When an online friend becomes a lifeline.

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We currently live in two worlds, namely, virtual and real. For most of us who border between being introverted, reserved, and jovial... We do well mingling online; basically, I am not one to extend a hand of friendship. I'd say for most of the friends I have had, especially the ones I met face-to-face, they are usually the ones to come propose friendship to me.

But over the years if there are friendships I have had that have stood the test of time, it would be the friends I met online. Among these friends are those that I have never met, but they would always come through for me.
There are the ones that we did start off as friends in reality, but then life happened, we relocated to different places, and as such, our friendship became digital. If I'm to illustrate my take on both online and offline friendship systems, I'd say keeping friends online is much more preferable for me.

Well, not strictly online, as we can always meet up from time to time. For me the friendship is easier to manage. Maybe because I do sometimes come off strongly as difficult. As much as I value friendship and understand the concept of sharing, I do like my space and properties respected. I have severely fallen out with some of my besties back then in uni.

The thing is, they expect that since we are besties, it automatically gives them a free pass to invade my privacy. I had travelled for a religious seminar one time, and while I was away, I had left my keys with my supposed friend. I did this in case she needs anything from my belongings; she could ask me, and since she's with my key, she could easily access whatever she wants after seeking my consent. But what did my supposed friend do? She played dress-up with my clothing and jewelry for a date. I went to discover while going through her status, and I was livid.

I confronted her for not informing me first before accessing my stuff, and she picked offense, twisting my words and accusing me of calling her a thief. The whole situation turned out messy, as she turned our mutual friends against me, calling me ungrateful and whatnot, saying she would never react the way that I did if the reverse were the case. After that experience I started withdrawing from anything physical, including friendships, and just stuck to making friends online. Best believe I have never regretted it.

You know, it's really funny how a stranger you meet online could come through for you. I remember one time being stranded with my mom in the capital city. We had gone for a religious seminar and missed the bus that would have taken us to our hotel. It was not a location we could trace, and we also could not even call any of our crew, as our phones were dead.

So as we stood by the roadside wondering what to do, I heard someone call my name, and when I looked, I saw a man walk towards my mom and me. He introduced himself as Michael and then asked if I am Eseoghene from Facebook. I said yes, and out of excitement he gripped me and said, "Finally, I get to meet you." For me it was an awkward moment, and he could see the look on my face. He apologized for his conduct and then introduced himself. My mom just stood watching everything play out. After he introduced himself, I remembered him and then gave him a hug. I introduced my mom to him and explained our situation.

Immediately he told us to wait as he went to fetch his car. He drove to where we were and asked us to hop in. My mom looked at me as if questioning, "How well do I know this person?" Well, I don't know him at all, but then it was either him or some random hoodlum by nightfall. Since we did not want to take chances with the night, we got into his vehicle, and he drove us to his house. There, he gave me his charger to boost my phone and then asked us to fill it at home. He showed me to his kitchen and asked that I make a meal for my mom and me to eat. The kitchen was fully stocked, and we were famished. As I cooked, he brought his girlfriend from the room and introduced her to my mom and me.

To cut the long story short, we ate, and after boosting my phone, we were able to call for the directions to the hotel, and my friend drove us there. My mom kept praying for him, and when we retired to our hotel room, my mom kept asking, "So we still have nice people like from social media?"

Well, it was such a delightful experience as he kept coming to check up on us, bringing food and anything that we might need. By the day we were living, he cooked a delicious meal of rice, stew, beans, fried plantain, and plenty of proteins for us. After that experience, we never saw each other again, but we continued to communicate online.