I’d thought of how to fix the prompt of the week in my writing. I knew I had stories to share when it came to the term ‘agreement’ but I didn’t know which one seemed good enough but then I had a call today from someone and immediately I knew the story I’d narrate.
The thing about loyalty is that it stems from a deep place. Someone you truly love, a close friend, a relative. Somehow you owe it to them to be loyal. For this, I’ll talk about my friend Jane(not her actual name.)
Now, Jane is the daughter of one of my dad’s oldest friends and we were born around the same time so we automatically grew up as friends. She comes from a strict family like mine so she wasn’t really allowed out of the house. To see friends or anybody. Except mine. So anytime she wanted to see someone, her dad would only let her if she was coming to my place.
We were close so I didn’t have a problem with her coming over all the time. One day, she came over and said she agreed to go on a date with her boyfriend. I dissolved into laughter. “Jane, are you insane? You know your dad would never let you go to another person’s place. Let alone a guy. Let alone a boyfriend.”
“I know that.” She snapped “But I’m still going.”
Suddenly a feeling of dread washed over me. “So what will you tell him?”
She proceeded to beam at me. “That’s where you come in.”
“Me??? Ma’am, I’m not going anywhere with you. If that’s what you’re implying.” I seethed.
“I’m not asking you to go anywhere with me. I’m just saying that for that day, I’ll pretend that I’m coming to your house. But I’m not because I’ll be with him. So you’ll just have to cover up for me.”
I was beyond unhappy. The whole plan sounded so risky and at that time, I usually ran away from anything that even remotely posed a risk. So I told her that I was sorry but I wasn’t going to do it. Then she dropped the bomb.
“But you’re supposed to be my friend. How would you live with yourself as a person knowing that it’s because of you that I never had a chance at happiness? You know how much this means to me.”
Now, I knew that I’d just been served an unadulterated emotional blackmail. She knew that I knew it too but there was nothing I could do. She’d trapped me with the friend card. So after making her promise that it was going to be a one-time thing, I agreed to cover up for her.
The day came and I had my heart in my mouth. Hoping she was safe, hoping her dad didn’t catch us in the lie, a lot of things. And when my phone rang and the caller ID indicated that it was her dad, I could have died on the spot. I contemplated not picking it but my instincts told me I’ll be making a mistake. So, with my breath drawn, I answered the call and mumbled a feeble greeting.
“Yeah Tess, Jane’s line is switched off. So I wondered what the issue was.”
“Okay Sir, her phone was down and she’s helping mummy in the backyard.” The lie rolled out of my mouth.
“Okay thank you. Tell her to come home on time.” And after saying a few other things, the call ended.
My shoulders sagged in relief. I promised myself never to do such a thing again. It was far too risky and I hated lying to her dad. Luckily, Jane got home alright and that was the end of it. Or was it?
Ladies and gentlemen, a week later, she asked for the same favour, saying something about it being their anniversary and playing the same friend card. And in case you’re wondering, yeah, I did it again for her. With horror, I watched how it slowly became a routine. Lying that she was with me so that she could go places.
And for those asking why her dad never caught on, I’ll say that she’d been coming to my house for more than a decade, so her father would never have thought. But, of course, the every day for the thief and one day for the owner….. thing eventually came true.
Her dad called and asked where Jane was and I responded in the monotonous manner. “She’s helping in the kitchen.”
“Then why am I looking at her right now in front of a lounge?” The line disconnected.
I’d never prayed so hard for God to take my life at that moment. I was done for. Turns out, her dad had a work contract at that particular lounge and I could imagine the horror on his face seeing his daughter stepping out of it.
We got the tongue-lashing of our lives and I regretted agreeing to such a plan that could have even hurt her in the process. But that was years ago and as we recounted the experience to each other on the phone today, we had a good laugh over it.
