It was Adam's final year exam. His face lightened up as he blushed widely. It was like a dream came through. He had struggled to remain in school since the very beginning as an orphan who had no one to assist him.
"I can't imagine how I managed to sponsor myself till this moment" he said to Pius who was still busy reading for his exams. He turned to face him when he got no reply from him, and tapped him softly.
"Did you say anything?" Pius asked. Adam nodded and continued reading, he no longer felt like bothering Pius who was engrossed in his reading.
A day before his exam, Adam fell seriously ill which persisted for four days. He couldn't believe this was happening to him, just one paper left for him to write and this befell him. Pius had told the school authorities of Adams' illness with the hope that they may postpone his paper and allow him sit for it after the exams but the school authority refused.
"It's not in our power to allow anyone to sit for an exam outside the scheduled date" the authority told him. He tried as much as he could to give him the grace to sit for his exams but they refused and Adam was not responding quickly to the treatment.
"The authority had refused to allow you to resit after the scheduled date" Pius started, Adam was feeling weak but mumbled softly, trying to respond to what Pius said.
"Don't struggle to talk. Allow yourself to heal" Pius said, holding him softly to rest his head on the pillow.
Pius had noticed his grim countenance the moment he had told him what the authorities said, but he was hoping it wouldn't affect him . He knew how happy Adam had been concerning his graduation and here he was denied graduation by a sudden illness. Adam had wanted to come sit for the exams hoping the lecturer would be gracious to him understanding his state but the doctor had told him he wasn't fit.
"Your health matters most. It's not the end of your life" Pius had told him, trying to make him see reasons to stay back.
"I believe I can write something" Adam says, trying to object what the Doctor had presumed. "I don't need to write much".
Pius had to make him find reasons to stay back even though he wasn't happy with the idea.
The exam day came and it was written in Adam's absence. He knew that was a spill over for him. While his course mates graduate, he'll still be in school for an extra year. He had struggled to pay for the fees , and when he felt his suffering was over, life hit him and he'll be in school for an additional year. Two days after the exams, Pius visited him with some of his coursemates. Seeing them he began to cry, it was a matter of time he wouldn't see them again for a long time, it'll be him with a different set of students who were supposed to be his juniors.
"Chin up brother," Emeka, one of his course mates said, "At the end everything will be fine. I know you may not graduate the same year as we, but that doesn't stop you from becoming who you had wanted to become"
At this time he was sobbing softly, Emeka's words seemed to have softened him as he used his hands to wipe off the teardrop on his face.
"Thank You" he said. Abigail patted him softly,
"You'll be fine" she said and tried to bring examples of great men who didn't have things going well for them at a time in their lives. The encouragement from his friends cheered him up and he was happy to know he had friends who cared about him.
A few days later he was discharged. Even though he felt bad that he was not graduating that same year with his friends, he was fulfilled knowing that one set back cannot define his life and he was willing to let go of the past. "Maybe God has a purpose for this" he comforted himself with those words. Soon the year was over and he returned the following year to sit for the exams he had missed when he was ill. It didn't feel much like failure this time, he prepared better for it since it was just a course he failed. The exam was easy for him and he graduated with a good grade winning an award as one of the best graduating students. He couldn't believe this was happening to him, and it made him believe everything that has happened to him was for good.