Farhan slept on the roadside, under a tree. It was almost morning when sunshine touched his eyes and he woke up. His clothes were dirty and tattered, his body and hair were covered with dirt and dust.

He stood up and started walking towards the bazaar. On the way, he saw his Matric classmates and he went up to them.

“Hi, friends how are you all?” said Farhan.

“Who are you?” they replied.

“Don’t you remember me? We were all together in school,” said Farhan.

“Are you Farhan?” asked Azhar.

“Yes, I am Farhan,” he said with a forced smile on his face.

But they only laughed and went away.

Farhan started walking and stopped at a shop where he used to go as a child, but the shopkeeper, despite knowing Farhan well, refused to recognise him. Farhan began walking towards home as everyone stared at him.

When he finally arrived home and knocked on the door, his mother opened it. Then his father came and glared at Farhan.

“We told you to study and learn, but you always told us there is still time and now you have lost so much in your life,” said Farhan’s mother.

“Mum, please let me come in,” said Farhan.

But they closed the door on him even though his mother was crying for her heart was broken.

Farhan slumped down and cried there for some time. He realised that his own family had disowned him. He felt as if his life had ended there and he had no one to turn to. He sobbed and cried, “No ... no! Please don’t leave me, Ma!”

Farhan then opened his eyes to find himself in his own room, in his own bed. “Oops! It was a dream after all,” thought Farhan, wiping the sweat from his face.

When he came out of the room, his mother was making tea. But when she saw Farhan covered in sweat, she quickly came up to him.

“Are you okay, Farhan?” asked his mother.

“I am alright mum,” said Farhan, looking a bit confused. Then Farhan got ready and left for school.

As the bell rang, the students started going towards the classroom from the ground they were assembled in.

“Farhan, why are you looking so sad today?” asked Azhar, his friend whom Farhan had seen in his dream.

“Tell me something, if I don’t become successful in life, will you all refuse to recognise me?” asked Farhan.

“Why are you asking such a strange question today?” asked Azhar, laughing. “Well, it is important to achieve some kind of success in life and not waste it away.”

“What do you mean?” asked Farhan.

“I wanted to tell you that you are not paying any attention to your studies and putting off things to do tomorrow but who knows what tomorrow holds?” explained Azhar. “There is only past and present in real life, the future is to be seen. Every tomorrow starts from today. And if you continue to waste your time, you might not be able to fulfil your parents’ expectations. The time for action is now, Farhan.”

It sounded a bit hurtful to Farhan when he heard his friend Azhar saying all this to him, but he was also thankful to Azhar who told him the truth and changed his life forever. This change was an opportunity for Farhan.

“Thanks a lot Azhar,” said Farhan, with tears not far from his eyes.

After school finished that day, Farhan went home with a new outlook on life and what he needed to do. This change in him, later brought some great opportunities to become a successful, educated person who his family and friends would be proud of.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 26th, 2019