The Toughest Year of My Life

“The Toughest Year of My Life” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Talib Sabri, Al Muntazir Boys Primary School, Tanzania.

The Toughest Year of My Life

Life has been tough for me, I was only thirteen but felt a hundred years old. My life was in fact an ocean of endless problems, because I had to face many disappointments in it.

The first disappointment, which I faced was when first knew that my mother had cancer. Tears welled in my eyes, my throat dried up and I cried my heart out. I loved my mother than anything in the world. As she was advised to be completely in bed rest, I had to care of the house. I had become more responsible, I tried my best ... but I felt like an extra burden on my shoulders.

All the rest of those days I spent in afflicting myself at the dismal circumstances I was brought to. My mother had neither wanted food nor water to eat or drink. She said she saw nothing but death before her.

I felt the silence of the house with all the empty halls just watching the time ticking by. Towards the night I searched upon how to cure my mom and about killing disease she has, and marked out my semi-circle for my research which I resolved to strengthen out the work. Then I began to consider how to research and find a miracle medicine that would work. Trying to find a solution medicines were so absolutely necessary that indeed that I could do nothing effectually without it, but what kind of one (medicine), I knew not.

Instead I visited a doctor and prescribed me to take my mom use a type of medicine which would make her recover faster. Although my mother was so stubborn in drinking medicines, I forced her as it was the matter of life and death not only that but I also told her not to give me any excuses nor questions regarding the medicines, so eventually she got used to it.

Everyday I had to nurse my mother; help my grandmother with the households chores, help my sister with her homework, send her to school, etc. My studies where affected as I was missing school due to the situation at home. Still I never complained and did my work with sincerity and loyalty to my mother.

As time passes she was gradually recovering and by the time she had fully recovered all my troubles here over, I thank god that my mother was saved from this killer disease and that she was living a healthy life.

Soon after she recovered a new calamity had befallen on me again. Since I was missing school, I had to recover all the lost topics and I had to do it fast due to the upcoming exams which were just around the corner.

Now here I am with half a semester's work to complete in less than a week, not only completing but understanding too. As always through hard work, steady resilience and steely resolution I managed to accomplish that and my examination results weren't that bad. They were just enough to push me on to the next grade.