The good childhood friend I lost; craving for a reunion

Right from my childhood, I have been blessed with amazing friends. Reflecting on the great time I had with my childhood friends at the moment just left me with smiles on my faces. As a child, I was a bit of an introvert, but with the help of my twin brother, I was still able to mix with other kids. Prior to that, I only stuck with my twin brother wherever he went, both in our school environment and outside the school. Wherever you see my twin brother, just know that I am right behind him. Thinking about this now surprises me with how I suddenly became an extrovert and could make friends at ease even without the knowledge of my twin brother. Out of the close friends I made as a child at my primary school level, I can't forget in a hurry how my friendship with Julie started with bitterness and ended as best friends, amongst others.

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Back then, we were four best friends: Julie, Rachel, Uche, and me—girls with so much determination to excel in their academics. Many students gossiped about us then, but who cares? In our quest to score A's in all our subjects, we always stay together to learn during break time. Nice memories indeed. Among these girls,I was closer to Julie despite finding her as a friend on a bad note, and to this day, she is still the lost friend among others. For the other two girls, life happened, and they all scattered, but with the help of social media, I got reunited with them again. However, I will tell you about my dearest close friend, Julie, among them, whom I have lost to date and would be super excited to behold her beautiful face someday

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One morning in the assembly ground before Julie and I became friends, I was standing very close to her and accidentally matched her shiny shoes. You needed to see how she scolded me as if I carried poo in my legs. She even called me a dirty pig and warned me never to stand anywhere close to where she stood. As a child, I was demoralized looking at myself in my old-looking school shoes, which my parents weren't able to change then. I was hurt that a fellow student could talk to me in that manner. I only apologized to her and gave her space. Julie always appeared nice; she had pairs of uniforms and shoes, unlike me, who had just one. Her parents were financially secure enough to buy her whatever she needed. However, her actions later during break time after what happened earlier surprised me. She came to me and hugged me in apology for how she had reacted harshly to me. She explained how she had lost her peace of mind since that morning due to her actions, thus the apology. In the process, she shed tears, and I knew she was truly sorry. I forgave her, and that was the beginning of our friendship.

Julie showed me special sisterly love and care. There was no day when she wouldn't approach me to ask how I was doing. She also discovered that I don't usually come to school with snacks or money, just like others; she asked why, and I told her that my parents cannot afford that every day. She felt bad and told her mom about me. Do you know that all through my days in school with her, she came to school with extra snacks for me? It didn't end there. Julie invited me to their house to meet with her parents. They were so welcoming, and before I left that day, she gave me many of her new clothes as a gift. I was speechless. She was always looking out for me, showing me a special kind of care, and she would always notice when I was moody. She will do anything in her power to cheer me up. Our close friendship extended to our homes to the point that I wasn't expecting a disconnection, but it happened.

Julie's dad took the decision to relocate his family to the city from the village. There was no cell phone then, no means of communication; all I hoped was to see her during Christmas time when they visited, which they never did for years. Somehow I met her grandmother after 5 years, and she told me that Julie wasn't in Nigeria anymore. It was a shocking news, and I kept wishing that one day I could behold her face again. I wouldn't know how she will look now, but no matter how long we have been disconnected,I will still recognize her, and seeing her will be one of the most interesting moments of my life.

This post is in response to the #hivelearners contest on the topic titled Lost Childhood Friends