That night, Ali could not sleep. His mind was too occupied to give a place to lethargy and drowsiness. Every thought and every dream was related to the events of the next day.

It was a day he never wanted to see, a challenge he never wanted to undergo and an event he hated to witness. Tomorrow was his last day of school. He and his friends were promoted to college. He loved school life. Ending it seemed no less than a nightmare.

No matter how tough the future is, time never stops to reveal it. The same thing happened with Ali. The night passed, the sun rose and the alarm rung. With a heavy heart, Ali gathered the courage to dress up for school. It was a routine he had been following for years and he was used to it. He gloomily picked up his white shirt, which had been his outfit for two consecutive academic terms. Today, he would be wearing it for the last time. With a sigh, Ali buttoned the shirt and got ready for the school bus.

The familiar sound of the school van horn echoed in Ali’s ears. He picked up his bag and ran downstairs to meet the van driver, chacha Zubair. The same wrinkled, spotted, face welcomed him. Chacha had remained like this for years. Ali had grown from a child to a teenager, but his van driver was unchanged since.

He settled himself in the left seat of the first row, whose cushion he had torn two years before, in a fight. He smiled as he recalled his childishness. The van meandered through the streets, producing a constant, irritating vehicular noise. The whole route of the van was perfectly mapped in Ali’s memory. He had seen it so many times and could even guide the driver with his eyes closed.

Soon, the van was filled with students. The only thing Ali liked was he would be leaving his van fellows. They had bullied him to the extent that he never wanted to see their faces. He recalled all such events and gave the other kids an annoyed look.

But chacha! He had treated Ali like his own child. He had cared for Ali and defended him against the bullies. He used to give Ali money for lunch when Ali forgot bringing his meal. He used to wait at Ali’s house for minutes, giving him time to dress up for school when he got up late. Today, he would part from Ali’s life!

The van reached the school and Ali waited for his fellows to get off. Ali gave the van one last, spiritless look. Tears fell from his eyes and he said goodbye to chacha. Regaining his courage, he stepped off to see another agonising sight. The brick-red building, his second home and his alma mater.

Suddenly, Ali was thrown into his childhood. It was his first day in this haunted, unwelcoming and unfriendly building. Young Ali trembled as he stepped in the huge school. A teacher guided him to his classroom.

Coming back to the present, Ali walked into the school. Today’s entry was similar to his first entry in the school. Today also, he did not want to enter the building. But, he had no other option. With a fake smile, Ali walked in. The white walls, the silver-floored corridor, the classroom signboards, the plant pots — everything amalgamated to form a brilliant, attractive scene. He entered his classroom and greeted his teacher. He would so miss the dialogues, “Good morning, Ma’am”, “Present Ma’am”, “Ma’am it is our break time!”

Soon, the farewell assembly started and all the eleven-graders were summoned into the Meeting Hall. The principal made a speech and shared her best wishes. This was perhaps the toughest time of the day. The atmosphere was low-spirited and the speeches worsened it. Ali saw all the teachers that had taught him, scolded him and guided him throughout the years. He had never liked them because they taught a lot. But today was an exception. Ali was feeling an invincible attraction towards his school and teachers. He was keenly listening to them.

The time passed and finally, the event ended. Alongside his friends, Ali started the walk to the school gate. Repelling the force from within is a challenging task. Similarly, Ali felt it difficult to overcome the force that was pulling him towards the school building. The school gate approached and Ali turned his head to look back at the school one last time.

The lively school was bustling with activity. It was still calling Ali towards itself. But fate disallowed this. He had to move on, to a college and into the unknown future. With a dejected heart, wet eyes, swollen face and a soft tone, Ali said, “Goodbye! My second home!”

Published in Dawn, Young World, Aug 19th, 2023