Mike and I have been friends for quite some time, but we lost touch for almost five years after we graduated from college.
I was coming back from the shop one fateful evening when someone on one of the trending motorcycles we refer to as “rubber, rubber” was driving towards me.
I halted and moved away, giving a reasonable portion enough for a bike to pass me.
But the bike kept moving towards me, and I began to get irritated. “Watch your front, sir,” I shouted with an obvious frown on my face.
“Emreal!’ The guy driving the bike laughed, hit the brakes, and took off his face cap.
I looked closer and behold, it's my friend Mike; he looked chubby and fresh, everywhere is just full.
Mike, I shook his hand loudly. “What's up with this transformation," I said, circling him, my eyes all over his body.
"Guy, chill, there's no transformation. It's nice seeing you, bro,” he confessed.
“Same here, bro. Where have you been?” I asked curiously.
“Lagos, o, my brother. I have been there since we graduated from college, man has to look for the way forward,” he replied.
“You are doing well, I won't lie,” I replied.
“Thanks, man. Where are you coming from, and where are you heading to?”
“From the shop, I pointed behind, and to my house,” I pointed ahead.
“Wow! You have a shop now,” he asked.
“Yeah, just managing a small place, selling foodstuffs and a few other things, " I replied.
“That nice man, I love it. Emreal, my bro, he shook my hand. Hop on, let me take you home, please."
It was already dark, and I wasn't planning to take a ride home that day so that I could save my money. Offering me a free ride was a bonus.
“It's my pleasure.” I smiled and climbed on without hesitation.
We spoke on the way, and I was just praying to reach my junction due to how he was driving with speed. I thanked him when we got to my junction, and we parted ways.
We continued chatting on WhatsApp, and the friendship was already coming back to life.
One of those days, he told me he was coming to my place at home. Meanwhile, when he came, one of my friends, Eli, was at my house already.
Eli wanted to discuss a critical matter confronting his life with me. But when Mike came, we had to suspend the issue and just flow into a conversation that all of us could relate to, since the three of us knew each other right from the start.
The atmosphere was hot and engaging; we spoke, argued, and teased each other, but Eli cut everything short when he said, “guys, I think I have to go now; I have a meeting to attend.”
We shook hands, and he left, leaving me and Mike. We continued talking while still enjoying the vibe. My phone vibrated; it was Eli. He texted me on WhatsApp.
“Hello, bro.”
“Hi, have you arrived already?” I inquired.
“Not really. I am not going to any meeting; I just wanted to excuse myself. I can't keep faking the energy. I came to talk to you about my life and not to have fun.”
I sighed, "What's wrong with you?" Then paused and continued talking with Mike, but my attention was on my phone.
Intermittently, I unlocked the phone to see whether Eli had replied already or not.
“Emreal, I am leaving; it's getting late, " Mike said and picked his key from the centre table in the room.
" So soon?” I asked.
“We will link up again, Emreal. I want to go and see someone but don't bother, we will chat.”
“Okay,” I replied and walked him to his bike.
A few minutes after he left, he sent me a message on WhatsApp, “I have reached, bro, thanks for the time.”
“Thanks, the pleasure is mine," I answered.
His message came to the top of the chat, and we continued talking.
Some minutes later, Mike replied to me, "My girlfriend is pregnant.”
“For real?” I replied almost instantly, because I was in his chat.
“I don't know what to do, Emreal; my girlfriend isn't ready to keep the baby."
" You mean your girlfriend Bridget, who was talking about settling down with you the last time we met, isn't ready to keep a pregnancy for you? No wonder you were not too free today. I almost concluded it was because of Mike that you were behaving weirdly. What's the plan now?”
I waited, but his reply delayed, so I logged out and came back later only to discover that the last message I sent was to Mike and not Eli, and he had already viewed it.
“I knew that something was wrong with Eli; I just didn't want to talk," Mike replied.
My heart cut; it felt like a sharp object passed through my chest. That conversation was supposed to be a secret.
" I am sorry, bro; that message wasn't for you,” I replied and deleted it immediately. “Please, let's keep what you saw between us; it's a private matter,” I told him.
He dropped two laughing stickers at a time and then typed, “I am not a baby na, the secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks,” I replied, but something doesn't feel right.
A few days later, Eli called me and was furious. “I didn't know you were like this. I told you a secret, and you told your friends.”
“Calm down," I replied after taking a deep sigh. “What's the problem?”
“A guy in my community just told me he heard my girlfriend is pregnant, and we are planning on taking it out. He said it was Mike who told them when he stopped by at their junction to play snooker."
Gosh! I didn't notice when my clothes got soaked with sweat? “What!” I exclaimed aloud.
“That day we chatted, I mistakenly sent one of the messages to his direct message instead of yours, and before I could delete it, he had already viewed it. I am truly sorry about this,” I pleaded.
Hm, “But I can not trust you again, Emreal; you really hurt me. Goodbye! He hung up.
Anger filled my chest. Immediately, I called Mike and expressed my grievance, but he claimed he didn't talk to anyone about it and that it was Eli who told one of his friends whom he met there, and the friend was the one who was talking about it publicly.
I didn't know what to believe, but I had to just take the blame.
Subsequently, I and Eli spoke about the matter and he forgave me after hearing my part of the story, meanwhile our friendship never recovered.