I walked into Nike's room and met her sobbing. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even know that I was there. I looked around, wondering what was wrong with her, but I didn't get a clue. Her room looked untidy, and she wasn't looking good either. She looked worn out and exhausted. I had never seen her in that state before, and it got me really worried.
Babe! I tapped her on the shoulder and she froze, staring at me like she had seen a witch. She sighed heavily holding her chest and I quickly held her.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked.
"Nothing, I was just startled. I didn't know you were here," She replied.
"It's not been up to a minute since I came in. Your door wasn't locked and I met you lost in thought," I replied and sat on the bed with her.
"Yes, I was thinking about my life. I am so tired of everything," She stuttered.
"Did anything happen at your shop? Haven't they supplied your goods?" I asked her.
"It's more than that but I will be fine," She replied and wiped her tears.
"Don't tell me that it will be fine. What's happening to you?" I asked and drew closer to her.
"Look at me, I am not getting any younger. How long do I have to face this disappointment," She stammered and started crying again.
I didn't know what she wanted to say but I was already emotional too. Nike is a good friend, hardworking, well-mannered, kind and she's always looking out for her loved ones. We met at church some years ago and even though she's older, she treats me like an age mate.
I thought of what could be the problem but nothing came to my mind. I was clueless and only patted her on the back, it was the only way I could comfort her.
She tried speaking but I could barely hear her. Her voice was shaking and she kept quiet as tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
"Please you need to stop crying," I begged, and knelt in front of her because I didn't know what else to do. She forced me to stop kneeling and I didn't until she stopped crying.
"What's wrong? You are scaring me," I asked immediately she stopped crying.
"He left. I challenged him for cheating and he ended the relationship just like that. Like it meant nothing to him," Her voice cracked.
I was speechless when she broke the news and that was her second relationship that ended in 10 months. She spoke highly of brother Femi and I wasn't expecting such news, everyone thought that was her last stop with relationship issues.
"If he doesn't value you, he's not worth crying over. It's his loss," I replied.
"I am crying for myself, not him. I don't know why I allow guys to trample over me anyhow. Even if time is not on my side, it doesn't mean I should condone nonsense," She replied and stood from the bed, moving from one end of the room to the other.
"Or was I wrong for challenging him?" She paused and asked me.
"I would have done the same thing. You can't just sit and watch someone you are in a relationship with do some dirty things," I replied.
"I am so done with that gender and can live without them," She replied and went to grab a bottle of gin from her fridge.
"It's really bad for her to be drinking," I thought but I can't stop her. She opened the cover and sipped some of the gin. She stretched the bottle to me but I declined because I don't drink alcohol away from home.
She poured out her mind with every sip she took until she became tipsy. I didn't interrupt her and only listened to everything she had to say.
"Everything will be fine. I believe," I said to her after she went silent.
"You don't know how it feels because you have a good person," She stuttered.
I assured her again that the right man would come someday but she didn't believe me. I helped her tidy up a little, made her vegetable soup, and got some fufu. She freshened up and I left her place late in the night.
Due to the distance, I couldn't go there the next day, and I always checked up on it. We met in church on Sunday and I saw that she was doing better than when we met.
About four months later, Nike told me a customer took her number and he's been calling to say hello. The calls were too frequent and she wanted to cut him off.
I advised her not to do such since he hadn't said anything yet and she agreed. They went from calls to visit and date which I got to know after he proposed to her just eleven months of knowing each other and seven months of dating.
She said yes but everything felt too real to be true. She wasn't sure if it wouldn't end like before and I wasn't sure either. Nobody was sure and I advised her to follow her heart.
Another five months passed and Nike had conceived.
Immediately her lover got the news, he insisted that they rush the marriage procedure, and just like that, it happened. Words wouldn't describe how I felt that day as I watched her dance with joy on her face.
When I thought about how I got into a serious relationship years before her and how she's walking down the aisle with her husband and even having a baby before me, I just smiled because we always assume time is not on our side when things aren't going as planned forgetting that every human has their timing.
