CRASH SHIP!

Blake and Josh were very good friends from childhood, they had a lot in common, including being born in the same year, being in the same class, although Blake was 40 days older. They had met at the age of 6 by virtue of their parents attending the same church, and from that point, their bond grew stronger by the day. The boys did almost everything together; from having a haircut, to taking their lunch to the others' house just so they could eat together, to playing soccer, the list was endless; the boys' friendship drew both families together, and at that point, nothing could go wrong.

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After elementary school, the boys craved to attend the same high school, however, that wasn't to be as Blake's parents wanted a full boarding facility for their son, and Josh's father wanted the opposite. So off they went to their different schools, but this in no way affected the bond. They looked for ward to holidays, and would spend it at each others house; in earnest, they never got tired of being together.

When the boys were 15, disaster struck as Blake's sister, who had a kidney infection had died in her sleep; she was just 2 years older than the boys, and this was a clear case of dying in one's prime. At that time, the boys were in the last year of high school, and Blake wasn't at home. Josh had cried his heart out, because to him, she was a sister from another mother. When Blake's school went on holiday and he had to return home, his parents were pretty much scared, as they lacked the faintest idea of how to break the news to him. They eventually agreed that Josh did, since the boys were close.

When Blake arrived, how happy he was to see his bossom buddy again. He quickly jumped into the fist of how the session went, and how he has a girlfriend now. However, he noticed that Josh wasn't in a good mood and inquired about the issue. Josh had held it in for a long time and proceeded without caution;

What I'm about to say would be hard to swallow, but I have to tell you nonetheless; Gwen had serious complications after you left to school and had to go away for a long time. Blake my brother, Gwen is dead!

Blake almost collapsed, though he was still young, he understood what death meant. Both boys held themselves close and cried until they could cry no more. Just then, the family walked in and consoled the boys.

Although it was a sad event, it nevertheless strengthened the boys' bond and they swore to be friends forever.

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After the release of their high school final results, both of them had performed so well and secured admission into higher institution. Blake got a letter into a private school to study Accounting, and Josh into a Government school to study Biochemistry. They had chosen courses with similar duration, so they'll start and finish in sync.

Then off they went again, to separate schools, this time, farther than they have ever been from each other; but the blessing was that, they had obtained mobile phones, and so they could communicate often. They spent nights making calls and chatted often on facebook. Josh kept tabs on Blake's academic performance; despite being the younger of the two, he was more responsible. Anytime there was a holiday in either school, they visited one another not minding the long bus trip.

Eventually, the boys graduated with Josh having a second class upper division, and Blake a lower division. It was a fair result and both sets of parents were proud of them. They collaborated and hosted a welcome party, and it was quite massive. The boys had fun, and their old friends came over. The DJ played cool music deep into the night, and the boys sat and talked about the next step in life. In a few months, they'll be 21, and many years of life beckoned.

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The next step was the National Youth Service Scheme, which was compulsory in their home country. The boys were posted to different states, but luckily the states were close-by. They spent time every month to hang out and plan ahead and in no time, the 1 year duration had ended; so the boys headed home happily and even as better friends.

After a few months of rest, the quest for a job arose, and the hustle became real. Both searched unrelentingly, and in a short time, they got lucky. Blake got a Sales representative job with a top brewery, while Josh got a Medical representative job with an FMCG company. They joked about being representatives, and their friendship never looked more heavenly as it seemed at that point.

Blake's job had a car included in the offer, and he duly got it. He became the youngest car owner in the whole of their neighborhood, and he made sure he flaunted it at every opportunity. When the boys were free, they'll both dress well, put on snap backs and cruise the whole town. Almost everyone knew about their friendship, and they always insinuated that if you've seen one of them, you've seen the other.

Two years later, Josh's company ran into serious debt because of the global recession; he and other members of staff had to be laid off. He felt very bad, but he knew he had to stay strong. His parents and friend consoled him, but at that point that was not what he wanted. Although he was just a little over 23, he felt life evaporate from him. He however kept putting in applications for a new job, and until that materialises, he had to lay low a bit.

Blake got promoted that same year, his salary doubled and the world was under his feet. Slow and steady his success got to his head, and he'll stay days without getting home, claiming that he was sent to another town to work. He began to womanizer, after all he had the money to afford any girl he wanted. Josh didn't like this new lifestyle, he advised Blake constantly and it made the latter pull away. This was the first challenge they had, and they stopped talking as often as they used to.

Blake made new friends, and picked up the habit of smoking. The day his friend knew about it, the boys had a heated argument that ended in Josh being hit in the face; he ended up with a black eye, and he couldn't believe it. When he got home, he lied to his parents that he had gotten into a fight with a bus conductor over his balance, and they believed. Inasmuch as he was unemployed at the time, he knew his friend was carefree and he needed to stop him.

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Blake was having the time of his life; he didn't come home to see his parents in weeks, neither did he pick theirs or Josh's calls. The boys' friendship was dying a slow death, and it hurt Josh so much. Blake had developed a new habit, and that was gambling on dog and horse racing. He was having fun while losing his money. At some point, he became tempted to gamble with proceeds from sales, and he duly obliged. In no time, he was in debt and got a probation letter at work. He hustled to raise the money, but couldn't; not long after, he was sacked.

It was as if his brain was reprogrammed, he came home and saw his parents after a long time. He quickly headed to Josh's house, and both sat and talked about old times. Blake apologized for the altercation they had, and they were even again. They did things together, while searching for new jobs. Inasmuch as they weren't rolling in money, they couldn't afford to be sad, so they went on outings as little as they could afford.

By the time they were 25, Blake got a new job with another Brewery, but Josh was still unemployed. His new job offered more than the previous, and once again he got a car. Who says lightening doesn't strike twice in the same place? Well, it did, as Blake's bad habits took the fore again. He gambled even more, and moved out of the house within 3 months. His love for women took a new twist as he focused on older ones, and he added doing drugs to his CV.

Josh was distraught over the turn of events and challenged his friend; albeit, he got the beating of his life, because Blake's two new friends gave him that. At that point, their bond had melted and Josh swore never to be friends with Blake again.

Luckily, Josh got a new job and was transferred to a different town; he was so happy that he'll have something to focus on. He did very well on the job and was due to be promoted in 1 year.

Blake meanwhile lost his job again, and returned to square one. He didn't have any savings, so he was always looking scruffy. He didn't bother to tell Josh cos he knew deep down inside of him that he deserved no sympathy. One way or the other, Josh knew about it and talked another friend into giving Blake an offer. Despite the fact that he knew his friend's shortcomings, he still stood as a guarantor.

Blake got the offer and started the job. He attends therapy sessions to keep him in check these days. However, the boys are no longer close bonded; as a matter of fact, they hardly talk and see maybe once or twice a year. Though both families are still closely knit, Josh has had too much to bear, and would love to keep things the way they are now.

• Friendship is everything, and if you have the ones that are willing to sacrifice for you, then you are blessed. Cheers!

• Based on a true life story!