If there is any quote I have lived by despite being an introverted extrovert, it is that “No man is an island”.
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I smiled as Jane threw her head back, laughing out loudly to the jokes Favour and Nini, my other girlfriends were telling her. We were all in my house for our legendary ‘Girls Home Day’ and since we were at Nini’s house the month before, and Jane's house the month before that, it was my turn to host them.
“Why is this one so quiet?” Favour asked, drawing everyone's attention to me. I was munching on the remains of my popcorn from our movie time,. thinking of what all of them meant to me.
“Are you okay?” Nini was the overly emotional one amongst us. Everytime one of us wasn't doing okay, she was the one who made it her duty to ensure that she was fully restored to physical or mental health.
“Don't mind her, she's looking for attention” that was Jane, the one who played with and joked about everything. When Nini had lost her mom the previous year, she said she would have used the opportunity to ask everyone around her to get her plenty of food. Such an expensive joke.
“Well, are you going to tell us what's with you or not?” Favour asked again. I wouldn't call her nonchalant, instead, I figured she had a unique way of showing her love to people.
“I'm totally okay. I'm just grateful for the gift of you guys”
“Did she hit her head somewhere?” Favour whispered to Jane who giggled childishly. Nini cast them a warning look.
“That's sudden. Hope you're okay?” Nini asked, concern etched into her beautiful, round face.
“Hope you're not dying anytime soon? The last burial I attended was depressing enough” Jane spilled. Nini cast her another look and smacked her arm hard when she wouldn't stop giggling.
“I'm perfectly fine. I just sat here a minute ago thinking of how much influence you girls have had on me and I just realized how lucky I am….”
Nini shifted uncomfortably, I could tell she was wondering if something awful was happening to me, that was just how she was.
“...I can only imagine what would have happened to me if I met or mingled with the wrong people. I know Favour is very annoying, Jane is a nutcase and you Nini, are a crybaby but I couldn't have asked for a better group of sisters.”
“ I remember who I was before I met you guys,” Jane seemed to be getting serious for the first time that night as she spoke, “I was timid, too different from everybody else. Treasure would say I'm dramatic and I would snigger at her as if that was nail piercing through my heart instead of a compliment. Those words pushed me to becoming the actor everyone in the department is celebrating today”
The smile came naturally to my face as she spoke. To think that the star actor of our constituency was one of my friends was amazing. And she had been the most shy person amongst us in our first year.
“You're talking about being shy, that's not such a bad thing. What about me who kept pushing everyone away? I even yelled at Nini once when she tried asking me about my missing transport fare” Favour said, playing with her fingernails. She did that each time she was having an important conversation.
I smiled. We had to patiently teach Favour that we loved her whether she had anything to offer or not. And she was the last person to join our circle. At some point, Nini didn't even want her to be a part of us.
“What about you, Nini? What have you gained from this sisterhood?” That was Favour talking. Nini took some time to respond and when she did, I wasn't surprised to see that her eyes were already filled with tears.
“I don't have a sister. You guys are teaching me what it feels to have one”
I opened my arms so I could embrace her and before I knew it, Favour and Jane were in the embrace too.
“I love you girls,” I whispered.
“We love you too. Now stop encouraging Nini to cry and let's move on with our scrabble game” Favour snapped, breaking the embrace first.
We all burst into laughter, including Nini who was now battling between nursing her tears and giving into the laughter that was racking her ribs.
If anyone asked me about the importance of peer pressure, I would tell them that having the right people around you could build you, give you speed and above all, open you up to love in unimaginable ways.
Peer pressure to me was an unavoidable necessity. The secret, however, was having not perfect, but like minded and positive people.
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