her place immediately after the church service was over. When I got to Blessing's house, she handed me a bag that had three different kinds of foodstuff and squeezed two thousand Naira into my palms. How she knew that I needed those things at that moment is what I couldn't fathom throughout my days in college and till now. Nevertheless, I still appreciated her because no gift is better appreciated than the one you receive when you are in dire need of it.
Sammy was that friend who always cheered me out of sadness on my gloomy days. It was Sammy who taught me how to be focused on life's goals and never to be distracted by the raging storms of life. Each time I was on the verge of giving up, I always found myself renewed whenever he was around. Sammy was a friend who was always against unnecessary distractions during our study time. Even when I didn't feel like studying or reading ahead for exams, he would always find a way to make me do that. That made my love for him to grow deeper.
By the time I finished my studies at the university, I was happy that I had not only become educated but was also able to establish relationships that would outlive my generation.