Well this week's prompt is something that got me really excited and I'd just have to say I love life.. Why?
Because it's full of surprises. There is absolutely no doubt about it.
What is more?, it comes with people that will give you the shock of your life but definitely not in a bad way.
On the ninth of February many years ago, my big brother was born, three years later I followed on the eighth of January.
For many years it was just the two of us; Georgie and Claudia. All things considered we had a pretty amazing childhood. I wasn't good at making friends so his friends became my friends. We would go to their houses together, play. We attended the same schools.
One time we even celebrated our birthdays together. My parents thought it wouldn't be fair if mine was shifted to his date so we ended up celebrating together on the fourteenth of February.
If I got my calculations correctly, today marks fourteen years since that day. It was the best birthday celebration I have ever had. Lots of gifts from a lot of people.
I love cake, it has to be one of my weaknesses. Give me enough cake and I will follow you anywhere, that day we had four. So there was plenty to go around.
I was the princess to his prince you could say.
We weren't exactly best friends but we were close enough. Fast forward to years later, we are as grown as we can be.
I finally was able to make my own friends. I was on a different campus doing my own thing. Even though I saw him regularly it was still very much different from how it was before. In my head we were not Georgie and Claudia anymore.
It's safe to say we grew apart even though we were not far from each other.Life happened I guess.
Even though I knew he would always have my back, there was still a strain.
Then came Spaghetti.
Don't be confused, Spaghetti is an actual person.
A person I didn't like for no reason in particular or perhaps I had a reason but it was a silly one. Anyway she came into the picture and I thought she kicked me out of it.
I will admit I didn't have the best attitude when it came to my brother during that time. Someone would ask me where he was and I would shrug indifferently.
It was during this time he decided to surprise me with the shock of my life.
It is a night I don't want to remember because it wasn't a pleasant one but I guess this story wouldn't be complete if I don't say it all.
It started off like every other night, I had a plan. Eat then write.
I went out to get something to eat. Few steps that's all was left and I'd be home. I didn't register it, next thing I was I knew on the floor. I didn't see their faces. All I felt was fear so I did the only thing I could do in that situation, I screamed for what felt like actual hours.
The moments after that were blurry. I had to be dreaming.
T heard it then as it snapped out of my trance.
I looked at my brother on the floor and I ran. Not towards him. I didn't stop until I got to the road, knelt in the middle of it, begging that someone help my brother.
My fine girl didn't matter at that point (lol).
You couldn't have told me four months ago that he would take a bullet to save me. I just wish he'd have worn his superhero suit first.
I'm grateful we are all still here to make jokes. During that time my father would joke and say my future husband would need to pay extra or in his words, "One million naira per pellet". He should have thirty seven pellets so future husband wherever you are good luck to you.
Things progressed since that day. Skipping over the weeks we spent in that hospital, everything has been better since then.
Now, I absolutely love Spaghetti because I don't know what I would have done without her and my brother and I talk more. At least we've advanced to the stage where I don't feel like strangling him (not literally of course) with everything he says.
And if my parents will not disown me and I manage to get over my fear of needles, I'm definitely getting a tattoo that says "On the 8th" because I was born on the eighth, and my brother saved my life on the 8th by 8pm.
Life is full of surprises like I said before because there was no way someone would tell me that our story would have those chapters.
We are not those people but all in all, I love life, but what's more?, I love being alive and I'm so grateful that he is too.