Unfriendly Friend part 1 – Judith Onyoyibo
Kate and I are best of friends. Though really close, we have different tastes in men. Kate is one all these showbiz girls. She love her men rich, tall dark and handsome. If you are not speaking money, don’t speak love to Kate.
We were in 200l when Stanley started showing interest in Kate. He is our course mate and also our reading partner. Along the line, he started developing feelings for Kate but Kate wasn’t ready to hear any of it because the guy was broke and doesn’t really dress well.
I tried my best to make her fall for him but she warned me to mind my business and that if I like him that much for her, I should go ahead and date him.
This affected our friendship with Stanley. We stopped studying together.
When we were in 400l, I was having issues with a particular course and to make matter worse, I recently broke up with my ex then. I was really overwhelmed. I had no choice than to plead with Stanley to help explain that course well for me.
That was how my friendship with Stanley got rekindled. He was there when I needed him the most. We started talking more often and spent most of the day together.
Well, we developed feelings for each other and started dating. When Kate heard I was dating Stanley, she mocked me like never before. At a point, I even considered breaking up with him because of the constant mockery I got from Kate.
The love I had for him was greater than the mockery I got, so our love prevailed.
After NYSC, Stanley got a scholarship to study abroad for his masters. He promised to come back for me. Yet again, Kate mocked me and told me I will grow old while waiting for him.
A year later, Kate got married to a big boy. He is wealthy and very generous. He really spoilt her silly with money. I was happy for my friend. She finally got to marry the man of her dreams.
Four years later, Stanley returned back to Nigeria and established himself. Our love grew and he proposed to me.
I finally married the love of my life. My best friend and my confidant.
The wedding ceremony was the hottest topic of discussion in town. It was a luxurious and a glamorous ceremony. Everyone who attended the occasion were left stunned.
I finally moved in with my man. A four bedrooms detached duplex. You know those kind of houses you only get to see in movies.
My life has started falling into place.
Kate’s husband got arraigned by EFCC for internet fraud. All their assets and money was confiscated.
I was the only option Kate had left so told her to move in with my husband and I till she’s able stand on her feet. At first, Stanley was against it but he later gave in after so much persuasion.
I thought I was being a good friend to Kate not knowing that jealousy and envy has eaten deep into her system….
I noticed that since Kate started living with my husband and I, she was always on bum shorts and other skimpy and revealing wears.
I wasn’t comfortable with it. I had to confront her.
“Babe don’t you have other appropriate clothes?”. I queried one morning.
“What’s wrong with this one?”. She asked pointing at the skimpy gown she was putting on.
“Haba na! You are not even wearing a bra. Honestly I’m not comfortable”. I said disappointedly.
“Don’t tell me you think I’m trying to seduce your husband?”. She asked angrily.
“I’m not saying you are trying to…” I was trying to explain my feelings to her when she snapped at me.
“It’s not your fault na… It’s because I’m in your house that’s why you are trying to dictate to me what to wear or not”.
She walked out on me angrily.
I was short of words. I just stood still for over ten minutes while trying process the whole drama that just went on.
Since that morning, Kate stopped talking to me. She doesn’t even greet me nor return my greetings. I tried to have a heart to heart discussion with her but she shunned me. I just decided to let her be.
My husband noticed the distance between Kate and I and tried to reconcile us but I asked him to let us be as I wasn’t ready to force myself on her any further.
My husband likes watching movies in the seating room downstairs almost every night.
One night, my husband spent more time than usual downstairs. It was almost 11:00pm and my husband was still downstairs. I decided to go check up on him.
To my surprise, he was seeing a comedy with Kate and they were indeed having a good laugh.
Immediately Kate saw me, she stopped laughing.
“Babe why are you still downstairs?”. I asked my husband.
“Can’t you see I’m seeing a comedy?”. My husband snapped.
“It’s almost midnight, you will be late for work tomorrow”. I said.
“Please leave me alone. Sleep if you want to sleep”. My husband shouted.
I felt so embarrassed. That was so unlike my husband.
I went back to the room and was crying. I couldn’t even sleep. I was waiting for my husband to come upstairs so that I can tell him my mind.
My husband didn’t come upstairs till it was 12:34am. I was extremely mad.
“Kate must leave the house”. I said to my husband immediately he got into the room.
“Where is that coming from?”. My husband inquired.
“It’s coming for a place of hurt!! You are hurting me. Look at how you embarrassed me in her presence “. I said.
“Pele o (sorry o)”. My husband said. He covered himself with the duvet and turned to the other side of the bed.
I was disgruntled. This was so unlike my husband. I don’t even understand what was going on.
The next morning when my husband had gone to work, I confronted Kate.
“When are you leaving? You have overstayed your welcome”. I asked.
She looked at me from head to toe and sighed.
“Your husband said I could stay till I’m ready to leave”. She said.
“Was it my husband that invited you over?”. I asked.
“It doesn’t matter. If you want me to leave, then let your husband be the one to ask me to leave. After all he is the owner of the house”. Kate said.
“You are unbelievable. You will leave this house tomorrow “. I insisted.
“Let’s watch and see. You should be grateful I rejected your husband back then in school. Infact, you should even pay me obeisance “. Kate boasted.
I got angry and slãppêd her. She slapped me back. We started fighting.
We fought till neighbors came to separate us. It was a messy fight.
When my husband got back, he was so mad at me for confronting Kate.
“You are unbelievable! I thought she was your friend? How can you be so heartless?”. My husband shouted.
“Are you being serious? Is that all you have to say?”. I asked.
