The College Dropout

Say Cheese, his sister said, joy evident in her voice as the camera clicked away. Kayode was ecstatic, he still had a problem believing it. He had to be dreaming and if he was, he did not want to be awaken. “I have graduated”, he whispered, savouring the words. It rang true and it felt wonderful. He observed his family and friends rejoicing around him with barely concealed joy. Left to him, an intimate celebration with family and a few friends was enough but of course, his family refuted the idea.

He couldn’t fault them though, they were all just so glad for him, but then, who wouldn’t? The story of his life was in summary, a miracle. Who would have thought that the college dropout would amount to anything? Although, it would seem that he hasn’t achieved anything, he felt like he could capture the world and he could even see himself doing just that. If not for him, then for his mother, who at that moment, was looking at him with so much pride. That look always made his world feel alright.

He would never forget the look she gave him about seven years ago when he told her he had dropped out of school. It was full of disappointment and hurt. He promised himself that expression would never be directed at him again. He wanted to make her happy always, he figured he owes her that much. He didn’t think one could be in love with his mother because that’s how he felt about her. Saying he loves her sounds too superficial to describe the way he appreciates her.

She is his strength and he knows his siblings feel the same way about her. How many women recovered so boldly and remained unmarried for the sake of their kids after losing their husband at their prime? Kayode sometimes felt she did not grieve enough for her lost love because she wanted to stay strong for them. She became both parents to them without so much fuss and whatever each of them became, they attributed to her unwavering believe in them.

 Kayode was in junior secondary school when he lost his father and although he would never admit it to anyone, he lost all motivation to succeed. His father had always been his driving force, he did well in school because he wanted his father’s approval. After his father’s demise however, Kayode lost his morale to succeed at something. He figured, “what’s the point?” Unfortunately for him, by the time he realised he was travelling on a dead end, it was too late.

He was already in college studying a course he had absolutely no passion for, moving with the wrong friends and failing woefully. Now that he thinks about it, his admission into the university was a mystery and the situation was too overwhelming for him to do anything but be bad at it. Frequent visit with his faculty examination officer over his grades overstretched him and eventually he gave up.

The first person Kayode opened up to was his immediate younger sister, Sade and for some reason, she understood. But then, he didn’t know why he was surprise, she always seemed to understand him. It was probably because she was closer to him than his elder brother and youngest sister. Sade was the one with him when he finally told his mother and from her reaction that day, Kayode expected nothing less than a disownment. Surprisingly, after a few days of walking on eggshells around the house, she summoned him.

He cannot say exactly what he was hoping to hear from her but the last thing he expected her to say was that she loved him and she believed he could put the past behind him and work on making a future for himself. Kayode couldn’t possibly find the words to explain how he felt that day, all he knew was that was the day he decided the world will hear of him. His mother probably doesn’t know it but those words pushed him to where he is today.

Kayode smiled at the memories as the noise of jubilation geared him back to reality. He knew he still had a long way to go, this is just a stepping stone but he couldn’t help but feel fulfilled. He no longer felt like a disappointment but a success.

The future is uncertain but why does it look brighter? Why did it seem like the world was waiting for him to come contribute his quota? Why does it seem like the sky was beckoning on him to soar?

He did not have the answers to these questions but one thing was clear, He was going to leave his footprints on the sand of time. The world is waiting for the solution to a problem and the college dropout would supply it.

(Inspired By A True Life Story)

Kay Magnate