After one month of working, she called me aside one night and said she had a confession to make. That night solidified our friendship for good. She confessed she went to work because she saw that I was struggling financially and needed help. She had planned to give me the salary so I could add to whatever I had to pay my fees. She wanted us to graduate together. Tears couldn't describe how I felt. The Bible talks about a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Nife is that one friend.

We started our friendship like we were getting into a relationship. It was the intentionality in getting to know each other for me. We've evolved a lot. We've moved from holding some views to not holding them anymore. We've grown from struggling to talk, to always wanting to give each other life updates.

We both realized that to make our friendship work, we had to respect each other's boundaries and beliefs. We questioned our choices, gave advice when necessary, encouraged one another, but ultimately let the other person make their own decisions, whether it was "boy dramas," job hunting, or starting a business.

It was difficult at first because we had nothing superficial in common. She was also carefree about life while I liked to do things meticulously. But I suppose our differences are what made us work well because we balanced each other out.