SO CHANGE ACTUALLY HAPPEN!

It was almost three weeks since i got home from school for the summer break and i hadn't taken a walk around my not-so-ajebutter neighborhood.
And trust me it's not because of "levels don change" or anything like that, the fact that i schooled outside Nigeria has changed little or nothing about me. Okay that's a lie, it has changed alot but not in the sense of instigating pride.
I have been out the house a couple of time to visit my boyfriend who lived in the fine part of Abuja.
Area 11 and Airport village no be age mate. Anybody that has been to both sides of Abuja can relate to this story but that's not what i want to do today. Am not out to compare different settlements in Abuja. I want to talk about a girl,  Andrea, (Name changed so no one will track me down and beat the living day light out of me)
 ....I came back from school excited about my new findings. HOW TO BE ANDREA.
1) Iron life out of your school uniform
2) Wear 7pairs of socks at once
3) Always have a chewing gum on the go
4) If your lip gloss isn't dripping down then it's not good enough
and the most important 5) Your skirt is to long and it needs to be worked on.
I had it all figured out and i was really excited until my mum refused giving me money to buy 6 extra pair of socks and ruled against cutting my skirt short.
Am sure if i was a white kid i would scream "I hate you mum" and lock myself up in my room and cry but i wasn't white and though i was free to cry, i couldn't lock my room and refuse my kid sister access to our shared room.
Good news is, i was able to steal #200 from my mum's handbag and i got myself 2 pairs of computer socks and though it wasn't 7, my small mind felt 3pairs would atleast get the guys in my class to notice me even if the rest of the school doesn't and the bad news is, next day at school no one seemed to notice my new improvement.
My uniform barely survived being burnt from the severe ironing, everything i wore down to my panties were all ironed, my lip gloss were practically dripping down my lips down to my jaw and i would often clean it up and reapply I needed them to stay up and make my lips enticing and  i was also chewing gum like a mad woman all through the day even making tiny bubbles with it which by the way didn't help my lip gloss but i needed to do it. JUST LIKE ANDREA! but nahhhh, no one noticed me.
  i remember it just like yesterday, times i tried hard to be friends with Andrea because she was an idol i worshiped and she wouldn't pay me any attention.
Most times, i felt really bad and cried and wished our lives would be switched. It wasn't like Andrea had the things i had. Her dad was a known drunk and her mum till date i don't know what she does but somehow all her girls had the best phones and made the best hair even though their house slightly escaped being called a hut. SOMEHOW!
I begged, i worshiped, i struggled i cried, i ironed, i chewed, i even upgraded to 5pairs and yet NOTHING!
My 3years in GSS Airport, Andrea and all of the guys (guys who made the school go round) didn't notice me.


.....at last when i finally decided to announce that i was back by taking a walk round my neighborhood, i saw Andrea from afar.
There was no much difference in her facial looks but she had added weight and looked like she was a mother of at least two (trust me am not saying this to make myself feel good)
she said hi when i got closer and i smiled and we exchanged pleasantries like ex classmates that we were.
As i walked away from my one time goddess, I bumped into CY (name changed also, i really like myself). He was the hottest boy in my class. He reached out for me like we were besties that have been separated for a long while.
He asked about my school and my life in general then asked for my number after promising to drop by later at my place. 5years ago, i would have killed for this but right then i employed my normal lie, I don't have a Nigerian sim yet.
I think he knew i was lying with the way he looked down at my phone and i quickly added it was my younger sister's and as soon as i get a sim, i would send it across to him through my elder brother.
My entire walk was filled with ex classmate, seniors and juniors who welcomed me like they ever noticed my existence when we schooled in same school some years back.
Apparently 4years in Enugu and 8months in Cyprus changed alot. But ultimately, time changed it all.

looking back five years, my only regret is all the tears i wasted when i cried and prayed to be Andrea.  For CY and his friends to notice me. Kai! i for need all those tears now fa All the times i stole from my mum so i could upgrade and the few times i got caught, the kind beating wey i recieve no be small.
Right now am like, if only pretty naive me knew what i would turn out to be 5years later, it would have saved me alot of troubles. But all the same, am really glad i was pretty naive if not i probably won't appreciate the change 5years has made.

Truth is, with all these changes, i still have Andreas and CYs in my life, right here in Cyprus and am 99% sure that 5years from now they won't be fat and somewhat ugly and they won't be college drop out and chasing after my number. They probably will be better versions of their now selves but so will I.
I will be a better version of myself. Crazier, Prettier, Smarter (am not so sure, i think the more i grow the dumber i get) and more awesome than ever.
Do you feel invisible?
 Am not so sure but i think almost everyone have an Andrea in their lives, i might be wrong but if you do, listen to me or don't 5years changes alot. Just sit back and let time do your dirty jobs.