GOSSIP GOSSIP

Wow talk about responses on my previous post, all you amebo's lol. We Nigerians like gist oh. But you can't take on my cousin and her bunch of friends. They are gossip masters!

This weekend was spent basically lazing around and on Sunday, my cousins friends came over for a visit. Three Benin girls in one room! Not a pretty sight...well not literally because Edo girls are oh so pretty :). But the excited giggles, the never ending 'gist', the shouting! “Did you hear Ehi got pregnant?” “Yes oh, she's getting married”. “Her brothers have been raining insults on her calling her a useless girl.” “I heard she is already showing.” “Her ex is now going out with Ivie.” “Yes oh did you hear the gist about Ivie?” And it goes on and on and on. They come up for fresh air once in a while, the jump right back into it.

When I was going to secondary school, I was warned not to indulge in gossiping… but in a catholic girl’s secondary school? Gossip was the norm. “I had a dream that Chichi is a witch!” “Really?”, “Yes I don't think we should talk to her anymore and we have to pray our rosary every night for protection”. Well I left that school a year later and moved to the all mighty girls school in Lagos and was it any better? I tell you NO, lol but gist was always interesting despite the fact that some of it damaged many a girls reputations. You just had to make sure you didn't fall prey to the gist mongers.

Another aspect of this is informing every person about everything that happens to you, your family, and your friends in a blow by blow account, very well detailed. The discretion comes with age. I learnt the hard way. I tend now to forget the gist as I walk out the door of the source host and discuss things that only have to do with that particular person I'm speaking with because gist can cause such drama! (The rules are different in the blogging world :)) There are some things that happen to you that should be known to only you or to your family that should be kept within the family or between friends that should be kept within a tight unit of friends because you end up arming others with things to use against you at the end of the day.

Then there is taking it too far. We have a neighbour who was laughing with us Friday morning and was in China the next day. She does it all the time like we are some spiritual cultist who will revoke her Visa. I know there is stuff like juju and so on blah blah but she knows our every movement and is so secretive with hers. It’s a bit dodgy. Anyway I leave you with this poem...

WHO AM I?

I have no respect for justice.
I maim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives.
I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted the more I am believed.
I flourish at every level of society.
My victims are helpless; they cannot protect
themselves against me because I have no name and no face.
To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become.
I am nobody's friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.
I topple governments and ruin marriages.
I end ministries set up by God.
I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartache and indigestion.
I spawn suspicion and generate grief.
I make headlines, headaches and heartaches
I make innocent people cry in their pillows.
Even my name hisses.

---Author unknown