Thought She Was Different

“Jesus! Lanre you slapped me!?” Ify asked shocked that Lanre slapped her. Lanre just stared her in the face giving her a warning look. “Ify, you are free to judge me all you want, I won’t budge. But calling my dad into any matter, babe na fuck up! And I won’t mind treating it for you”. Lanre said.

“After all I did for you Lanre, you dare slap me!” Ify said. This annoyed Lanre. She asked Ify to name the things she has done for her. And Ify began to make mention of things.

“This flat, I paid for it the first time. You did not have anywhere to stay, yet I lived with you as if we shared the rent. After that, you only paid 40 percent of the rent while I paid 60 percent”. Ify said. “Even when your foodstuffs get exhausted, you use mine”. Ify said.

“Please ma, of all these things, is my school fees and textbook money involved?” Lanre asked Ify. But Ify could not answer. Lanre was angry and disappointed. She hates when someone offers her a hand and decides to play God in her life. If she were to count what she did herself for Ify, Ify may see it as nothing because it was not money involved. She hated rich kids for this. But she had always thought Ify was different.

She does not even accept people’s assignment who are willing to pay. But she would do Ify’s assignment for her, her term papers and book reviews. She even goes as far as to do blog reviews for her. A thin line was left for her to writing her exams. She shook her head. She always had Ify’s back like a big sister, yet Ify would always make her look bad. Lanre just wished she had kept to herself as she had planned to do when she was coming to school for the first time. She scolded herself with the local proverb, “Leg wen no waka no go wet”. And it is same as, “A leg that does not step outside won’t get wet”. This means, you won’t get hurt if you do not make yourself available. It also means if do not get involved in something, you won’t be implicated.

Lanre moved out of the apartment with the things she had packed. Then she told Ify that if she feels she is courageous enough, then she should throw her things out of the house. She reminded her that she also paid even though it was 40 percent. Then she left.

Ify cried after Lanre had gone. She took out her phone and called her mother even though she knew her mother would be at work. She did not even know why she was calling her mother when she was aware the woman would be busy and may not answer her phone. Still she dialled the number. She was surprised when her mother picked up. She started to cry. And then her mother asked her what the problem was.