My Short Story

No school. Only play. These were what he had always wanted. Skipping lessons to play computer games seemed like a piece of cake for the primary school boy. But he always ended up facing his parents’ angry faces. Tears welled up in his eyes. To him, school is nothing but just sitting quietly and listening to the teacher’s ‘lullaby’. Nothing could excite him except computer games. But he did not expect to land himself in this situation.

The woman pleaded. “Get him out of school. We don’t want notorious boys in our school. Playing truant is an unacceptable behaviour,” said a stern voice. The woman pleaded and pleaded. Using her last resort, she fell to her knees put her head towards the ground. The boy looked up slowly. A blurred image of his mother appeared. He waited for a response. “Ok. I will give your son one last chance,” said the voice again. The woman stood up. She wiped off her tears. She thanked the head. The boy knew that he would have to face severe consequences once they were outside the head’s office. He looked down once again, willing to change for his own future and for his parents.

The next day, the boy went to school as usual. He once had the thought of running away, but image of his mother falling to her knees prevented him from doing so. He walked slowly towards his classroom. He sat down at his seat and took out his notebook. A few minutes passed. The teacher stepped into the classroom and began her lesson once she had been greeted. As she taught, only a pencil scribbling sound could be heard. The others just looked at the whiteboard and listened to the teacher. Everyone turned around and was so surprised to see a face they seldom see. A face that could only be seen 2 months in a year. And right there he was, scribbling down notes. The class became even more silent than before.

Two years had passed. All the parents gathered at the school hall, waiting to see their own child’s PSLE results. “And now, we shall announce our school’s top PSLE scorer, the fifth best in the whole Primary 6 cohort. He is…….” said the head. There was a moment of silence. The name appeared on the screen. The parents gasped in disbelief. A familiar face walked up onto the stage. Previously well-known for truancy, the boy had studied hard, giving in the best effort, and eventually worked his way to the top quietly. Only he has experienced true hardship, and he will always strive for the best in whatever he can, because competition in Singapore schools is very tough. He has met different kinds of obstacles, and overcame them one by one, the path definitely not an easy one. Tears welled up in his parents’ eyes. They went up to stage and hugged him instantly. The other parents realized the effort that the boy has put in and a round of applause was given to him.

Now he will leave his primary school memories behind and soar to greater heights in the future. From a boy who played truant to a boy who experienced hardship, and always strives for the best. The aim for perfection would always stay with him, even when he is out to work or when he has retired.