“What else should I say? I’m highly disappointed by your actions. Come on! I expected more from you!”. My husband said.
“You still love her right?”. I asked.
I was scared to hear his reply. I regretted asking him that.
Genuine feelings don’t fade so easily “. He said and walked out of the room.
“Genuine feelings don’t easily fade away”. My husband said and walked out of the room.
I was broken. My heart couldn’t carry that statement. This is someone I stayed faithful to all through his days abroad. I was there for him when he had nothing. I got ridiculed and mocked by friends and course mates who never thought he would amount to anything in life. I would watch my friends get spoiled by their boyfriends then while I was the one doing the spending in my relationship.
I trusted the process. I knew he would be great. I saw his potentials and invested on him.
“I don’t deserve this”.
Broken and weak, I sat sorrowfully on the tiled floor.
“What next oh Lord? What should I do now? I was only trying to help my very good friend. Was that a bad thing to do?”. I cried out loud.
I cried till I fell asleep on the cold floor.
When I woke up, I went downstairs to prepare dinner. To my greatest surprise, my husband and Kate were already having dinner. Kate prepared jollof rice in my kitchen for my husband.
“Interesting! You now cook for my husband”. I said sarcastically.
They both continued eating without minding me.
“Am I invisible or so something?”. I asked.
“If you are hungry, enter the kitchen and dish food for yourself and stop throwing tantrums”. My husband said.
Kate just sat there tearing the chicken with her teeth whilst having a swell time.
Angrily, I poured Kate’s plate of rice on the floor.
“I can’t take this nonsense! She must leave”. I shouted.
The next thing I received was a heavy slap on my face. Yes! My husband slãpped me. That was the first time my husband would hit me.
I was dumbfounded.
“Your unruly behavior is getting out of hand! I won’t take it”. My husband screamed at me.
My vision was already blurry because tears has already filled my eyes.
“Wow”. I exclaimed.
I went into the room and started packing my clothes.
When I was done packing, I took them downstairs.
My husband was in the kitchen washing plates. Something he has never done since we got married. I didn’t even employ house helps because I wanted to do everything myself because my husband loves domesticated and industrious women.
I wept again.
I met Kate well seated and relaxed in the seating room.
“Are you happy now?”. I asked her.
“Nobody is sending you out of the house. Stop acting like a kid. There’s nothing going on between your husband and I”. Kate said.
“Interesting! There’s nothing going on but he has already chosen you over me”. I said.
“Well, you know I’ve always being his first choice”. Kate said with her legs crossed.
“I wish you both all the best”. I said.
I left the house afterwards. I cried till I got to my parents house.
I couldn’t tell my parents what was happening in my marriage. How do I explain to them that my marriage that isn’t up to five months has crashed or it’s at the verge of crashing?
I lied to them that I came to spend some time with them.
I kept waiting for my husband’s call. I would refresh my WhatsApp after every 2mins to see if my husband has sent me a message. I even uploaded a meme on my status to see my husband would view it and reply.
I waited and waited. I was hoping my husband would call to apologize to me and beg me to come back home.
My husband never called 
I waited and waited for my husband to call me to at least find out where I went to but he never did.
I constructed messages to send to him but ended up deleting them.
I was broken, shattered and bruised. Images of how Kate and my husband would be spending their time together kept running through my mind.
I tried my best not to overthink the situation but it wasn’t working. I was literally running mád.
The pain I was feeling in my heart was so intense that it could be equated with a physical pain.
My mother noticed my gloomy countenance. She kept on pressuring me to speak up but I told her I was fine.
I couldn’t bear it anymore. My husband’s silence was deafening. I decided to call him myself.
I called him twice but he didn’t pick up.
I was going crázy .
“Is he doing it with Kate? Are they bathing together? Is she massaging his back? Are they seeing a movie?”. The thoughts kept pouring in.
I called for the third time. The call was finally answered.
“Baby why are you doing this to me? Did you ever love me? Did I ever mean anything to you?”. I asked teary.
“Madam calm down. Your husband is busy and can’t take your calls at the moment”. Kate said.
I was dumbfounded. I was so embarrassed.
“What are you doing with my husband’s phone? How dare you?”. I asked angrily.
“Dey play! Just dey play”. She said and ended the call.
I started sweating all of a sudden. I was shaking.
Unknown to me, my mother has been watching me.
“I said it! Something is definitely wrong. Start speaking my friend”. My mother commanded.
I burst into tears. I was crying like a small child whose mother left behind with neighbors.
“Mummy I made a mistake, a gràve one at that”. I said when I was a little bit calm.
“What happened?”. My mother asked.
I told her everything from the beginning till the end.
“Why did you even make such a grievous mistake? Are you a baby? Oh my goodness! In this modern day and time you are still naive and clueless”. My mother berated me.
“I didn’t see anything wrong with helping a friend, mummy. You know how close Kate and I were, I never thought she would betray me”. I said defensively.
“There you go again! There’s no friend in the jungle. There’s no lady who wouldn’t fall for a man like your husband. Come on now! He is a multi millionaire for crying out loud. You know Kate and how materialistic she is. You don’t give people benefits of doubt when it comes to your marriage and family. You should guard your home jealously. I’m highly disappointed to say the least”. My mother chided me.
“Mummy what should I do now? They are still together “. I asked.
“I am going to that house with you first thing tomorrow and that your friend must leave that house. This is not the time to cry. Even if you should cry, it should be to God in prayer not in self pity and reproach. Wipe away your tears, for God is about to step in”. My mother encouraged.
Yes! That was it. My mother gave me the strength and encouragement I needed. Mothers are indeed priceless.
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