After some time went by, preliminary examination started. Things were hectic, and the other learners were scared because some of the previous learners had warned them about how difficult the papers were. Nelly was not terrified though, or maybe she was a little bit scared, but she was also very happy because she wanted to do the best she could in each subject.

During examinations, one of the teacher called Nelly into his office and advised her about choosing a career, and he also helped her to apply at various institutions of higher learning. Nelly was very thankful for that, and she chose to study to become a social worker because she had dreams of helping other poor and underprivileged children like herself when she finished her studies.

When prelims ended, some of the learners were very excited because they had given more attention to their studies after asking Nelly for help. Nelly was also very excited, and she was also very curious about the results. She was looking forward to showing them to her mother because, if they were good, that might increase her chances of getting a smartphone.

During the week, the principal gathered an assembly and announced the percentage they had gotten overall on all the subjects they had written. During the announcement, the learners were very quiet. A lot of them were scared because the principal did show his emotions on his facial expressions, and this caused them to be confused and curious at the same time. After a while, the principal gave his speech, thanked the learners for the corporation they gave during the exams, then announced the results.

Overall, the learners had gotten 96 %, and the school stuff and other learners were so excited by the news that they gave the Grade 12 learners a round of applause. The news was so well accepted by everyone that the principal even handed out certificate to best teacher who did their best to push their work, and help their learners pass the examinations.

After hearing the test results, Nelly knew that she had done well, and that her mother would be happy about that. After that, the assembly was dismissed and the learners went back to their classrooms, where they would get their individual results.

In Nelly’s classroom, the names of each learner on the list were called out, and she was number 23 on the list. The teacher continued calling out the names until it was time for Nelly, and when she was called out, Nelly stood up with a smile and huge facial expressions to fetch her results. It was obvious to her that she had made it, and when she got her results, she found out that she had gotten 5 distinctions, which made her happier than she could say.

Immediately after Nelly got her results, the bell rang, and she rushed home to show her mother her results. She was very excited and glad that she had managed to get what she wanted to get. After arriving home, she found a few people gathered at her home in silence, so she wondered what was going on. She knew that it was a rhetorical question though, and that no one had the answer because she was alone.

When Nelly entered the gate, she saw her neighbour and sister crying. She was very confused by the sight, so she went to her sister to find out what was happening.

“Sis Ruth, what’s wrong, where’s mom?” Nelly asked.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m really sorry,” Ruth replied. “I couldn’t help her, she was very weak.”

Ruth’s answer left Nelly even more confused about where her mother was, and while she was busy talking to her sister, their neighbour came inside house, took Nelly into her room, and told her the full story.

According to their neighbour, Nelly’s mother had breast cancer, but she did not want to tell them because she knew that, if she did, Nelly would be distracted in her school work, and she would lose her focus. She had become very weak because the cancer had spread to other parts of her body, and the doctors had told them that operations would be a waste of time, so she died.

Nelly did not believe what she was hearing, and she was so confused by it all that the excitement that she had come home with from school went null, and she started crying. It was very painful for her. She wanted to make her mother proud because, as the words that had run through her mind had said, ‘You Only Live Once’.

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Tell us: What do you think is going to happen to Ruth and Nelly now that their mother has passed on?