"Hey, babe, do you remember these photos?" Mariam, one of my college friends, sent in some throwback photos via WhatsApp featuring me and my classmates. The photos triggered some fond memories of my college days with my best friend Tina, whom
I was especially fond of it.
"Oh, Amie, I can't believe you haven't kept in touch with Tina; you both used to be two peas in a pod."
Mariam further added this text to the images.
"I feel so bad as well. I lost contact with her a few years after high school, and I just wish I could get in touch right now. I miss Tina so much." I texted swiftly as I began surfing Facebook, determined to reconnect with Tina, my best friend from college.
Lo and behold, after about a few minutes of my search on her username, I stumbled on a name that sounded so familiar, even though the face changed a bit. "Could she be the one?" I sent her a friend request anyway, and it was as though Tina had been wanting to reach me too for a while now.
"Hey Amie, it's good to see you again!" She accepted my request in a moment with a warm message.
"Wow, your profile picture looks good, girl. Are you a nurse now?" I texted back, which led to a thread via our Facebook inbox, "I'll be graduating as a nurse next year." Her reply gladdened my heart, and then we began reminiscing about our shared adventure in college days, which kept me glued to my phone for over an hour, and that rekindled our friendship.
"It's pretty late now, Tina; I gotta go to work tomorrow; however, I am excited I could reunite with you, courtesy of Mariam; she sent in some throwback photos, which triggered me to reach you no matter what; could you send me your address and phone number, so I'll come to see you over the weekend, as we have a lot of catching up to do? It's been 6 freaking years, girl!" I texted with some laughing emoji.
"Of course, girl. How about Joel? Oh, let's save the story for the weekend." Tina teased as she dropped in her address so that we could catch up over the weekend.
I anticipated the weekend so much, like it was my wedding day, as I couldn't wait to bring back nostalgia with Tina.
The weekend finally arrived, and I was dressed in my black dress and some badass slit by the side and headed down to the sixth street, Austin Road, a two-hour journey just to reconnect with my ever-favourite girl in the world.
As soon as I arrived at her home, I excitedly hugged her for a moment and was proud of her growth. Tina was doing well for herself already, and yes, that's what we've always prayed for: "This house is beautiful!" I whispered, but she caught it. "Thanks, baby girl. Make yourself comfortable. I was making you some cookies before you arrived, but before they get ready, what do you care for? Juice, alcohol, tea, or coffee?" She asked me.
"I don't do alcohol, girl; coffee it is!" I replied, I headed straight to her dining room, where I saw a big jug of coffee seated on the table. "Then, there it is; serve yourself," she replied from a distance as she walked into the kitchen to check on the cookies she was baking.
I poured the coffee into a beautiful mug and headed to the sofa, where I sat, ready to make myself comfortable. The first sip was heavenly. I held the remote control in the other hand and began searching for a suitable TV station to keep me company until Tina arrived.
The second sip tasted some kind of way—a nutty-like taste, bitter grass-like—but as soon as the third sip hit my taste buds, I knew something was wrong. "What brand of coffee is this?" I raised an eyebrow and called my friend, and as soon as Tina walked in with a plate of cookies, I noticed how Tina dropped the cookies in a rush and hurriedly checked the coffee I had taken. "Oh no, I messed up," she exclaimed with a worrisome look, explaining to me how the coffee I took was unintentionally infused with hallucinogenic mushrooms and how I might be experiencing some effect in no time. "What...?"
Before I could finish my statement, I could see two of Tina, one with a big head and the other with a tiny body, so I began to laugh hysterically, pointing at her, "Why are there two of you? And why is one of your heads bigger than the other?"
I began hearing weird voices inside of me—the voices of a person I loved so much but lost a long time ago. We began conversing, and I loved the connection in that adventurous realm where I could do extraordinary things, but Tina was too scared to let me explore the whimsical world, before I knew it, I felt a sharp jab in my left arm. It was Tina who had injected the serum into my body system to tame the effect, and after a moment, it gradually waned off. "What just happened?" With awe, I asked, but there was silence for a moment. "A few minutes of magic occurred in that cup of coffee, Amie. Glad you are back to reality; my heart almost skipped." Tina patted me.
Here's your cookie, and let me make you real coffee. She brought out a small quantity of coffee beans and brewed them with love as we both chatted in between.
All images used are mine.