IF ONLY...
Samuel Emmanuel@emmanuelsamuel134580
2 months ago
"Can we put our hands together to welcome Mr. Sunday to the stage to give his speech?" Professor Ebuka's voice echoed through the hall.
As I walked up to the stage, the warm glow of the lights enveloped me, and the applause was deafening. I took a deep breath, surveying the sea of faces before me. My eyes locked onto the empty chair where my mom should have been sitting. A pang of regret and sadness washed over me.
"Firstly, I would like to thank the host of this event, Professor Ifeanyi, for giving me the privilege to stand before you all. I also wish to appreciate each of you for honoring the invitation to this ceremony. Secondly, I wish to appreciate everybody who has supported me so far, especially my late mom," I began my speech.
I coughed a little to clear my throat and continued, "You may wonder how I achieved this achievement, but I would say it was the Lord's doing and the effort of many people, including my mom. To date, I regret why I had to give it up at first, which ended up taking the precious jewel I had, my mom."
I asked, "If I can be permitted to give a brief story on how those achievements came about, in order to encourage youths?" The guests echoed, "You can continue."
It started many years ago, after I had an accident that took my father's life and left me with amnesia. I stayed at the hospital for months but ended up suffering from memory loss to the extent that I couldn't recognize my mom.
It was hard for her, but she truly played the role of a mother. Then, I had to begin afresh, learning things like a baby. I started with my name and was enrolled in a primary school weeks after I was discharged from the hospital.
To my mom, her world had crumbled, yet she had to pick the pieces and build a formidable and beautiful life filled with treasures. On my first day at school, being a grown-up but attending the same class as those I was older than, was a laughingstock to most students in school, but I never felt bad at those moments.
It continued endlessly, until I came to class each day with a bright face because I had the brain of a few-year-old child. But until I was bullied in the school constantly on many various occasions, I had complained a lot to my teacher, but to no avail, due to one of the bullies being a child of the director of the school, and no teacher wanted to be involved, regardless of being aware of the cases.
"Wake up, dear, and dress for school," my mom called, but she heard no response. "I'm going to bring a cane," she said, while I rushed out of bed, but it was only to scare me. "Go and take your bath," she added.
I told her, "Mom, I don't want to go to school anymore." She asked, "Why don't you want to go to school?" But I gave no response, with the intent to hide the reason.
"Come here, my dear, don't you know that education is the key to success? You have to start now to sow your seeds in order for it to yield good fruit in the future." But I had given up on my dreams of becoming a medical doctor.
After many attempts for several days, she had to give up and kept me by her side each day and night. Gradually, after countless check-ups at the hospital, I began to improve mentally, and my brain grew from that of a five-year-old child to normal, leading to a healthy state of mind. Yet, I decided not to attend school anymore and wanted to be an apprentice thereby forgetting my dreams to be a medical doctor because I was ashamed of how I behaved during my unhealthy state.
I was enrolled as an apprentice to Mr. Umeh, who owned a big supermarket in Aba, where I once lived with my mom. But after the number of years I was supposed to serve him and lived with them, I got separated from my mom.
"Nna, as you are going to this business, make sure you learn properly and stay focused so you will reap the fruit of your labor in the nearest future," my mom advised me, and I responded, "Yes, ma, I will."
Few minutes later, we left. As we drove into the house, I came out of the car and saw a beautiful fair woman in a pink and green dress sitting at the corridor, who was the wife of my master.
"Good evening, ma," I greeted. "Good morning, dear," she responded with a happy face. "How are you doing?" she asked. "Fine, ma," I responded.
Few seconds later, her husband came out of his blue Benz. "Honey, how was your day?" she asked her husband. "My day was gorgeous," he responded. "And you, go into the sitting room," he said in a harsh tone.
In shock, I ran to the sitting room. "Is he jealous because I talked to his wife?" I wondered. I began to look around and admired lots of things which were expensive for us to have because we were in the middle class. I said to myself, "I will serve them diligently in order to be rich and make my mom proud."
On the first day as an apprentice, I learned a lot of things because I was always a fast learner since birth. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. I met lots of customers and interacted with them on various occasions. They admired me a lot and gained lots of favor from them.
Few years later, on one faithful day, my master asked, "Where is the sum of money I kept in my wardrobe?" in a high tone.
"Sir, I don't know," I answered. He turned towards his wife, seeking an answer, but she said she didn't know. A house search was conducted, and the money ended up in my room.
"What is the money doing in your room?" they both asked with intent to frame me. I was dumbfounded to the extent that I became short of words. Immediately, they chased me out of the house with nothing after serving them for six years and just about getting settled.
I returned back home, and upon my mom hearing the news, she fainted in shock and died instantly. "Mom! Mom!! Wake up," I shouted, but she didn't respond nor move, and at that instant, tears rolled off my face. I felt empty and said to myself, "If only I had gone back to school when she pleaded, this wouldn't have resulted."
After her burial ceremony, I swore to go to school, even if I had aged. And here I am, being called upon as the best graduating medical student in this university," I concluded my speech.
The audience erupted into applause as I walked off the stage, a sense of pride and accomplishment washing over me. I had finally achieved my dream, but the cost had been too high. I wished my mom was there to share it with me.
First uploaded at Theodora Igbokwe page
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