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Edder
Student @ University of Abuja
Student @ University of Abuja
THE BOY WHO WANTED A SCHOOL BAG
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Part One</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Every morning, Musa stood by the window and watched the children pass.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Some carried big school bags.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Some carried small ones.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Some complained about waking up early, while others dragged their feet as if school was the worst place on earth.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Musa watched them all.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He never understood why they complained.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">If only they knew how lucky they were.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Musa had never asked his father for a bicycle.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He had never asked for expensive shoes.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He had never begged for a phone.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The only thing he wanted was a school bag.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Not because he needed the bag itself.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He just wanted somewhere to put his books.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">One morning, he finally gathered the courage to speak.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“Papa, when will I start school?”</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">His father looked at him for a while.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“School?”</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“Yes.”</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">His father sighed.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“Who told you that you must go to school?”</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Musa looked confused.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“Nobody. I just want to learn.”</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">His father laughed softly, but there was no happiness in it.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“Learning doesn't put food on the table.”</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Musa lowered his head.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He had heard that sentence many times.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">But children have a strange way of holding on to the things adults have already given up on.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">So the next morning, Musa stood by the window again.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The same children passed.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The same uniforms.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The same school bags.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">But this time, Musa wasn't looking at the bags.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He was looking at their faces.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">And he wondered what it would feel like to wake up one morning and know that there was somewhere you were expected to go.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Somewhere your absence would be noticed.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He didn't know it then, but sometimes a child's biggest dream can become the smallest thing in a family's eyes.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">And sometimes...</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">the people who are supposed to help you reach it are the same people standing in the doorway.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "><br/></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">To be continued.</p>
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