the people that matters.

Hey.

So I went and sat for that last oral exam earlier today. I had to wait for two whole hours and my nerves was making me feel ill. It was obvious that i looked exactly like how I felt, because the invigilator was genuinely concerned when she asked whether I was alright.

When I walked into that room, Professor Parfrey smiled and held out his hand and said, as is customary for people of the Irish descent,

'Hello how are you?'

Just like that, with no comma after the hello.

'Good thanks' I lied, and shook his hand.

Professor Hogan, standing right beside him, then held out his hand with a beaming smile on his face. One would think I was there to qualify as top of my class, instead of repeating an exam. I reckon there wasn't much of a difference between the two, though I wouldn't know for sure. He said,

'Hello how are you?'

'Good thanks' I lied again.

then we sat down, and Prof Parfrey began the oral session with,

'Can you tell me about the different classes of anaemia?'

and then it was my turn to beam. I rehearsed this question with Nisa last night.

oh, did I say? I went to her place last night and made her and Dayah stay up late and then stay up after subuh to help me revise. They had my back when I needed them, and I couldn't thank them enough.

I stumbled on a few of the questions, such as this one;

'Do you, by any chance, know the antibodies involved in autoimmune thyroiditis?' Prof Hogan queried.

'I don't. But I can tell you the antibodies involved in autoimmune gastritis.' I smiled. Hopeful, cheeky.

'Alright, tell me about that, then.'


I realized by the end of the oral exam that I did somewhat better than I thought I would, and after I finished answering the final question, Prof Parfrey said;

'Wow, you've learned a lot this summer haven't you?'



I did.






Whatever it is God has fated for me after this, I hope I have the courtesy to say alhamdulillah, or the strength and courage to say astaghfirullah.


Atiqah