I don't like cats. Not because of their fiery nature or their weird eyes that have a way of sparkling at night but because it is linked to the idiom of revealing secrets as I had learned in English class way back in 2002. Ironically, cats are very secretive. So who was the smarty pants that linked revealing secrets with cats…..huh?
May 2002
Nelly and I were seat mates and very good friends in school. We were like twins and twined over almost everything. We went out together, we ate together, played together, laughed together and gossiped together too. I felt safe in her space, confided in her and we were cool.
The other girls in class envied us but who cares…? As long as Nelly and I are good, no need for a third party. It is said that two is a company and three is a crowd. I thought that we would be like that forever but then things took a downward turn one fateful day at school.
That morning, the sun was up and glistening, the birds were happily chirping on tree branches, the sky was a beautiful blue and all was harmonious with the world. In my usual way, I hopped to school since my house was only fifteen minutes away. I was on time and able to join other students at the assembly point. When it was time to march into our classes,I allowed my eyes to roam and seek out my Nelly but she was nowhere to be seen.
Thinking that she might be late, I joined the others and marched into my class. Classes begin but Nelly was not yet in school. From inquiry, I got to know that she was I'll. I felt sorry yet mad at that illness that took my friend out of school. Later at the close of school, I walked to Mellisa..
“Mellisa please wait. I want to talk to you” I said as I caught her attention.
“Okay, so what is it” she replied.
“I know that you live in the same estate as Nelly. Please could you check up on her and send my regards to her as well. Also tell her that I missed her alot in school and I wish her speedy recovery okay” I finished delivering all that was in my heart and Melissa only nodded before walking away.
I went home and carried on with my chores. I was hopeful of seeing Nelly in school the next day. In the morning, I hurriedly prepared for school and arrived just in time to see Nelly alighting from her dad's car.
I waited patiently by the school’s entrance for her while she waved her dad goodbye. “Nelly how are you feeling today? I learnt you were under the weather yesterday” I asked her, feeling joyful but her tart “I am fine” left me perplexed. I also noticed that her face was not bright, she had a mild scowl on and her sure screamed do not disturb me. I chunked all my observations to her I'll health and carried on as usual.
“Why are you following me to and fro Becky. Don't you have something else to do besides following me like a leech?” She yelled at me as soon as we got to our class door. I was taken aback, not prepared for such an outburst at all and so I asked…
“What is the matter with you today Nelly? You are giving off odd vibes and I can't understand why?”
“How would you understand? You call yourself my friend and yet when I was I'll you never showed by trace of concern. You enjoyed yourself in school all alone without me and now that I'm back in school, you are portraying eye service. Please come off it cos I ain't buying it” Nelly continued her outburst.
I wanted to defend myself and tell her that I was really concerned about her well-being but the harsh words she threw at me stung my tongue to its pallette and I could not say anything in my defense. Not wanting to keep the crowd of students entertained any further, I turned to leave to at least get over the pain I was feeling but Nelly wasn't done.
“Yes, walk away because you know I'm telling the truth. You are not a good person and maybe that's why you are cursed and still bedwet!” She screamed at me but the gasps from the students standing around waiting to catch news of our fight stopped me in my tracks. I turned to look at her and I swear I saw regret pass through her eye but it was fleeting.
“I told you about that one time bed wetting case in confidence and now you dare to use it against me in front of so many people and yet you called me a bad person. Was it a crime to have confided in you? I told you that I drank too many soft drinks which led to my inability to control my bladder that night and it was a one time thing that never happened again. Thank you so much for showing me who you really are” I said with a firm voice even though I felt like crying loudly.
I walked away from her and went to sit at a quiet place under our school's mango tree in the backyard. I cried but not for long. I cried not because she let the cat out of the bag but because she did without considering the fact that we were in school and I would be called names henceforth. I was already being called skinny bones. Now will bedwetter be added to the list?
When the bell rang for classes to commence, I sat down with Nelly but I was in ghost mode. My aura was ice cold and I didn't care to hide it. I didn't go out with her as usual to eat nor did I speak a word to her and she also didn't ask, not that I would have agreed to it. I was hurt by her betrayal.
After school hours, I saw Mellisa and Nelly walking towards the school gate and it dawned on me that Melissa might have not delivered my message or she had lied. Somehow, I was not angry seeing them together, rather I was empty and it was with that emptiness that I sought a teacher's permission to get a single seat and desk from the store room. I carried the seat and desk and placed them as far away from Nelly as possible.
She might one day realize that she had hurt me but I wasn't going to wait until then. I had a life before she came and I'll pull through. Surprisingly, Nelly was not shocked to find that I had separated from our shared seat when she came in the morning. Rather, she asked Melissa to be her seat mate and all was good. Seeing all this play out, I learnt a bitter truth and that was not to easily give out vulnerability to anyone until that person is tested.
Thank you all for reading.
Images used were generated with Meta Ai.
You and your friend had a sad experience. These are lessons we learn as we grow, and they help us understand that not many people are good enough to deserve our friendship.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Good day.
Thanks for reading my experience.
It was sad but I had to move on.
Oh no, Nelly messed up big time. She really went too far, gosh! That's not how to treat a close friend. But why are some people too quick to use one's weakness against them or reveal what was told to them in confidence whenever there's a misunderstanding? It doesn't show trustworthiness.
I'm guessing Melissa instigated Nelly's cold attitude towards you and she succeeded in breaking your friendship. Oh Nelly was too gullible!
This is a nice story with morals, beautifully written . Good job.
Thank you sis for enjoying my story.
This is one of the reasons that life seems so hard because some people act the way Nelly did. They come close, learn one or two things and then store it up as a weapon against the person when things don't go their way.
Such people should be avoided to the last. They're not worth being friends with.
That's the reason I'm always careful with telling things about myself.
Yes ooo. Very important 😁
Nelly did not do well at all. Something you confided in her and she exposed you without looking at how you will feel.
It shows she had plan to do that but was just waiting for the perfect time to do so. So when she saw the opportunity, she grabbed it with everything in her. She was never your friend, no matter how angry she was that you didn't visit, wouldn't have made her let the cat out of the bag.
Take heart such is life for you.
Yes ooo. Such is life but I learnt a lot big time
Even after all these years this still is sad to read. School relationships have a powerful influence on us. They are important to children. I'm sorry this friend was disloyal. The lesson you learned was good: don't tell people your secrets. Once you tell a secret to anyone, it's not a secret anymore.Hello @beckyroyal,
You wrote this with great effect. It was a powerful story. I do have one bit of advice: your intro paragraph is thematically related to the story but really does nothing to strengthen it. As a matter of fact, the story is powerful on its own and this paragraph I think takes from the force of the narrative.
Just my opinion. Your story, your choice :)
Oh thanks for that pointer. I'll try my best to be careful about my intro paragraphs next time.
I appreciate your opinion and compliments on my story. I am still learning.
Thanks for reading my sad expecrience and for leaving a comment.
Best regards 🤗🌺
Thanks
That was so,so bad of Nelly
Yeah it was.
Thanks
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STOPThanks