“I got a new phone!” I screamed as I got into my friend's house, my smile lightening up my face as I lifted the package above my head and walked inside my friend's house, where four of my friends sat. They had just come back from class and were sprawled on the floor and bed just typing away on their phones. The first person to notice me was Stella, she looked up from her phone and smiled warmly at me.
“Congratulations ohh! Now we have an extra camera” she said as she stretched out her hand towards me to examine the features of the phone. I smiled at her and nodded my head in the affirmative. I closed the door behind me when I heard Emem’s congratulatory voice. Stella had passed her the phone,, and they were talking about the features.
I could feel my face beam with joy; these girls had known how hard I had worked for this phone and how I had suffered. I missed several important tests because I wasn't on the group chat and half of the time my friends couldn't reach me on time, I turned in my assignments at the nick of time because of my lack of a device and today's world that needs you to be chronically online to do something, I was too far at the back of the crowd. So this was definitely an achievement, but somehow, I felt like the energy wasn't very celebratory.
I turned towards my other friends, who hadn't said anything. Joy was fast asleep when I stepped in, but I knew she would be one of the happiest; she always was the one. Celebrating all my little wins and even in the dull house, I felt some sense of peace.
“What brand is it?” Thelma asked as she turned the phone around, scrutinizing every inch and measuring it side by side with her phone. I rolled my eyes as I sat down on the floor, my legs were aching from working 2 physical jobs.
“Redmi 13c”, I answered as I reached out to massage my aching foot and thighs. I heard her laugh loudly and before I knew it my head snapped up and I saw that she had dropped the phone aside and everyone was looking at her puzzled. I felt my heart drop with each new fit of laughter she had.
‘Why was it funny?’ I thought in my head as I signalled for Stella to hand me the phone. She got it from her and passed it to me.
“What is so funny Thelma?” Emem asked with an irritated look and Thelma finally quieted down.
Joy had woken up from sleep now and was staring at the environment with exhaustion and anger from being woken up from sleep.
“Who was cackling like a hyena?” She said as she itched her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand and sat up on the bed. Joy didn't like being woken up so I understood why she was annoyed. Thelma was quiet now but she was frowning at Joy's remark.
“Don't insult me oh! Abeg!” Thelma said as she went back to chuckling to herself. Joy rolled her eyes at her and then glanced around the room. She saw the phone packet that was lying beside me and then the phone in my hand. She looked at me again, her face filled with excitement and confusion. She got up from bed slowly. As if she was scared, I would vanish with the phone, and it wasn't real.
“Wait oh? It's a lie!” She screamed as she picked up my phone packet and jumped around the room excitedly. We all laughed except for Thelma, who sighed. We didn't pay her any mind, but despite how happy Joy's happiness made me feel, I still wondered why Thelma was laughing.
Within Joy's few minutes of waking up, she had hugged me twice, screamed like four times and danced around about a million times. All the while, I laughed and told her it was ok. She was still dancing when Thelma said something that turned the room cold. It was like she offed the light and left us in pitch darkness.
“All this for a phone that is not an iPhone” All eyes snapped towards her direction, and I could feel my blood boiling. I wanted to be the mature one and ignore it or cover up for her like I always did, but I said it, and honestly, I wish I had screamed it in her face.
I reached towards Joy's hand and got my phone. I put my phone packet in my bag and I finally turned to face Thelma. The other girls were saying something to her, but I didn't hear anything; I was too annoyed. Joy was tearing her apart. I could tell from Joy's heated face and her embarrassed one; the other girls looked disappointed and kept talking to her and shaking their heads.
I waited for it to die down, and when Joy was pulled away by Stella to the kitchen to calm down, I finally said it.
“Coming from someone whose iPhone doesn't receive updates anymore, definitely a case of sour grapes.” I saw her face heat up. I heard the laughter ring out from around the house. Joy had run in again and laughed at Thelma's face before hissing loudly and going back to the kitchen. Emem was laughing loudly and picked up Thelma's phone and shook her head slightly. Thelma snatched back her phone and got up angrily.
“Sour grapes, my foot. I have no interest in being as poor as you're looking at how long it took you to save up for a phone.” At this rate, I couldn't feel my heart again. I felt the tears prick my eyes, but this wasn't a new dynamic; this was Thelma. I picked up my bag and got up from the floor.
“Yes, get up and leave! I wonder how long it would take you to save up for your own house but don't come back here ever!” She said as she pointed to the door. I could hear the screaming from the last floor. I didn't know how I had walked down the flight of stairs but I could feel my heart shatter. It hurts because maybe she was right, I was poor. The tears were dropping freely now. I just wanted to share this with my friends but I guess I was silly for expecting much. I was about to open the gate when I heard my name.
“Sherah! Wait!” I turned around quickly and I saw the girls, all except Thelma. Fully clothed and bags packed. They signaled for me to wait and they came downstairs. Immediately Joy saw me, she ran towards me and hugged me. I was bawling at this point, and Emem patted my back while Stella whispered that it was ok. That we would be fine.
We stood there for about three minutes before the girls said we should go over to Joy's apartment. She held my hand as we walked and even if my heart felt heavy at the words, Thelma’s action and her refusal to come apologize. I held on to what Joy said.
“Your soul is too rich for anyone to call you poor. You did it yourself, and that's all that matters! This is your foundation to greatness don't you ever let anybody take that from you, Sherah.”
Today, as I hold my Redmi Note 14, I am growing in my field as a writer. I think about those words often and the world suddenly makes sense.
Image is not mine