FRIDAY TRACK: How to Respond to a Pen-Pal in 2010!

Kilon Sparkles!

What is it with people expecting others to pay their way through life? We see it at the bars when you have a table of 10 yet only 2 will foot the bill after the last drop of Grey Goose.

We see it at the Ikoyi Club, with people acting like they own the club yet they are visiting on other people’s membership card. We even see it in government, when you bump into friends on Oxford Street and they claim to be “on an officious assignment” yet we know they are sent by the Big Oga to go buy his favourite Russell & Bromley shoe.

Last Saturday, an old pen pal promised to visit. I looked forward to it as anyone would especially when you haven’t seen this person in almost close to two decades – I mean, the last time we saw, I was marching for Nigeria @ 30 in my kotina shoes at my school’s annual independence celebrations.

So as I sat at home awaiting the arrival of my ‘pen pal’ turned ‘email-pal’, I received a rather strange text saying ‘Dude….do you have 1k on you?’. I say strange because we had just finished speaking about directions to my house minutes earlier, how come this wasn’t mentioned. So…I ignored.

Then I get a phone call approx. ten minutes later, asking ‘Did you get my text message, the taxi driver said the place is too far…”, unfortunately for my pen-pal turned email-pal, I didn’t have cash on me but even if I did I was largely irritated by this request.

After all, you knew damn well that you didn’t have cab fare before you got into the taxi, but you did it anyway because supposedly Bank of Destination will pick up the tab. There clearly was no consideration that perhaps I didn’t have any money on me. More so, I did not instigate the visit, I was asked and I obliged. If I had suggested it, perhaps I could see how we had ended up here.

Two hours later, still no arrival, I called (just in case the taxi driver had thrown some tyres round his neck and turned him into kebabs) but the phone rang and rang without a response. This got me very angry as it showed a lack of respect and I simply couldn’t comprehend why someone would suggest that you meet up yet fail to think about their capacity to get to the chosen meeting place.

I originally parked that entire saga until I got a text message last night and it read “I am very upset. I am really disappointed at our friendship…”

I must confess the shotgun part of me wanted to respond immediately but I thought I’d let you give me some colourful recommendations on how to approach this. And please I beg you please, enlighten my ignorant self on why exactly my pen-pal turned email-pal is upset.

This week’s Friday Track is Young Jeezy and his new hit ‘Lose My Mind’. Click to Listen

Enjoy!