Chapter 2 The strange student

As I walked into my home, I was met with the peaceful sight of my daughter sitting in a chair, fast asleep after completing her assignments. But instead of feeling a sense of comfort, my heart was overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. Who would take care of my precious child after I'm gone? Who would provide for her needs, comfort her when she's sad, and guide her through the ups and downs of life without complaining?

Tears streamed down my face as I gazed at my daughter's innocent face, her gentle breathing a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside me. I was terrified, not about my impending death, but about leaving my child behind. Who would love her with the same ferocity and devotion that I do?

I felt like I was drowning in a sea of uncertainty, unable to find a lifeline to cling to. My mind raced with questions, each one more daunting than the last. Who would be there to celebrate her milestones, to wipe away her tears, and to whisper words of encouragement in her ear? Who would be her rock, her safe haven, her forever home?

As I stood there, frozen in fear and despair, I knew I had to find a way to ensure my daughter's future, to secure her happiness and well-being, even if I wouldn't be there to see it myself. But for now, I could only weep, my heart shattered into a million pieces, my soul consumed by the darkness of my own mortality.

"Where did everything go wrong?" I wailed, my voice echoing through the silent room. "I did everything right! I slept 8 hours a day, drank water regularly, exercised for 2 hours every day, meditated for an hour daily, and ate a balanced diet with plenty of fruits. I never drank alcohol or smoked. Where was my health malfunction?"

I held my child tight, tears streaming down my face as I gazed at my husband's photo on the wall. I felt like I was screaming into a void, with no one to answer, no one to comfort me. I cried louder, my body shaking with anguish, as if the sound of my despair could somehow reverse the cruel fate that had been dealt to me.

My child stirred in my arms, sensing my distress, and I held them closer, trying to shield them from the pain and fear that consumed me. But it was no use. I was alone in this darkness, with no escape from the cruel hand of fate that had taken my health and threatened to take my life.

I wept for the life I once knew, for the future I had envisioned, for the memories I would never make. I wept for my child, who would soon be left without a mother. And I wept for my husband, who was no longer here to hold me, to comfort me, to tell me everything would be okay.

I walked into the principal's office, my heart still heavy with the weight of my diagnosis. But I had made a decision to secure my daughter's future, no matter what lay ahead. I had invested all my savings in a life insurance policy, hoping it would provide for Gift's needs after I'm gone.

" Good morning Mrs Mike,there is a particular student transferred to our school and he will be in your class, but there's something I have to say about the boy. His father is our current vice president, we want you to take extra care of him as he lacked some basics and his identity should never be out to the world." she said.

" No problem ma, I will definitely do so" I walked back to the class to take attendance.

As I began taking attendance, my eyes scanned the room, and that's when I saw him ,the new student. He was sitting in the back corner, looking a bit out of place. While his classmates chatted and laughed, he sat quietly, his eyes fixed on the floor. There was something about him that caught my attention, a certain vulnerability that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

" Tell us your name please" I questioned.

"Okay, Mike Einstein, I mean Wilton," he said, trying to compose himself.

I was taken aback, my mind racing with questions and doubts. How could this student, this stranger, bear the same name and nickname that only my husband used? It was as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on me. I felt a lump form in my throat as I tried to process this revelation.

"Welcome to the class. Please, take your seat."

As he sat down, I couldn't help but steal glances at him, searching for any resemblance to my husband. But there was none. He can't be my husband, he was younger, with a different face and build. Yet, the name and nickname were identical.

The murmurs and whispers from the other students continued, praising his good looks and charming voice. I felt a pang of jealousy, wondering why this stranger was receiving such admiration when my husband, the real Mike Einstein, was no longer with me.

I tried to shake off the feeling, focusing on the lesson at hand. But my mind kept wandering back to the mystery of this new student and the uncanny coincidence of his name.

I had my eyes stuck at him. One thing about the new kid, Wilton, is that he's of the lazy type. He slept throughout the whole lesson, he contributed nothing in school. It's after the time we're done in school, and now I'm on my way back home.

Just as I stepped outside, about to leave, I heard one of the teachers calling out my name. When I looked back, the environment I was in suddenly changed. I found myself in a deep forest. I had this disturbing migraine again; my head hurt like it would explode. This must be part of the symptoms of my disease. I was feeling weak now; I couldn't move from where I was standing.

The forest looked so white, with white leaves instead of green, it looked like snow had fallen on it. The temperature of the forest was so chilly, and I could hear the sound of the breeze blowing loudly.

Then I started hearing the ground shaking like there was about to be an earthquake. I looked behind me and saw a lion running towards my direction, I was too weak to move, I couldn't move from where I stood. Then I heard the lion roaring out, but it sounded like a car honk.

It remained some little distance before I could be hit with the Lion running towards my direction, that was when I saw Wilton (new student) pushing me off where I stood at. When I hit the floor, I turned around and found my environment changed again.

It turned out that I was hallucinating been in the forest, I was actually on the street, and the lion I saw running towards me was not a lion but it was a vehicle that nearly crushed me down on the road.

"The boy is not moving," I heard one of the people present said out..that was when I remembered that a new student helped me out from been attacked by a Lion.

I pulled the people around him aside and saw Wilton collapsed on the floor. I was scared to death as I moved to him. "Hey, new kid, wake up!" I slapped his cheeks, trying to wake him, but he wasn't waking up. I was scared to the bone. I started giving him CPR to resuscitate him back to life.

As I pumped his chest, his shirt wound up, and his stomach was exposed.

That's when I saw it - "20th of March 1984" - my husband's date of birth written boldly on his stomach.

I remembered the day my husband told me about it, when I asked why he had the birthmark, he said it was done by his mother to mark her barrenness freedom, and she drew love on top of it.

I couldn't believe I was seeing the same birth tattoo on Wilton, identical to my husband's own.

Tears started streaming down my face as I continued CPR, hoping he would wake up. "Wilton, please wake up!" I shouted, my voice shaking.