Friendships are like relationships, and it took quite awhile for me to grasp that concept. We don’t fuck our friends, and if we do, that’s the bonus that can either break or enhance those bonds. But the determination to stay committed to the primal ties that often times begin when we’re too young to comprehend what’s being nurtured, is definitely the blueprint for a lifetime of rollercoaster rides, that despite turbulence, still manages to keep the occupants securely fastened.
I used to feel the pressure to have as many friends as I could muster, and perhaps that longing was conceived from the experience of being abruptly yanked away from my blossoming years in the United States. My Nigerian-born parents had joined the exodus of the sixties and seventies by exploring educational opportunities in foreign territories that would provide the superior exposure that could be used to elevate their chances for a better life in their homeland.
Once they garnered degrees in their chosen fields of study, the decision to head back home was inspired by the need to give their American-born children the opportunity to appreciate their cultural heritage, which turned out to be a priceless gift of recognition and appreciation.
Trying to assimilate into a coarser system of military coups, and structural lawlessness wasn’t an easy feat for the young family…
