We as humans need help in one form or the other and we all react differently to help that is being rendered to us or when someone asks us for help.
One time when someone really needed my help, and I didn't hesitate to step up for them, was when my best friend Dera lost her dad.
I will never forget my mom passing the news to us and telling us we should not go to school, so we will be there for her family as they will get visitors.
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Chidera was so sad when I saw her, she had cried her eyes out and was still crying. I had to go to her and hold her, I too was sad, I wanted to cry but I had to put myself together for my friend. She kept on crying and going on and on about her dad not being present for her graduation from secondary school or the university. Who will be there for her wedding on her wedding day? She asked me.
I didn't know what to do or say other than console her. Her father's demise really hurt everyone in our compound because he was a really nice man, very kind hearted and good. Always playing with the children in the compound when he has the chance.
Over the next few days, I became her rock, her shoulder to lean on anytime the waves of sadness overcame her. She stayed over at our place, I kept making sure she was eating, getting her out of the house for fresh air, holding her whenever she was sleeping to make sure she doesn't jump out of bed to run away, listening to her talk about all the wonderful memories her dad would now miss out on. I was her sounding board for processing the grief.
It really destroyed me seeing my friend in such state. But being able to be there for her, to comfort her through those darkest moments, that's what true friendship is all about. Just knowing I could provide that supportive, empathetic presence brought me a sense of calmness and purpose amid the tumult she was experiencing.
Slowly but surely, my friend was beginning to return back to her usual self. Little by little, I could see glimpses of her radiant smile returning. Her laughter started to come back, even if only briefly at first. Those were the moments that made all the anguish and late nights worth it - witnessing her indomitable spirit reviving itself.
To this day, years later, Chidera and I remain best friends, that bonding experience one of the pillars of our unbreakable connection. In her moment of need, I was able to be the help and comfort she required. That feeling of being able to lift someone up during life's cruelest storms, there's nothing more deeply rewarding than that kind of friendship.
This is my response to Hive naija weekly prompt edition.