Friend indeed!

I almost didn't blog today, was on the road all day trying to get everything set for the shooting of my TV show. I'm trying to see if I can get boutiques and accessory shops to cloth the models and I...and quess what, the first boutique I went to gladly accepted to be part of the show...I didn't need to go anywhere else...at least for now...remember what I said on Friday? Prayer works.

And I've also been able to get my final fifteen girls...Bola, Bunmi, Ashley, Betsy, Beatrice, Dupe, Jane, Portia, Hannah, Nneka, Mabel, Patricia, Florence, Yewande and Patricia. With the right make up, accessories, clothes, shoes, this girls will be stunning...I already have corporate sponsors waiting to see the pilot of the show...can't wait to start shooting...Prayer works.

But that's not what I really want to talk about today...something strange happened in my office this evening that made me question who my friends really are. Have you ever wondered why the people around you are around you? Ever wondered if they really are your friends? If you weren't who you are, didn't have what you have, would they be around you? Is their association with you beneficial to them?

Two girls came in for the auditioning this afternoon, I wasn't around so they had to wait till about five pm when I got back from my various appointments.

Normally one of my staff Richmond handles this models, if he thinks they are good enough, he sends them to me for final screening...so he asks me to interview this girls, incredibly beautiful girls. I was very excited to see them, because most of the girls that have been coming for the auditioning are average looking girls. So I interviewed this girls, got their datas, gave them a form to fill...etc,etc, then they left my office and went to the reception to fill the forms.

Two minutes later, one of the girls requested to see me...she wanted to know if I'd picked her, I told her yes, then she asked me if I picked the other girl and I replied in the affirmative. Then guess what she said to me?...please don't pick the other girl...why I asked her and she said because she steals a lot...she steals? Not only that, this girl continues, she is older than the age she claims, she is this, she is that...bla, bla, bla. She talked to me for about ten minutes, painting this other girl in the worst possible way...

After she left my office, I asked my secretary to bring the other girl to my office, then I asked this girl what she thinks of the other one who came in to bad mouth her, you can't imagine what this other girl told me...she said the other girl is a trouble maker and most people don't like working with her, she advised me to reconsider working with her as I would regret it.

But y'all know the most puzzling part of this story? These girls are childhood friends...childhood friends! Known to each other's families, room mates in school, supposedly best friends....but they both came to my office trying to push the other out of the deal...what kind of friendship is that? Lots of laughter friendship I call it.

When this girls left about ten minutes later, they were laughing and holding hands as they stopped a taxi and got in together...if only they both knew what the other had said about her...friends indeed!

Sometime last month, I met one of my mum's friends who was made a commisioner in Anambra State under the Andy Uba administration...unfortunately for her the administration was declared null and void by the Supreme court of Nigeria less than two weeks after inauguration.

She said in those two weeks of being shortlisted she had more friends than she'd had her whole life...everyone who knew her in the past, got back in touch with her, old friends she hadn't seen in years all found her where she lived...everyone wanted to associate with her...everyone called her friend.

After the government was dissolved, she never saw any of them again...she was of no importance to them any more...friends indeed!

I always say I don't have that many friends, it's not because I don't know people, trust me I know alot of people, but how many of them genuinely care about me? how many of them really have my back? Are they for real? If I had nothing to offer them would they be around me? I have had my fair share of backstabbing friends, just like I'm sure most of you have.

People are around you for various reasons...some are genuine friends, some have motives, some don't care as much as they claim, while some are around for a particular reason...the sooner you find out what those reasons are the better...

Who really is your friend? How can you tell someone really cares about you?...can you vouch for them?...they laugh and play with you but do you know what they say behind your back? The worst part is that you can't tell for sure who your real friends are...because people pretend a lot...they really do!

If you were in a jam...if you were arrested, if you were in an extremely terrible situation and you are given the chance to make only one call to save your life, who would you call? have you ever asked yourself that question?

As for me, the first person I'll call is my dad...if my dad isn't around, I'll call my older sis Vera, if Vera isn't available, I'll call my mum, if she isn't available, I'll call my younger sis Sandra, if she's not around, I'll call my friend Jude...if he's not around....I can't think of anyone else to call.

Until you get to a point when you can say with all authority that this particular person will be there for you when you need them most, then maybe they really aren't your friends...

Sometime last week, an old classmate of mine called me...the last time I spoke to her was probably 7/8 years ago, she kept saying Linda my friend...we spoke for about 2 minutes and she used the word 'friend' more than ten times...I was wondering why she kept calling me friend, then she said she saw me on the cover of a magazine and told her other 'friends' that I was her friend and they didn't believe her, so she called to proove to them she really knows me...then she handed the phone to them to talk to me...

She calls me after 7 years and didn't ask how I'm doing...only to confirm to other people that I'm her friend...friend my ass! lol

But after all said and done, there are people who really love and care about us. Those who call themselves friends and are really friends...they'll be there for you no matter what...if you have such people in your life, then you're blessed. Hold on to them 'cos they're friends indeed!