Picture generated by me using BingAI
"Guy, you're late again." I threw those words hard at Alex as he stepped in. The dimly lit ambiance of our favourite hangout lounge made it difficult for me to see his face well.
Chima and I had been waiting for him for the past hour.
Alex leaned in close to my face. "Na the welcome, you go greet me. Eh, small boy (it's that the welcome I get, small boy)," he mocked me playfully with a smirk on his face. Alex was a young man with dark hair, rimmed glasses, and a bright, earnest gaze that exuded both intelligence and warmth.
"Are you normal? Be like you want to cry? (Do you want to cry?" I fired back playfully as we both burst out laughing.
"But guy, you're late," Chima chipped in with a mean face.
"I'm sorry, guys. Ná joy cause am (I'm just overjoyed)," he said.
I could sense the excitement bubbling within him like a shaken soda can. Alex was so easy to read.
"Remember that job I applied for?" he asked.
"At Johnson & Associates?" I asked.
"Exactly. I was called for an interview next week," he exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief.
I looked at Chima, whose eyes also widened in surprise, our faces lighting up with genuine happiness. "No way, Alex! That's amazing!" Chima exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement.
I slapped Alex on the back, a grin stretching across his face. "Dude, that's huge! I knew your village people (evil forces) had nothing on you!" I declared, raising my glass in a toast.
"Thanks, guys." Alex couldn't help but grin. I could sense a little pride swelling within him.
"Pss!" China called the bar girl passing by. "More drinks for my guys." Pointing to Alex, "Bills on him. He's the only one not jobless in our clique now."
We laughed hard as the bar girl walked away with our orders.
"But I never get the job yet (I have not gotten the job yet). Besides, I'm nervous as hell, but I'm also stoked for the opportunity," he admitted. I watched him closely as he spoke. His hands were trembling slightly as he fiddled with my cup of beer.
"You've got this, Alex," I said, offering a reassuring smile. "Just be yourself and show them why you're the perfect fit for the job."
We clinked their glasses together in celebration.
A week later, as I tried to catch some sleep after a stressful day at school, my phone rang, shattering the silence of my evening. It was Alex on the other end. Disappointment hung heavy in his voice as he relayed the news of his rejection.
"I didn't get the job" was all he could say. I could feel the weight of his dashed dreams threatening to crush him in his voice.
Disappointment crept into my heart as I mirrored the heaviness in his tone. I knew he needed us and needed our support now more than ever.
"Dude, I'm coming over," I said firmly, determination lacing my words. "I'll call Chima."
With a sense of urgency, I dialled Chima's number, my fingers trembling slightly as I waited for him to pick up. "Chima, meet us at the hangout," I said, my voice betraying a hint of concern. I didn't wait for him to reply.
Minutes later, I found myself standing outside Alex's apartment building, my footsteps echoing in the silence of the night. As he emerged from the building, his shoulders were raised, and he had a smile on his face. I felt he was trying to be strong.
"Small boy, are you okay?" I asked, my voice filled with genuine concern.
Alex forced a weak smile, his eyes betraying the turmoil raging within him. "Who be the small boy? (Who's the small boy?" he said playfully. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said with much zeal; his words were like someone who wasn't down. He still had his usual ear-to-ear grin. I guess he was trying to be strong.
We got to our favourite hangout spot. China was already waiting for us there.
At the hangout, I realized I was wrong at first. Alex wasn't trying to be strong; he was strong. I noticed that despite the weight of his recent disappointment, he seemed oddly at ease, his laughter ringing out like a beacon of light in the darkness. He even cracked more jokes and teased us mercilessly, his infectious optimism casting a spell over us all. I never knew China noticed it too, as he asked.
"Guy, are you sure your interview wasn't great? Because it looks like you're happier than me," Chima asked.
"Seriously, Alex, how are you doing this? You're taking this rejection as if it were water off a duck's tail!" I chipped in, my voice tinged with disbelief.
"Grammar!" He playfully mocked me. "The great writer of our time," he said, and Chima laughed heartily.
"Leave am to dey blow unnecessary grammar. Small question: he carry Shakespeare come? (Leave him to be speaking unnecessary grammar. Little question I asked, he has invoked Shakespeare)". China added playfully to me as we all laughed it off.
"But honestly, guys, if the job was meant for me, I would have gotten it. But clearly it wasn't, so why dwell on it?" Alex replied, his words carrying wisdom far beyond his years.
I looked at Chima, who stared back too. We nodded our heads in agreement.
I grabbed my beer and looked at Alex. I couldn't help but marvel at the resilience of the human spirit. Even in the face of adversity, he had taught me a valuable lesson—that sometimes the greatest strength lies in letting go, letting it wash off our backs like water off a duck's tail.