When Erica came home from vacation, she was the standard for a perfect child. You would hear most parents tell their kids about how well-behaved she was. My mother was no exception. “Why can’t you be like Erica? She is humble and polite. She is the best student in her school,” she said. Honestly, I felt bad about myself when she said this. However, I didn’t let it get me down. Rather, I chose to let it inspire me to be a better person.

My mother didn’t mean to hurt me when she made the comparison. I used to be a perfect child like Erica. I was academically good as well. Then I fell into bad company when I got to JHS. That was when I became an embarrassment. I wouldn’t study or pay attention in class. I moved from the top five positions in my class to thirty-fifth out of forty students. Nothing my parents did to correct my behaviour worked. I did not want to accept that I was headed down the path of destruction.

That’s why when Erica who had been in boarding school since she was in primary school came home, my mother compared my recalcitrant behaviour to her good behaviour. It turned out that was the kick I needed. See, I liked Erica. She was a beautiful girl. And all the boys in the neighbourhood wanted to get her attention. So I was determined to turn my life around if it meant getting close to her.

I couldn’t easily start talking to her. She was like royalty. All the boys and even girls in the neighbourhood were too shy to approach her. The way she carried herself about earned her the respect she got. So it took days of planning before I concluded on the approach I would use to talk to her.

One day after her mom left for work, I gathered the courage and went to her house. I politely greeted her when she came out. She wore a surprised expression when she saw me but I did not chicken out. I blurted out, “Erica, could you please lend me your textbooks so I learn them when I’m a little free?” She gave me a warm smile and asked which subjects I wanted. “Everything,” I said. “Everything? Okay, give me a minute.” She went inside and brought out a heap of books.

I panicked when I saw the books but I collected them with as much grace as I could manage. She said, “You can keep them till we reopen school.” This was how I got Erica to notice me and become my friend.

In a matter of time, we were attached to the hips like Siamese twins. We had very interesting conversations. She talked about how bored and lonely she felt whenever she was home from school. “The people around think I am antisocial so they don’t talk to me. I didn’t have any friends here until you came along. Thank you for being my friend.” While she was thanking me, she did not know that I was the one who felt honoured to be her friend.

I benefitted more from our friendship than she did, I believe. Every morning, I would do my chores and then go to her house. She would cook for us to eat. After that, we would learn. This was how it was between us until school reopened and she returned to school.

I abandoned my friends who were leading me astray and started focusing on my books. My performance in class started to turn positive. I was always thankful to her for her role in the change of my behaviour. The days seemed too long for me. And the nights were unending. I just wanted it all to pass quickly so we would vacate and she would come home.

While I waited, I did my best to make her proud. By the end of my second term in Form Two, I was the sixth-best student in my class. This is what the attention of a pretty girl can do to a boy. I always told her, “If it hadn’t been for you, I would have dropped out of school by this time. The clique I used to be a part of are all school dropouts. So I thank God for planting you into my life.” She would smile shyly and ask me to give myself some credit for pushing through.

After junior high school, her mother built their own mansion so they left our neighbourhood. Unfortunately too, we both went to different schools. I couldn’t afford a phone at the time. This made communication difficult for us. It got to a point where I no longer heard from her. It affected me emotionally but I was hopeful that fate would throw us together again.

In our final year in SHS, I became friends with a guy named Ernest at my school. We were studying one day when Erica’s picture fell from his book. My heart missed a beat when I saw her face. The next thing I knew, I was shouting, “Is that Erica?” He was surprised, “Why? Do you know Erica?” I excitedly said yes.

I told him about the beginning of our friendship and everything in between. “Erica is a goddess in my eyes,” I concluded. My friend promised to take me to her house when we finish our papers. I could not contain my joy. Through him, I got the chance to meet Erica again and we were all happy except Ernest.

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He was in love with Erica. So he saw me as his competition. I had no idea what was going through his mind. One day he started a conversation about Erica. It was boys boys talk. I said things about Erica that were not nice. I am even ashamed to repeat them here. There was no malice attached to it, but they were things a girl would feel disgusted by. She got to know about it.

Erica was so disappointed in me. She stopped picking up my calls. That was the end of us. After that incident, I met her when she came to our neighbourhood to visit her grandma. I was so ashamed of myself. I couldn’t say anything to her. She also didn’t say anything to me. We just walked by each other as though we meant nothing to each other. This was in 2014.

What Would You Do Differently For Them?

Along the line, she gained admission to nursing training and I also went to the University. I was really happy when I heard from her uncle recently that she is married to a doctor. I went looking for her on social media but I couldn’t find her. That’s why I am here.

I have been carrying the guilt of what I did in 2014 around like a cross. I need to talk to her and apologize so I can set my conscience free. I also need to thank her for the way she helped me when I lost my way. I don’t want to reach her through her uncle or any of her relatives. It may result in unnecessary questions. So I am hoping this story will somehow find her. Maybe she is on this page. Maybe someone on this page knows her. I am not sure if sharing this will help me locate her but I am hoping it does. Please, help me.

–Silent Night

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