CHAPTER TWO : DISTANCE COULDN'T SEPARATE THEM
608 Words
The second term holiday arrived faster than anyone expected.
For many students, it meant sleeping late, watching movies and forgetting about schoolwork for a few weeks.
For Kemisola Adetiba, it meant something even more exciting.
Vacation.
The Adetiba family had been planning the trip for months, and Kemi could hardly contain her excitement.
The morning of their departure, she was already dressed before anyone else.
Mrs. Funmilayo Adetiba laughed as she walked into the sitting room.
"Kemi, our flight is still hours away."
"I know."
"So why are you carrying your bags already?"
Kemi grinned.
"I don't want anything to delay me."
Damilola shook her head.
"You've been awake since five o'clock."
"Because I'm excited."
"You need help."
Kemi threw a pillow at her sister.
Their father laughed.
"Leave your sister alone."
A few hours later, they were on their way.
For Kemi, every moment felt magical.
The airports.
The beautiful hotels.
The different foods.
The places she had only seen in pictures.
Everything fascinated her.
Yet despite all the excitement, there was one person she couldn't stop thinking about, Derinsola.
The two friends had never gone this long without seeing each other.Immediately Kemi settled into the hotel, she pulled out her phone and sent Derinsola a message asking her to guess where she was.
Derinsola replied almost immediately, joking that she must be in heaven.
Laughing, Kemi sent her a picture of the beautiful hotel.
A few seconds later, Derinsola responded with a message expressing her amazement.
Kemi teased her, asking if she was jealous.
Derinsola admitted that she was.
Kemi laughed as she read the message. Despite the distance between them, their friendship felt exactly the same.
---
One afternoon, while sitting beside a swimming pool, Kemi received a video call from Derinsola.
She answered immediately.
Derinsola complained playfully that Kemi had been showing off her vacation pictures every day.
In response, Kemi turned her camera toward the pool and the beautiful surroundings.
Rather than being impressed, Derinsola jokingly told her that she didn't like her anymore.
Kemi knew she was only teasing.
The two friends spent the next few minutes laughing and catching up.
When Kemi asked how life in Ibadan was going, Derinsola told her it was fine, although she jokingly complained that while Kemi was enjoying luxury hotels and beautiful tourist attractions, she was busy helping her relatives with household chores.
The comparison made Kemi laugh even harder.
---
One evening, as Kemi sat on the balcony watching the sunset, Derinsola called again.
Their conversation lasted for almost an hour.
They discussed school, classmates, teachers, and their plans after secondary school.
At some point, Derinsola confessed that she still found it difficult to believe they would soon be leaving secondary school.
Kemi agreed.
The thought felt strange to both of them.
Before the call ended, Derinsola once again asked Kemi to promise that they would remain friends no matter where life took them after graduation.
Although Derinsola had asked for the same promise many times before, Kemi reassured her once again that nothing would ever change their friendship.
Satisfied, Derinsola finally let the matter rest.
---
As the holiday gradually drew to an end, everyone began preparing for resumption.
On Saturday evening, while packing her belongings, Kemi received another message from Derinsola informing her that she would be travelling back to Lagos the following day.
Kemi expressed her excitement at the news.
The two girls exchanged several playful messages, teasing each other about how much they had missed one another during the holiday.
Eventually, they wished each other safe journeys and said goodnight.
Smiling to herself, Kemi locked her phone and continued packing.
- Writer
