My Joy is beyond boundaries

“Do you think she will come, or should I pull a stout?” I asked my colleague who was looking at me with pity.
My next move was to leave for my exams; that will cost me my job, but I didn't mind. My father's words rang through my head; he warned me to stop my job, but I was stubborn.

I was working and writing my board exam. The exams started by 9 a.m., but it was already a few minutes to 9.

Checking for the time to reach the exam venue, it will take almost 20 minutes.

So many thoughts ran through my head, relentlessly working from one end to the other. I have already called my manager, and she promised she was going to come before 8 a.m., but she wasn't yet here.

Yesterday she came early; she came by 7am, making it possible for me to leave for my exams early. It's already strenuous for me, but I didn't mind. I come early in the morning to my office and make a sale if there is any customer while my manager joins later. When I come back in the evening, I join her and close the account. Each day was filled with a pounding headache and body pains. But I survived; it was a one-week exam.

“She will come,” my colleague assured me, tapping my back to calm my nerves, but the truth is that nobody, no matter how she tries, feels like I was missing something.

I packed up my bags; my spirit was far from me; my whole being was thinking about my exams. I didn't want to miss it; I can't afford to. When I get off work, I sleep for about 3 hours before waking to study at night.

Three months later, I resigned from work and decided to stay home. My everyday routine was just almost the same; instead of working, I decided to learn a tech skill.

In the morning, I got a message that our results had been released. My heart began to pound within me, with panic and fear. What if I failed? What if I didn't pass? Will I be able to afford to pay for the next one? There were so many complications during the period of the exams. I'm always the last to enter the exam hall when my Mate has already seated writing. It was all fucked up.

All I wanted was to clear my paper. Deliberating if I wanted to hear my result, I took a deep breath before messaging my coursemate.

“Hello, could you help check my result?" I dropped the message lucky she was online, and my message immediately clicked double with a blue color.

“My dear, you are actually the highest,” she said, my heart hooked for a moment as I read her message over and over again.

Highest! I repeated, I doubted myself and even my ability.

“Check again; maybe you might have mistaken my name,” I said to her, not convinced that I might be the one she was referring to.

She called my first name. I put my phone aside, thinking about the period I was writing my exam. My reading mate has called me over to ask if I have read some places. I felt like I hadn't covered enough.

My words were swallowed down when she sent the result spreadsheet. I scanned through the list with wide eyes till I saw my name.

I jumped to my feet, screaming on top of my voice.

“I did it.” I was consumed with both excitement and a broad smile stretched across my face.

Oh my! It was unbelievable; I just couldn't explain; I had tears in my eyes. I ran to my father's room. My dad wasn't yet out.

"Daddy, I passed my exams,” I screamed.

“Wow, congratulations,” he said. The energy buzzing within me wasn't matching his vibes. I'm just the only one who understood the situation because I actually knew what I passed through. I wasn't looking for being the best overall student. I just wanted to have a pass, but then I got more than that.

My phone rang every second with congratulations flowing in.

It was a big win for me and will always be a big win.