Thandiwe was hanging out with her friends Aviwe and Tumi at Rands. They had decided to spend that Friday together as they rarely spent time with each other any more. They all studied together at Mfuleni High School but attended different universities. Now, they were all successful in their careers and they wanted to catch up over cold drinks.

Aviwe poured wine and said, “Alright, girls! Let’s raise our glasses to having everything that we wanted. The three of us have been best friends since high school and we all have successful careers. That’s rare, isn’t it? And that’s something to celebrate.”

Thandiwe and Tumi nodded, smiling, and the three women clinked their glasses.

“Cheers!”

“Nice speech, Aviwe, my friend, but it’s not entirely true,” Thandiwe said, sipping her wine.

“What do you mean?” Aviwe and Tumi asked, confusion on their faces.

“But tshomi, Aviwe is right. We have accomplished our goals and we are living the soft life,” Tumi said.

“It’s easier for you to say, guys. You’re not lonely. You have husbands and children that you share your lives with. I never thought at 28 years old I’d still be unmarried. At least I thought I’d be in a serious relationship and my man’s family would be negotiating lobola with mine,” Thandiwe said.

“Sometimes I don’t understand you tshomi, mna, shame. You can have any guy you want but sometimes I think you get bored or you have high expectations,” Tumi said.

“I agree with Tumi. I really thought you and Sive were going to get married eventually. He was the guy you had the longest relationship with,” Aviwe added.

“I thought so too but Sive was just too comfortable with his mother’s money. He never really had any dreams of going to university to study for something. Sive wanted to be a DJ and he wasn’t even that good. I later realised that he and I wanted different things,” Thandiwe responded.

“So now you’re admitting that poor guy who wanted to date you at school was right,” Tumi said, and they all laughed.

“Please stop laughing, guys. I feel sorry for that guy because I was very rude to him,” Thandiwe said, and her friends laughed again.

“Anyways, you’ll eventually meet someone who’s meant for you. As a piece of advice, maybe you shouldn’t tell your boyfriends how much you make. They either feel threatened or date you for your money,” Aviwe said, sipping her wine.

“Aviwe is right, tshomi. The right guy will come at the right time. He will earn more than you and he will treat you like a queen. Just be patient,” Tumi said, hugging Thandiwe. Aviwe joined her friends for a group hug.

“Ncooh! You guys are truly the best friends anyone could have. You always know how to make me feel better when I’m down. Thank you, my friends,” Thandiwe said, getting emotional. The wine was beginning to work on her.

Thandiwe’s phone vibrated and she took it out of her purse. There was a Facebook notification. She clicked the Facebook icon and went through dozens of friend requests. She came across one from Thabo Tshingase.

“What was that guy’s name kanene, guys?” Thandiwe asked her friends, while going through Thabo’s Facebook posts.

“Who? There have been many guys in your life kaloku, tshomi?” Aviwe said, drunkenly.

“Stop joking wena, Aviwe. Was it this Thabo?” Thandiwe asked, as she passed her phone over to the others.

“It’s him, tshomi! How did you find him on Facebook? Wow! It looks like he is living the life, Thandi. Look at where he lives,” Tumi said, in awe.

“I wonder what he does. I still remember him being one of the high achievers at school,” Aviwe said.

“Well, he sent me a friend request,” Thandiwe said, watching her friends for their reactions.

They both looked at her and said, “So? Accept, tshomi!”

Thandiwe took her phone from her friends and clicked ‘Confirm’.

“I wonder what he wants from me after all these years,” Thandiwe murmured.

Tell us: Have you ever received a friend request from an old friend? How did it make you feel, and what did they want?