Adeyinka is a close friend of mine, we’ve been together for years now. Though not an old friend, the bond of friendship got so tight from the onset.
He has a cool character, he is outspoken, and has that humorous energy in him. That’s one thing that intertwined our fates together and made our match so perfect. I like almost everything about him.
It was my second year in the university when I met Adeyinka.
I have seen him several times while receiving lectures from year one, but I am always curious about his personality. Who knew he would even become one of the closest souls life would give me?
He would sit on the podium while taking lectures, I hardly see him have a seat for lectures. Whenever he is a little late, you see him standing by the door, his book in his left hand while he writes.
Most times Adeyinka always wore a net cap, and his beards were a little bushy but looking perfect for his facial appearance. He is a little chubby and most times has all of his focus on concentration on lectures.
I marked his face.
The day I was about to get a hostel, I happened to meet with one of the appointed heads of Muslims, and then he remembered someone recently requested for a roommate. He got us connected.
Adeyinka was on break and yet to resume for the second year, I resumed earlier to get the apartment prepared before the academics proper. When Adeyinka would resume, it was that same guy I had my eyes and mind on in class. So this is the real you in person, I said to myself.
I wondered what his personality would look like, though I was happy to meet him and so he was.
He told me, he does see me in classes too and my seriousness, I smiled; he does wonder how I always get a seat in the front row of the lecture hall. Though he is fine with his ways too.
The friendship grew and we understood each other more, Adeyinka has a personality where he would be quick to apologize even when he is not at fault. I learned that from him.
At some point when we crack jokes, make fun of each other, and even play pranks on ourselves, you can hardly see us quarrel about stuff. At first, we cooked our meals separately, but with time we began to cook together and dine on the same plate.
He was the true definition of friendship.
Time flies, we were out of university and went for our youth service. We served in different parts of the country, I served in the east, while he served in the west. We got apart for over a year without seeing each other. But we never lost contact with each other.
Then, a few months after I was home after serving, he dropped a message asking if I could help him get an apartment in our location. Since he works shuffles around Lagos and Ibadan we are located in between the two states. It should be easier for him.
I agreed and started working on it. I was happy we would get back together again after a long time of departing from each other.
Within a few weeks, I got the apartment ready, he came around to check on the apartment which was a self-contained room and parlor. We paid for the rent and then got some of the things needed in the home.
He spent a lot of money on furnishings, some furniture, kitchen utensils, beds, and other things. After which he settled down. I would come to visit him whenever he was around. It was just like those days in the university were brought back to life again.
When he prepares a meal, I would be there to disturb him, but at the end, we would dine and drink happily together. I got used to his apartment.
One day he had a call from his boss asking him to restrict and retain his movement to Lagos only. He was given an apartment by the company he works with and he already paid for an apartment. For the whole year, he showed up once in a blue moon.
I knew how busy he was, and I was also busy. By the time he was about to renew the rent we both came to see the apartment and realized almost everything in the kitchen had expired, some of the utensils were already rusted and others were covered in dust and cobwebs.
We had to do a total cleaning of the apartment and fumigated it.
When we were done and he was about to leave, he left me a spare key and asked me to stay in his apartment to monitor his things. He showed me the footprints of someone who came in through the ceiling to steal his costly wristwatch and Wifi router.
I had no choice but to keep to the request of a close friend. I picked up some of my clothes and had a night in the apartment.
My first night made me think of not staying there at all. Whenever I try to do anything, all I can see and imagine are those scenes of us laughing and having fun together. The first night wasn’t a nice one.
The next day, I thought of what to do. Then I finally came to a solution of changing all of the furniture and other things in the apartment. It took me a whole day to accomplish, but after doing that the whole apartment changed to a different one entirely. After which I was able to sleep and reside peacefully without having many memories of us together.
Header Image is mine; Image 2 from Pixabay
