Until We Meet Again.

Ada had always been the quiet one, not because she wanted to be, but because of how life had somehow decided that she would be the one people whispered about, In her street, almost everyone avoided her, they would say things like, “Omo don’t talk to that Ada girl oh, she is very strange,” or “Her eyes are always too quiet ,something is not right.”

She didn’t fight it, after years of being called names and being ignored, she had learned to walk alone, on her way from school, she would see groups of her classmates laughing together, but no one would ever call her to join, even at home, her mother would just sigh and say, “My daughter, don’t mind them, people fear what they don’t understand.”

Then one hot afternoon, Ada was sitting outside her small compound peeling groundnuts when a moving truck stopped in front of the house next to theirs, new people were moving in, she watched quietly as boxes were carried in, and soon, she noticed a boy about her age come down from the truck, he looked around like someone trying to get familiar with the area.

“Hey,” he said, walking toward her with a small smile, “I’m Dareem I just moved here".

Ada blinked couple of times , confused, nobody ever talked to her like that, “ hmmm i’m… Ada, I live here” she said softly, not sure if she should smile back.

“Nice to meet you, Ada,” Dareem said, still smiling, he didn’t seem to notice the way the other kids were already giving him funny looks across the street for talking to her.

By the next day, the whole street was already gossiping, "That new boy is already talking to Ada,” one of the girls said, “He doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.”

Someone even went to tell Dareem, “Guy, that girl no dey normal oh, If you like yourself, guy just avoid her.”

But Dareem just laughed, “You people too like gossip ,I will judge for myself, abeg.”

From that moment, nothing could stop their friendship, wvery evening, Dareem would come to Ada’s house, and they would sit under the mango tree, talking about random things , school, music, even the funny way the local goat always chased children, for the first time in a long while, Ada laughed freely, She felt seen.

Then one day, she asked him, “Why don’t you believe what they say about me?”

Dareem shrugged, “Because I don’t see what they see, You are cool, Ada , People just like talking too much.”

She smiled, looking down at her hands, “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

As months passed, their friendship grew stronger, they would walk home together from school, share snacks, and even read together in the evenings, the whole neighborhood kept talking “Imagine oh! Ada and that new boy are always together, who knows what is going on?”

But they didn’t care.

One rainy afternoon, as they sat by the window in Ada’s living room, they were listening to the sound of the rainfall, Dareem turned and said to her, “Ada you know that you are the first real friend that I have had since my family started moving around.”

She looked at him, surprised.
“Really? You for real?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I used to hate it whenever my parents said we were moving again, but I am glad we moved here… because I met you.”

Ada smiled, a small tear gathering at the corner of her eye, “You’re not bad yourself, Dareem.”

But life has its own way of testing happiness, Two years later, just when things seemed normal and Ada had finally found a reason to smile every day, Dareem’s father got a transfer again, they were moving to Abuja.

When Dareem told her, Ada just stared at him for a long time, “You’re joking, right?”

“I wish I was,” he said, looking down, “We are leaving next week.”

Tears filled her eyes immediately, “So that is it? After everything?”

He sighed and moved closer, “Ada, me I don’t want to leave either, but I have no choice you see. ”

So that whole week was very hard for her, everywhere she went to reminded her of him, the mango tree, the path they used to walk, even the small corner shop where they used to buy chin-chin from.

On his last day, Dareem came by with a small gift , it was a tiny wooden bracelet with both their initials that was carved on it.

“Something to remember me by,” he said.

Ada took it with shaky hands “You will still call, right?”

“Of course, You cannot get rid of me that easily hmmm...”

She laughed through her tears, “You better not forget me, Dareem.”

He smiled, “How can I ehn? You are the best thing that happened to me here.”

When his family’s car finally drove off, Ada stood by the road, waving until she couldn’t see it anymore, Her heart felt heavy, but at the same time, full, because for once in her life, she had experienced real friendship , something that no gossip or rumor could ever take away.

That night, as she held the bracelet close, she whispered, “Thank you for the memories, Dareem.”

And even though she was alone again, this time, it didn’t hurt as much , because now, she knew she was not invisible after all.

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