True friends are in short supply

It is true that true friends are in scarce supply and a sure friend is known in unsure times. I was waiting to do a very important exam in my career. And unlike in football where the fixtures include the venue where the match would be played, it wasn’t clear yet.

When the centre allocation was done, I realised that it was going to be an away match. Not in the college where I studied. Not even in my home town. But in a town I have never visited.

With my shallow pocket and anaemic bank account, I had to act wisely. The exam was to take a whole week. This was the time to remember all my friends in the town, those I constantly contact and those whose contacts were lost with my first phone after KCSE. A good number of them reside in the town but I chose to contact two for obvious reasons. They both agreed to host me for the one week. Even though I trusted them, plan C was not halted. It involved saving any amount for any emergency.

When the day came, I sent a short message that I had started my journey. They promised to pick me up as soon as I arrived. I also ensured that my phone had enough airtime - something I rarely do. One of them was already offline when I arrived. On trying to reach the second guy, I received a text that to my conclusion was the final nail in the coffin.’’I am busy, call later,” the message read.

More questions than answers ran through my mind. I had to think very fast, faster than the Ministry of Internal Security. I had to find a way or create a way.

Thank God for the digital era. I did a Google search and found a map. But the map alone could not help so I involved a third party - a bodaboda man. After applying some bargaining power, which rarely works when you don’t know where you’re going, he agreed to take me to Annex stage from where I would take a vehicle to my destination.

These are the moments when Kenyans become very opportunistic. My bodaboda man just magnified my problem by taking me to a the wrong place. As he rode off, I memorised his face as I would master the answers to a paper leaked before the examination day. I vowed to stand my ground and get a refund if I spotted him again.

Sure enough, the bodaboda operator came back to check if I needed more of his services. I had to act tough, tougher than the president in the face of a national crisis. I gave him two options, ‘’you either take me to Annex stage or give refund me my Sh30.”

Knowing how violent Luo men can be when provoked, he surrendered the money. At the end of the day, I made my way to a bed and breakfast, hired a room and bought some food. What an achievement!

I had learned my lesson. True friends are in scarce supply. What excuse will the friends who had abandoned me in my hour of need give when we meet? What if their turn to seek my help comes? Nobody seems to be taking the driver’s seat to restore the friendship. But I have to take it because I treasure them and I want to be a true friend.

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