It was normal afternoon, that promised to be nothing really out of the ordinary. The sun was as usual shining brightly in the sky, and the usual sounds of children playing outside could be heard. Tope had just come back from school, flung his bag on the chair, and stretched out on the bed, doom scrolling aimlessly through the phone.
Amina, on the other hand, it was never just “normal", with her when it came to anything, Tope thought while casually laying on his bed and chuckled.
Tope had known Amina for quite sometime. She was the kind of girl who always had a story to tell, mouth always running like tap water, non-stop. At first, it was entertaining, seeing as Tope was the quiet type, she would come into class with tales about how she met someone important, or how her uncle was sending her something big from abroad, or how she almost got selected for something amazing. We all listened. I mean why wouldn’t we? Her stories were very very entertaining and always just believable enough.
But the thing about Amina was that her stories never stayed the same.
One day after school, we sat under the umbrella tree behind the classroom, trying to escape the heat. Amina leaned in and said, “You know my cousin that works in Lagos? He said he might get me a phone. Not just any phone but the latest iPhone.”
“Seriously?” someone asked.
“Yes now,” she said confidently. “He already promised me sef. He said it’s just a matter of time.”
A week passed.
Then two.
No phone.
When someone asked her about it, she didn’t just brushed it off by saying:
“Ah, there was a delay,” she said . “You know customs and all those things. It’s already on the way.”
We didn't know it at the time but that was the first lie in a series of lies to follow
At that point, it still felt harmless. Even Tope didn’t think much of it.
But Amina didn’t stop there
The next time it came up, her story changed again.
“Actually, the phone came,” she said, “but the thing is that my aunt said I should wait till my birthday before I start using it.”
Now people started talking, because people really wanted to see the latest iphone
“You mean it’s already in your house?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you bring it to school?”
“I said my aunt kept it,” she said, raising a voice slightly.
From there, things started to spiral.
Amina began adding more details to make her story stronger. She described the color of the phone., even the custom made case she said she'd ordered. Even the apps she planned to install first.
One afternoon, during break, someone decided to press her a bit more.
“Okay, just show us a picture of it,” they said. “Even if your aunt kept it, you must have seen it.”
Amina paused. Then quickly said, almost stuttering
“I… I didn’t snap it,” she said.
From that moment, the whispers started.
“Do you think she’s lying?”
“I don’t know, but something is off.”
Instead of stopping, Amina doubled down.
She said her cousin was planning to take her abroad next year. Then she said she had already started processing her passport. When someone asked which country, she gave a very vague answer. When asked for details, she changed the subject.
Each lie needed another lie to support it.
It became like a chain, one she couldn’t break.
Another day, she came with another story.
This time, it was about money her uncle had sent and that was when everything finally collapsed.
Someone in class happened to know her uncle.
Not closely, but enough.
And without even trying to expose her, they casually mentioned, “But your uncle has been in the village for months now. He hasn’t even traveled anywhere.”
Silence.
All eyes turned to Amina.
You could see the panic on her face, for once, she didn’t have a quick answer. House of cards was about crumbling
“I…” she started, but the words didn’t come out.
Nobody laughed. It wasn’t even funny. It was just… sad, almost pathetic
Because it wasn’t about one lie anymore. It was about all of them.
After that day, things changed.
And that hurt more than anything else.
Amina became quieter.
The same girl who once couldn’t stop talking now barely spoke at all.
One afternoon, Tope saw her sitting alone, the same mango tree where they used to gather. Then she spoke.
“I didn’t mean for it to get like this,” she said softly.
“I thought if I stopped, it would be too late,” she continued. “So I just kept going.”
And that was the thing about lies, One lie leads to another to cover up the initial lie and then another one to cover up the other one and soon enough it becomes a web of lies
And before you know it, if you are ever caught what you lose is the trust , that might never be gained again.
Image is A.i generated
