FRIENDS UNITED

Jide had just finished his exams, and he was thrilled to have done so. After spending so many sleepless nights in the library and his dorm room studying, he can now relax. As a sophomore in college, Jide had focused solely on his studies, leaving no time for extracurricular activities like dating or pub visits. He would typically go from his dorm room to the lecture hall or classroom, then to the library, and then back to his room.

Since graduating from high school four years prior, they had not communicated, but two weeks earlier, Buzu, a close buddy from high school, sent jide a friend request on Facebook. After a lengthy conversation, they agreed to speak to one another at least twice a week going forward.

Jide was taking a siesta on a sweltering summer afternoon when suddenly his phone rang—and behold it was buzu. “What's going on, Jide”? asked buzu. I'm fine, my brother, jide replied. I am in your town for the weekend, and I plan for us to meet said buzu. Perfect timing. I just finished my examinations, and I have a break for two weeks before regular classes resume. Send me your precise location, and I'll be there soon.

Jide eagerly got out of bed, quickly showered, and then boarded a bus to the city to meet buzu. Buzu arrived at the hotel and waited in the lobby before calling Buzu, who arrived at the lobby shortly after. Buzu had stayed at a fivestar hotel on the outskirts of town. They roared "Bazinga," their magic word from high school, when they saw each other.

They hugged before taking the elevator to Buzu's suite on the tenth floor of the twenty-story hotel. Buzu had already placed an order for red wine and champagne. He asked Jide if he wanted wine or champagne. “Wine please", jide replied. He poured some for both of them, and then made a toast saying “Cheers to old friends and the good life!"

Then they started talking about how their lives were going. Jide asked buzu first, "Life is Buzzing," buzu replied, recounting how, shortly after their high school graduation, he lost his parents in an air crash. As the sole heir to his parents' estate, he was obligated to continue managing the family businesses. He's actually in town to meet with some clients before opening a branch of his business here, "Interesting," jide exclaimed.

In my case, I won a scholarship to study business and finance a year after our high school graduation, so here I am. They talked for hours, sipping wine and champagne and reminiscing about their high school days and the difficulties they faced.

My meeting is in an hour, said Buzu, and I'd like you to stay in the suite while I attend it. I'll return in three hours. Jide, who is shy and introverted, refused, instead claiming that he needed to rush back to his room to feed his cat. He, however, promised to return later that night at 9 p.m. That's fine, said Buzu, I'll walk you down to the lobby for your uber ride, and I'll see you at 9pm then.

When jide arrived at his dorm room, so many thoughts began to run through his mind, like how buzu is living "the life" with panache, and how much his net worth could possibly be for him to fund such a life of luxury at such a young age, without having to worry about studying in college and the struggles of finding a job after graduation.

When hunger struck, jide quickly whipped up a bowl of instant noodles. As he ate, he kept making assumptions as to how the rendezvous with Buzu at 9pm would go, for someone with little or no social life like him.