Growing up as a child I have always thought that everyone living abroad had a better life than the ones living in my country. After all "the grass is always greener on the other side," I soliloquized.
Folake was my childhood friend with whom we shared dreams and goals, we kept talking about the good life we would get to experience once we finally saved up enough money to take us out of the country for good all of this happened while we were both in high school.
After high school, I and Folake gained admission into different universities which affected how close we used to be and gradually we lost contact.
Five years later, I came across her page on Facebook and then we reconnected, she was already married with about two kids and I jokingly teased, "What happened to our japa ( leaving the country) plans my friend?" She busted into laughter, "See babes, if I still see any opportunity to leave this country I surely will," her responses convinced me she hadn't forgotten our childhood dreams and I felt quite happy about it but on second thought I asked, "how about your husband and children what will you do to them?", she replied swiftly "they'll be alright oo, let me just see any opportunity first."
For me, I wasn't so desperate to leave my country on any ground, but I hoped at least, I could apply to further my studies overseas and the likes little did I know Folake was dead serious about leaving the country.
One day, she called me at a very deadly hour of the night jubilating, "Amie, the Lord has done it for me too, guess what? I got a job abroad." even though I was feeling so sleepy, the news made me excited and I couldn't even contain my joy, "Are you joking Folake? Wow congratulations to you, I'm so proud of you." We talked for quite a while since her husband worked on a shift, he was probably not around that night for her to stay up very late at night talking to me on the phone.
According to her, the job was gotten through an agent to whom she paid about one million naira up-front and which she'll pay the remaining four million naira gradually when she begins to work in the said country, the agent would split the money for four years so that it would convenient enough to pay.
"How about your husband?" I inquired yet again, "Oh, don't worry he was the one who connected me to the agent, it's housekeeper work and I think there's nothing to worry about"
"Don't worry, when I get there, I'll send lots of gifts for you and hopefully you'll join me okay?" Her words were so reassuring and that left a beautiful smile on my face, "I know you got me, babe, I wish you the best."
A month later, Folake relocated and for quite a while I didn't hear from her, as all efforts to reach her proved abortive.
One day, I received a very faint voice note from Telegram, I could barely hear what she was saying but to back up her voice message, she sent me images of her.
She had transformed, she was forced to wear indecent clothing and she had several piercings on her nose, tongue, navel, and ears and that made me wonder what was going on.
"This is what they turned me into Amie, the agent lied to me," her message was accompanied by a crying emoji.
"What's going on Folake?" I dropped a message to her box hoping to get a response.
After some days, she sent me a voice note relating how hard it is for her over there, the agent her husband connected her to, lied to them, it was a wayward lifestyle she was forced to live to make ends meet and the worst part is that they seized her passport until she was able to pay up the money which means she had to stay over there for four more years with such a lifestyle.
"Amie, if I had known the grass isn't always greener on the other side, I would have stayed back." Her voice was shaky in the voice note and I began to cry for my friend, sadly I do not have access to her all the time because most times she's always hiding to text her loved ones.
I knew there were other ways to leave the country for good but I guess the agent took advantage of her desperation and now she's regretting her choice.
I might not be as rich as I want to be now, but at least I realized that the grass is greener where it is watered, this incident made me double my hustle and stay grounded here in my country unless a genuine means of leaving the country ever shows up, maybe through my family members who have relocated or through a study visa.
As for Folake, she's three years gone in that particular country, I pray she makes it back alive too.