STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT...kinda

BEST FRIENDSHIP EVER EVER

In life, you must always have that one person that you can see and say, YES, HE OR SHE IS WORTH KNOWING ME because you can never know when you will need an ear to hear your cry or a shoulder to cry on. I wished that Mikey could be that person. I never wanted him as a boyfriend. My studies took that role perfectly well but I wanted him to be my best friend, just like the cutest friendship between Brother Ivan and the Swahili Mademoiselle and also between her and the Mexican Life skills teacher.

I used to enjoy the two friends so much. One thing I learnt about the Mademoiselle was that she was not hard to befriend. She was down to earth so much. She got along with all the teachers. I remember there was a time when my classmates decided to chase away the Lifskills teacher, the Mexican. It was during the life skills lesson. He decided to bring for us sweets. On the process, the boys decided to scramble for them thus making him furious that he asked all of us to return the sweets and he went away.

Apparently, the next lesson, was Kiswahili and we just knew that Madam was told what we had done because they were also so close that the girls used to call them a couple. The madam gave us a scolding that made us realize our mistake and go and ask for forgiveness. Also, when the teacher was about to leave the country, he had organized a concert with some of the students. When they let him down, the only person that could calm him down was the madam. The madam had a special way to get to Emilio so much that after his departure, she became distant. When she finished her classes, she went back to her room at the fraternity.

The other best friend she had was Brother Ivan who was always there for her. I remember there was a day we were going to our sister school- Our Lady of Consolata. It was during the April holidays. I had decided not to go home so as to avoid my mother who decided to make my last year in High school a living hell by bringing me to this village school. I was with the Teso kids.  I managed to sit in front with the two. With the way they were talking and singing, it seemed that they were from the same schools and they knew each other for long. They told me that they were childhood friends. They were noisy but fun to be around.

It was my first time seeing a happy faced brother considering that the students are afraid of him. It was a very special day. I day I promised myself that I must find a friendship like theirs. Not only this time, has Brother had always looking out for the Swahili Madam. I remember there was that time when one of the students in my class refused to be punished. In the evening, it was as if a miracle happened because the boy came crying, knelt down before the Madam asking for her to forgive him. At that moment, I was with the madam discussing a Fasihi question. Also when the other teachers started back-biting the Madam, the Brother never secluded her, instead, they could be seen together always. At that point, Madam even stopped sitting in the staffroom.

The biggest blow the Madam got was when Brother was transferred to another country. The madam was never the same again just like when Emilio went back to their country. She became distant to everyone in school. A lot of people started wondering what was happening to her. She could just come to class, teach her lesson, never sitting with other teachers. The library became her sanctuary. George, Floriana and I could go keep her company but the distance was vividly seen. She was never again the same cheerful teacher we knew. We later came to learn that when Brother who was her best friend left, they were not on speaking terms. After that, we just heard that she was also leaving the school also.

Truth be told, I have never seen a special friendship like the one of the madam with her two friends. They say that human beings are funny people to live with but I guess the fun was knowing these three people who made the term FRIENDSHIP seem like a fairy tale written in Africa.