Creativenonfiction #78 - In A Spirit Of Friendship

The first time I met Tessa, I was wowed by her beauty. We were no more than 12 years old back then, as I got to find out we were of the same age. Her skin was flawless and she was the one Beyoncé was referring to when she said "She needs an Oscar for that pretty dark skin".

We became close very fast. It also helped that we were neighbors as her house is only a stone's throw from mine.

Tessa is a lively young girl. There is no dull moment with her. Our family moved into the area before hers so it allowed me to be the one to show her different cool spots.

Tessa and I bonded over a lot of things, our love for nature being at the top of that list. Another thing is that we love going on errands together despite the disapproval from our parents because when we go on an errand together, we don't come back on time.

My parents were strict with me in terms of going out to play. It's not that I am not allowed to play at all but they know if I am left unchecked, I could go out to play from dawn to dusk. So denying me some playtime does help keep me in check.

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Another thing that made Tessa and I bond well is the fact that we are both free-spirited and so full of energy. We always invent games and new ways to make our time spent together worthwhile.

There was a day I went against my parent's instructions to stay indoors. They both went to visit a friend and I had to stay home to look after my siblings. It didn't take long before Tessa came around and asked me to accompany her to the market as her mum sent her on an errand.

"I was told not to leave the house", I told her as I watched how unhappy she looked.

"We won't stay long, we will be back before you know it", Tessa pleaded, giving her puppy eyes that she knew I would not be able to refuse.

"Okay, I will be outside now", I told her as I hurriedly wore my slippers. I told my siblings who were watching cartoons on the television not to scatter anything inside as I made my way outside.

I locked the door and off we went. Even though we promised to be back on time, we just couldn't help it. A 30-minute journey can become an hour journey when I am with Tessa. We played on the way, as usual, laughing and having fun.

When I got back home, I noticed everything was the way I left it and my parents were not back. Whew! That's some escape right there.

The following day, I was inside doing something when I heard my mum call my name from outside the house, I quickly went outside and I saw Tessa and her mum. Tessa's countenance made me realize that something was wrong.

"Tessa's Mum just came here to ask you something", my mum said to me as I saw that she looked pissed.

"Good Afternoon Ma", I greeted Tessa's Mum.

"Did you go to the market yesterday with Tessa?" Her mum asked me.

"No Ma, I didn't", I replied quickly, while both Tessa's mum and my mum shook their head simultaneously.

From their countenance, I knew they had caught our lie and my fear was confirmed when Tessa's mum spoke.

Apparently,after Tessa got back late the day before, her mum asked her why she was late and she had lied that the woman selling the foodstuffs was not in the stall and she had to wait for her to come back. Her mum believed her lie not until a neighbor unknowingly revealed to her mum the following day that she had seen Tessa and me at the marketplace the day before. Her mum asked her to tell the truth and she didn't give me up even though her parents threatened to deal with her.

"I'm sorry Mum", I heard Tessa say to her mum.

"Then why did you lie to me?" I heard Tessa's mum direct the question to her.

"I didn't want Rukkie to get in trouble with her parents for leaving the house when they told her not to", Tessa said lowering her head while rubbing her palms together.

I saw my mum look in my direction and I also quickly lowered my head as I mentally calculated the level of punishment that would be meted to me.

"That's no reason to tell lies", Tessa's mum spoke to both of us and my mum chipped in and lectured us on the dangers of lying to our parents.

We both apologized and they both asked us to go, I was surprised as I thought I would be dealt with. I went back inside while Tessa started walking in the direction of her home. I noticed Tessa's mum stayed behind to talk to my mum.

We noticed that after that day our parents were not as strict as before in terms of us playing out together. They probably realized there is no tearing us apart and knowing that we were together won't give them cause to worry and also stop us from telling lies.

After some time, we noticed that both our parents started getting close as well, they started spending time together which allowed us to start visiting each other in our various homes.

Thank you all for reading.

Posted Using InLeo Alpha