A LESSON ON FRIENDSHIP.

What about her? The teacher asked as he pointed his cane at me, Aarti shook her head as she responded  'she is not among them'. I heaved a sigh of relief. I felt my palms again, they were hot and moist as a result of the fear and tension I felt. In fact I almost peed in my panties at the thought of being flogged with the others but thank God, Aarti just saved me by telling a lie.
That incident will forever remain indelible as on that day I learnt a lesson about friendship, love and forgiveness.
Aarti was my Indian friend and classmate who also doubled as the female class prefect.
It was a normal school day. I was in JSS 1 and recess had just ended. The teacher whose time it was to teach was unavailable and being the children we were, we chose to play. After all such opportunity didn't come everyday. Abi I dey lie, didn't you jump for joy on those days when you were told class would not be holding?
We chatted, laughed, joked and just went about disturbing when Aarti asked us to keep shut else she would write a list of noisemakers but we ignored her....na today? Abegi!
She went on to pen our names and proceeded to submit the list at the Staff room. Shuo, see oyinbo wan form madam for us o. Oya na make we see wetin go happen.
We were all called to the Staff room but the teacher whom she handed our names to let us off with a warning. See eye blow for madam oyinbo! We all ran back to our classes in excitement because we didn't get flogged as anticipated. In our euphoria, we started taunting Aarti, daring her to do her worse but she kept her cool. No o, you must do your worst today, na only name you fit write?
You should have seen me then, 9 years old and as small as small can be. I spoke up with my tiny voice 'so you think you can come to control us in our country like the colonial masters abi'? Wetin come bring colonial masters come this mata now? My group members capitalised on that without thinking and continued taunting her, they pulled at her hair as they reminded her that she wasn't superior to us and before long she was red in the face.
At this point she looked up and our eyes met, I felt really bad but quickly looked away as in my young mind I felt it was patriotic of me to stick with my 'fellow Nigerians' over my Indian friend. Choi, would you blame me? I didn't want to be like our great-great-great grand fathers that sold their brothers into slavery like I was told in Social Studies class.
Anyway, I watched as my friend was tortured and it was at that point that the teacher who had earlier warned us walked in. Yawa don gas! We all scampered to our seats but he had caught some culprits and pulled them out. Thank God I was too small to be noticed. He beckoned on Aarti to point out the other members of our freedom fighting group and she moved from seat to seat picking other culprits. That was when I started shivering in fear and my palms got sweaty...don't blame me o, I feared the 'cane' more than anything else which is partly why I was a well behaved child.
After Aarti had picked the offenders, the teacher pointed at me and asked 'What about her'? He apparently knew what I was capable of doing..Oh my God, I am done for I thought. Who send me? Aarti looked at me and our eyes locked. I pleaded with my eyes, hoping she wouldn't turn me in. Aarti shook her head in the negative and that was how I was spared. Choi! Aarti but you didn't tell me you were an angel na. I could have allowed her walk all over me at that point.
I watched as the others got flogged seriously and their cries of plea rang through the classroom. 'Aarti, you are indeed an angel...God bless you' so it could have been me crying.
When the teacher left, I walked up to Aarti's seat and thanked her for not turning me in. She reminded me that she loved me as a friend and wouldn't hurt me intentionally. If she had asked for my head at that point, I probably could have let her have it...ok maybe not my head, maybe my lunch for the rest of the term. I swore to never hurt her again and I tried to keep that promise.
It's been 17 years since that incident happened but I have never forgotten about it because on that day my beautiful 11 year old Indian friend 'Aarti Birdi'  taught me a lesson about friendship...a friend is always loyal and sticks with you no matter what.