There was a girl I knew when I was a girl. She wanted to be a doctor. She knew she could. She thought going to Australia (on scholarship) would be great. There was hope... a lot of hope.
So,
when she had completed class 11 and was preparing to go home for the
winter vacation, she packed her textbooks. She wanted to study during
the vacation.
She knew that would be tough, having to
manage all household chores. There was no mom to do that. Her father was
alone. She had to be the Lady-of-the-House. In fact, she was that since
class 2 and she had gotten used to it. She only wished her father did
not drink and act violent when drunk. Otherwise, such a caring dad although overly strict and conservative.
Nevertheless, she told herself she would find time to study. She would do everything else and this too.
So, there she was with a textbook on her lap in between chores... studying very hard. On one such day, her father happened to walk in. She smiled and stood up, thinking she might have to make him tea. She was in for a shock.
He shouted at her, "Go to the forest if you want to study!"
Feeling shattered, she closed her book and put it back in her trunk. Silently, with tears in her eyes, she locked the trunk and pushed it underneath her bed.
And, that was the end of her dream. She just lost every bit of motivation she had in her to study hard and become a doctor.
She had been doing so well in studies up until then and everybody said she could do better. When she went back to school after the vacation, she didn't feel the same. And, to make matters worse, her boyfriend was abusive.
Her school test marks dropped drastically in class 12. She wasn't bothered. She walked around like a zombie, feeling nothing at all.
Her Biology teacher said, "Look at your mark! Shame on you!"
And, finally, when her ISCE results were out, she realized she couldn't be a doctor. She had scored average marks. Since all those that passed would be offered Indian scholarship to study in India, she would at least be going to college.
Even that opportunity was almost lost when her father insisted she had had enough of studying. She was a girl and that was enough for her. In fact, he had said that when she completed class 10 as well.
Thanks to an influential lady, who gave her father a piece of her mind, he changed his mind, apologized and allowed her to go to college.
She couldn't be a doctor, but was at least able to complete her Bachelors.
Now, what do you call that kind of ending to an episode of somebody's life? Sad? Or, all is well that ends well?
I just wonder where she is and how she's doing.
