A Toast To Friendship

about 2 months ago

Living in this part of town has its perks, and one of them is having a fairly reliable electricity supply. We usually get four hours of electricity during the day and about ten hours at night, which is a luxury compared to other areas. Even when our transformer encounters issues, it's a relief to know that it gets fixed relatively quickly, thanks to the support of a bakery company and a few generous individuals in our community.

I often refer to them as my fairy godmothers, as they always make my wish for a constant power supply a reality. However, about a week ago, something happened, and now we are left in the dark with no idea of when the electricity will be restored. It's a waiting game, and I can't help but hope that our fairy godmothers will come through for us once again.

On a pleasant Saturday around noon, as I looked out the window, I noticed the cool and inviting weather. It was a welcome change from the nonstop rain we had been experiencing during the rainy season. I decided to call my friend who lives nearby to plan a get-together with our kids. She agreed to meet up in about thirty minutes, and I eagerly looked forward to our long-overdue gathering.

With my husband at work and no electricity to charge my nearly drained phone, I felt the urge to step out of the house and enjoy the day. Our power had gone out at 5 a.m. that morning due to thieves stealing valuable cables from our transformer. This was the second time in a week, and it seemed that this time the damage was significant. It left us wondering how long we would be without electricity.

Thirty minutes later, my son and I arrived at my friend's house, and she greeted us with a beautiful smile. We exchanged pleasantries, and it was clear that she was delighted to see us. Our children quickly reunited and began playing together, forming an inseparable bond.

As we settled in, I couldn't help but notice the light bulb shining above her TV and felt a sense of relief. I eagerly asked if I could plug in my phone and blender, as I had brought along some soaked tiger nuts to make a refreshing drink. Despite the situation with our electricity, I was determined to enjoy the day and make the most of our time together.

She seemed shocked as she heard the tiger nuts, and she exclaimed
"Tiger what? Don't tell me you brought that all the way here."
"Yes, I sure did. Thanks to some thieves that stole our transformer cable yesterday, and I already soaked the nuts before I knew we might not be having electricity any time soon"

"Oh, mine, that is sad to hear. So, what does your community planing to do about the light?" She continues.

"I'm not very sure yet, but I heard we might be contributing 5,000 Naira (3.14$) each houses to rectify the problem but you know the hardship on the land I just pray that at least the majority of the people will corporate."

"Well, that seems like a viable option, I wish you guys all the best in installing your light back, and I do hope that those thieves are caught so they face the music of their actions"

"Thanks, babe, I hope so as well."

"But now, can we get this baby inside the blender? I'm starving of drinking it's milk, I said while stretching my hands to show her the nuts tied inside a white nylon bag, that I was holding."

Yes, definitely. She took the nylon from my hand and led the way to her kitchen, while I followed her at the back.

We headed to the kitchen to prepare the tiger nut milk, and within thirty minutes, we were back in the living room, savoring the delicious, freshly made drinks. The kids eagerly joined in, excited to taste the treat. It was a delightful moment, and we raised our glasses in a toast to friendship before enjoying the tasty drink.

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Afterward, we ventured outside to continue our day by visiting a park not far from their home, cherishing the time spent together and the simple joys that brightened our day despite the temporary setback with our electricity supply.

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It was such a rewarding outing to spend quality time with those three and bring close a bit of the wide gap that was begining to exist in our friendship due to a long time of not seeing one another.