Sometimes the best gifts come unexpectedly. 

On the high of my last post, I felt like I had to share the same appreciation for the people I never expected to call my friends.

I really love my friends, the old ones and the new ones. The ones I have known for over ten years and the ones I met not too long ago. Time never really decides how much love you can grow for someone and that is what makes it so funny and beautiful. Sometimes the people you have known for the shortest time, end up being the ones who show you a different kind of love.

I am always careful about who I let into my life. I am very shy and usually quiet. I am always nervous meeting new people because my anxiety starts racing and I worry they might think I am strange, when really I am just trying not to say anything silly. Once I feel comfortable everything changes. You might even start wishing you never met me because that is when I show you just how crazy and full of personality I really am and if I ever show you that side of me, you should be proud because it means you made me feel safe enough to be myself. 

Honestly, that is when you unlock the premium package to Abigail.

I have a few different friendship groups and they are all so different but the ones I want to talk about are my university friends. I do not think I have ever felt the kind of love I feel from people I have known for such a short time. The joy they bring me is not just fun, it is emotional. They really understand me and let me be me. The shared experiences and the laughs make knowing them feel truly special.

This group really started with Manny, who I met in first year when I first joined the class late and everyone had already formed their own friendships. We clicked instantly once we realised we were both Congolese and from there everything just grew. Manny is now more than a friend to me. I honestly would give her a higher title but I do not even know what word could match her softness, loyalty and genuine love. Manny has a soul that I wish on everyone. Manny knows without knowing, Manny is loyal without having to be asked, Manny is there even when she herself isn’t there and most importantly Manny listens. Manny listens even when she is tired, when she is hungry and especially after she’s just got done sending her usual 2 minute voice notes. I truly pray everyone in this world finds a Manny.

Now the very boys I once walked past in between classes without a second thought, are now the ones I invite to my house to spend time with me on a random Tuesday. The very boys who used to stand in a boy band group of 3 as they were all 6ft+ giants blocking up the hall way or when the 3 bears would talk loud behind me in our option class. They are the same ones who’d show up for me in a second. Even though they tease me all the time, I would never replace them. I do not see them as friends anymore, I see them as brothers. I will never forget the day they came to my house to comfort me during a hard time and stayed with me all into the morning, till we were half asleep spread out on the sofa with pending whiplash. That level of kindness and care is exactly why I appreciate them so much.

Through these friends, you meet even more people. Some you flow through or some you see only once but I think often about the model and the beautiful bubbly girl I met through this circle. 

The model is so gentle and kind, with a smile so bright his eyes almost disappear. Even though I keep confusing his name with a rapper’s, he never gets annoyed. I feel like I can read energy and the energy he carries is so calm in the most comforting way… it’s almost allergic.

Miss BB is one of Manny’s closest friends. I had met Miss BB before at Manny’s birthday but I barely spoke to her. I stayed in my shell and hid near the food table (of course). The next time we met was in Paris, surrounded by Manny’s friends and cousins. Miss BB is like a beam of light in any room. She is so beautiful with her little button nose and her kindness which gently matches her beauty. The way she treated me always stays with me and it reminds me just how powerful kindness can be.

These friendships have taught me that love does not always come from where you expect it. Sometimes it comes quietly sometimes loudly but when it comes, it changes you. I am honestly so grateful for the friends who have allowed me to be myself, who have held me when I felt low and who have shown me that the people you choose (or don’t choose..) can become just as important as the family you are born into.

Unexpected friends really do turn out to be the best friends.

Shout out to ‘Batman’ (you know who you are) – AK