In Limbo – Short Story

I woke up this morning with a tight feeling in my chest. The heaviness I felt in my head made me quite dizzy as I imagined the worst. I was too feeble at heart to make the trip to school and check the results of my re-sit papers. This was my final chance. It was actually ridiculous to be this fearful, after all, I had given the exams my best efforts. In Medical school however, you can never be too confident in your abilities until the results are out.

Dad had decided to take the day off work and stand as my support system while I awaited my fate. My ever brave and outspoken mother headed to my school very early that morning to help me check the results. Both my parents and brother had been my pillars especially in the few months preceding the re-sit examinations.

It had been a lot of torture to see my classmates who made all their papers at first sitting celebrate all over social media. The situation got even worse when I caught a glimpse of their induction pictures.

I thereafter made a resolution to stay off every social media platform I had previously been on. This decision I must say was quite helpful, it made me focused enough to prepare for the examination.

The first phone call from my mother came through and I could not control the palpitations on seeing the caller ID. She spoke very calmly and informed me about the delay in putting up the results on the notice board. My mother was actually one of the very few people who understood me.

In my younger days, my loved ones basically tended to hide vital but technically life changing information from me. They did this in the past because they felt I was not strong enough to handle some of life’s challenges. With time however, they saw the progress I had made in that aspect of my life. I was not there yet but I had become much more stronger.

Mum had promised to be very open this time with the information concerning my final examination results, even if the outcome was unpleasant. She had called only to confirm my examination number so there would be no mistakes in checking when the results were finally pasted.

The urge to urinate became quite frequent during the long hours of waiting. The palpitations had not stopped either, I was sweating all over despite the abundant ventilation in the room. It seemed like Dad was not quite settled as well.

The second call from mum came through three hours later. I was almost sure this time that she had checked the results. My hands were shaking as I tried to pick the call. Dad collected the phone from me when he noticed how jittery I was. The next thing I heard was my dad’s resounding voice… “Congratulations DOCTOR.”

I fell on my knees almost immediately with tear filled eyes singing praises to God who guided me through the six years I spent in medical school. He made a way for me against all odds.

Submitted by

Joacquim Sanni Titilope

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