“GRANNY they just called my name,” said Aisha nervously, “I’ll go and get my result.” Saying this, she turned around and rushed to the principal’s office.

Granny, making way through the commotion, looked for a place to sit and made herself comfortable. Sitting on a chair, she looked through the hustle in the hallway. ‘All the same!’ She swayed her head sideways, smiling through her nostalgic eyes. ‘Fifty years and it’s still all the same!’

Chaos and commotion, students waiting anxiously, some with misty eyes, while others with a gleam. Some pacing down the hall, while some standing stock still. Only the faces were different, everything else was the same ... same as it was 50 years ago!

August 13, 1963, ‘Doomsday’ as they used to call it. Students were gathered outside the principal’s office which seemed more like a courtroom; all waiting to go in to get rewards and punishment for the hours they studied and the hours they spent fooling around.

Everyone stood with a mixture of feelings, reeking the air with the fusion of happiness, anxiety, cries, disappointment and nervousness. Amongst all the buzz and pandemonium, there she was, 50 years younger ‘granny’, praying from the core of heart for the truth in her mother’s words. After the painstaking years of her O Level studies, she was now praying for her reward.

‘Congratulations Farha! You have got straight As!’ Hearing her teacher’s magical words, little granny stood up in utter disbelief and looked at her mother! To her, it felt like she had finally been blessed with everything her mother had promised! She was extremely happy! Jumping up and down with excitement, she hugged her mother tightly.

While granny was reminiscing her old days at school, Aisha rushed out of the principal’s office. With tears streaming down her cheeks she said, “Let’s go home granny, I don’t want to stay here anymore!” Clutching her granny’s hand, she ushered her to the gate.

“What happened my child? Why are you crying?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just go from here.”

Sometime later, “Aisha,” said granny knocking on the door. Aisha had locked herself up in her room for an hour now.

“Aisha, please open the door, my child. Let me in please. See I made your favourite cookies,” said granny, trying to lure her out of the room, “Hmmm, how yummy they are!”

Finally granny could hear footsteps from inside the room and the door opened. Granny flashed Aisha a bright smile but Aisha turned around and retreated to her bed without saying a single word.

Following her, granny walked to the bed and sat facing her.

“My child, what happened? Tell me,” said granny gently stroking her hair.

“I … I got D in every subject!” Aisha burst into tears of shame and disappointment, cupping her face with her hands.

“O’ Level is really difficult! I will switch to Matric system and do matriculation just like everyone else! I don’t want to do anything different!” said Aisha, shaking her head and simply refusing to listen to anything else. She had made up her mind. “In fact, I won’t study at all! I will do anything else! Anything but studies!”

Granny was stunned! It was like looking at her 16-year-old self in her own granddaughter.

‘It’s all the same!’ granny thought to herself.

Having experienced the same situation as Aisha was going through right then, she empathised with her. She said lovingly, “Aisha do you know that 50 years back I was in exactly the same state as you are now! I had even said the same words!”

Aisha looked at her granny perplexed.

“Just like you, I was also determined to leave studies and do anything but that!”

“What! Are you serious?” shouted Aisha astoundingly. “But then how…? I mean, from all that I have heard about you, you were the best neurosurgeon of the time! I mean you were so great back then! So how did it all happen?” asked Aisha in shock and surprise.

“Well! Everything changed!” replied granny with a smile.

“Please tell me how it happened?”

“Back then, when most people didn’t even know what O’ Level was, I had opted to do it. I wanted to be different! I wanted to be special! I had thought that I would be able to do it! Little did I know what I was getting myself into! Painstaking studies, endless concepts to imbibe, never ending chemical reactions to grasp! An uphill task awaited me.

“With the passage of time, I started cursing myself for the decision I had made. Frustrated and furious, I decided to leave my studies. I told mum and dad about it. And you know what mum said to me?”

Without waiting for a response from Aisha, granny continued, “Even after so many years, the exact words of my mother are still vividly alive in my mind. I can still hear them and they have guided me through the toughest times of my life.”

“What were they? What did she say?” inquired Aisha impatiently.

“She said, ‘My child, nothing is impossible! But any kind of achievement requires hard work, patience and persistence. Try hard and try again! Work day in and day out and, trust me, one day you will triumph. One day you will come proudly holding your transcripts showing me your As.

“Believe in yourself and remember there is no shortcut to success. You just have to put your best in! And once you do it, you would find accomplishments at every stage of your life!’ And now here I am, in front of you: the best neurosurgeon as you call it,” said granny jokingly.

“My dear, what I am trying to say here is don’t give up so quickly! Gather your courage and begin this new phase of your life with new conviction and prove your mettle in the whole world!”

Amazed at how hard work can change one’s life, Aisha was now determined to make her future bright. She was determined to pay the price! She was determined to work hard! She looked at granny with grateful eyes and hugged her tightly, “I won’t give up!” she promised!