LOLA ( parable of the rich and poor )

                                             This story was written 4 yrs ago...enjoy

Sitting down all alone by herself outside the white house, she was so quiet and unforgiving in her gaze.I knew something was wrong with her but i doubted her willingness to share,however i approached her with a faint hope,thinking 'what are friends for'.Lola is that kind of girl who would keep things bottled up inside her,she's always wary of who she shares things with,including me who is just a new neighbor and we hardly have time to talk,business keep her away from everyone but still everyone envies her.Achieving her feat in Nigeria doesn't go unnoticed,a girl at twenty eight who live in a house of her own and a couple of exotic cars,i bet any girl anywhere in the world would whistle to that.It took us a while to get going,she rejected my friendship gesture when on one Monday morning she had a flat tire and i came off my bike to render some help; 'oh thank you' she said

' i can sort myself out'
'but i can help you get it sorted out' i replied
"Never mind,I'll just park it here and get it done after work,i would go and get a cab'
i was shocked at her refusal to have me help her and i couldn't help watching her lock the car and moving away to go and get a cab,i felt i just made a nuisance of myself so i got back on my bike with my hands shaking and my head almost empty,my pride had just been shattered, i murmured.

The next morning, on my way to 'malam Yaya's shop' to get detergent she packed beside me and thanked me for stopping by the previous day,'it's okay' i said,i almost said Ma to her because her wealth and affluence had overtaken her age and i felt like a pauper around her.
'You stay around here?'
'yes ma,next to the white house' i said.Now i'm very nervous and didn't even bother about addressing her as Ma and she didn't show any sign of surprise herself
"that's my house' she uttered
'where?'
'The white house'
'Oh really? ' now i am beginning to feel so common,'so she owns that beautiful house' i thought to myself
'you could check on me over the weekend,would be nice to have you visit'
'Alright ma' i said,still not out of my nervousness.
'Okay bye'
She drove off,so slow like a snail that i thought i could beat her to wherever she was going if i jogged the miles.I stirred at her slow crawling 2008 RangeRover until she took to the left turning and was out of view,not until then did i realise i hadn't asked for her name and neither did she ask for mine.


That weekend,around 1pm,i put on my finest clothes and went to the white house,the house shares the same fence with my apartment that i could have just jumped the fence to her compound,even though i could get caught in the security wires.She was so happy to see me, 'oh good to see you!' she exclaimed,'what's the name again?'
'Emeka...Emeka Okoli' i said,thinking i should have even added my middle name
'Oh that's good,i'm Lola'
'Nice to meet you Lola' this time i'm feeling more in control of myself
'good...come inside and have your sit'
The house was very quiet and we got talking,till they started the news at 7pm and i had to leave because it was like she had her tv permanently set to E! but i preferred our local stations and news to the fabricated lies those Americans tell us on their TV. I couldn't tell her i was leaving because i felt she should dictate my departure,so i was deep rooted in the seat till 7:45pm when the news would have definitely ended.
'I should take my leave now' i exclaimed
'Oh it's alright,it's been nice having you around,always feel free to visit'
'Alrght Lola'
She saw me off to the gate and said goodnight, which i returned back.That was the beginning of our friendship which never appreciated nor depreciated,sometimes it felt more like we were just neighbors than friends but i am at least happy to be her friend or may be a neighbour.

So seeing her in front of the white house,in such an unsatisfactory mood,i couldn't help but come down from my bike 'what's wrong?' i asked
'nothing' she answered reluctantly
'you need to convince me more to believe that'
'Nothing Emeka' she exclaimed,raising her voice to such an extent that i thought everyone in the neighborhood heard her.
'Ok then'
I stoodd up to take my leave,thinking she would call me back but she never did,that night, i went to bed thinking what must have gone wrong with her,i asked myself several questions but couldn't find a definite answer to any.I didn't get to see her for  eight days afterward and the last time i saw her she was in company of a group of well suited men and one light tall lady,all dressed in black suit except for the lady who was putting on a grey suit.They were just coming out of the white house and she wasn't putting on a good look still and i just walked  pass without saying hello to her,though she looked at me but swiftly dropped her face,to avoid my eye contact.

Two days after,i got back home very excited, i'd been promoted at work to the sales executive,a promotion i didn't think i merited because there were several long serving sales personnel who had dreamt of taking that position but i heard the promotion was carried out on the basis of hardwork and commitment rather than number of years spent at work,so it was a really happy day for me,so i took some time planning on my new budget and for the first time;considering buying a DSTV,' i can do with the fabricated lies now' i thought.That night i got a letter from my 'facemeifaceyouneighbor'
'The madam for the white house say make i give you this' she said in pidgin
'okay,thanks,when she bring am?' i asked inquisitively
'this afternoon'
'okay thanks Favour,tell your mama say i go come see her tomorrow morning before i go work, to drop my own share of the Nepa bill'
'Okay' ...she left
I was so eager to read the letter but first i had my dinner and took a cold bath,so while i was lying on the bed i unfolded it and read the content.For a second i was traumatized,i couldn't believe what i was reading...Lola had been thrown out of the white house because she took a loan from the bank which she couldn't pay back,she had traveled down to Ibadan to stay with a friend of hers whose location she didn't disclose.That night i slept with mixed feelings,excitement of my promotion and disappointment of Lola's predicament,i thought to myself,so the rich also cry and as the candle in my room melted out and i was sweating profusely on the bed,i thought out loud....I NEED TO GET A GENERATOR