Salome and Ndidi were inseparable friends, always seen together on campus. They reminded one of the nursery rhymes about Mary and her Lamb. Tofarati, on his part, was the young man of every girl’s dreams—the kind whose every action screamed, “Take me home to Mama.” Tofarati was polite, kind, considerate, good-looking looking and well-mannered. Of all the girls on campus, he had his eyes on Salome, but each time he approached her to start a relationship, she shunned him. The truth, though, was that Salome liked him but was playing the age-old “hard to get.”

One warm afternoon, Ndidi (the bolder of the two) decided to visit Tofarati in his room at the Staff quarters to inform him of Salome’s interest. She intended to set the ball rolling for her friend because they had noticed that Tofarati seemed to be relenting in his pursuit. Ndidi met Tofarati, shivering yet running an extremely elevated temperature. He had malaria, and there was nobody around to help. Ndidi felt the right thing to do was to sponge him down with tepid water to bring the temperature under control and administer anti-malaria drugs after fixing him some hot soup. Thereafter, she intimated to him of her mission, which was to assure him that Salome was interested in striking friendship with him. At that point, Tofarati looked Ndidi straight in the eye and asked her directly, “What about you? Don’t you like me? Ndidi was caught unawares and stuttered coyly, “I-I-I I bet every girl on campus likes you,” she said, averting her gaze and taking her leave. Tofarati responded with gratitude for the information regarding Salome and promised to act on the information.

Ndidi headed back to meet with Salome and intimated her of the action taken and Tofarati’s response. She informed Salome that Tofarati was unwell but deliberately omitted her actions in ameliorating his state.

Days passed and Tofarati regained his health. He visited Ndidi to appreciate her kindness during his ill health and appeared to switch his affections toward Ndidi. Salome was livid about her friend’s “betrayal,” while Ndidi pleaded innocence because her visit had been motivated by concern for her friend. She had no ulterior motive. She felt no guilt as she felt she had only done the right thing in the circumstances she had found him and had not contemplated shifting his attention. No amount of explanation could convince Salome that Ndidi’s actions were not a deliberate ploy to win Tofarati’s affection. Although she had consented to the visit, she had not contemplated the actions she undertook – sponging and cooking. Worse still, Ndidi deliberately omitted that portion from her narrative of what had transpired that day, so she felt the actions were preconceived. She labeled her a schemer. Ndidi, on the other hand, explained that she omitted to report the actions she undertook because she knew her friend to be insecure and did not want to ruffle her feathers.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section. Could Ndidi have managed things differently, given what she knew about Salome and her interest? Could her actions be perceived as a betrayal of friendship? Ndidi is at a crossroads as she cherishes her friendship with Salome, but at the same time, she genuinely likes Tofarati. What should she do?

Love

Havilah