On one of those evenings, it dawned on my mother. She firmly stated that she would hire tutors for me in Russian language and in mathematics. She worked twice as hard, saved on clothes and unnecessary things. She decided to invest in my education no matter what.
Every day after school, I stayed for extra classes. I returned home at 5 pm. Tired and hungry. There was always hot food at home. It was calm and comfortable. I could always come home and eat delicious food. I didn't always find time for Madi. We talked mostly in class. In the evenings, homework assignments according to the curriculum and extracurricular activities.
Another year went by. School Mathematics Olympiad. My teacher suggested that I take part in it. She believed in me, and I gratefully accepted her offer. Daily preparations, sleepless nights, arguing with mom over mathematical exercises. She's a mathematician by education. As a result of hard work, I took the first place among my peers at school. Halleluiah! Another achievement for me.
It was a discovery for me. After the Olympiad, I was approached by two most popular girls in the class. They greeted me and invited me to their party. It was at one of our classmates' apartments, which was available. They decided to gather in a small company and celebrate the victory of those who took the leading places at the Olympiads.
I realized that if you want to make friends, it's not only the ability to communicate, but also your accomplishments. If you are successful, if you are a winner, people will want to be friend with you.
Since then, we have become very close friends. Every day after school we went for walks and discussed everything in the world. Shared problems and discussed boys. They turned out to be quite interesting and funny people. The girls seemed so cute to me, so tender in pink dresses and with huge bows on their heads. And I was a hooligan girl who was always ready to defend and protect them.
I introduced Madi to new friends from the class. I told them how cool and talented Madi was. She was great at drawing. I made friends and we were together until we graduated from the high school.
We have finished school. Received certificates and were preparing to enter universities. I was studying the whole summer to pass entrance exams to the National University of Tajikistan. And my friends were getting ready to enter Russian universities. We have all received high marks. The three of them left for Moscow. I stayed in Tajikistan. All alone. At first, we kept in touch, but soon the communication stopped.
None of them have called me or wrote to me. Days, months passed. No news. I wrote them and called. But they disappeared. It was very hard. Losing friends was painful. But life never stops. And I move on!
School is an eternal little struggle with oneself – hard and painstaking daily work. School life is only a small piece of a big life. At the same time, the whole life is like a school life. We face difficulties, we struggle, we find solutions. Right or wrong. And we still go on. For example, my lost friends. Can they be even called friends? Perhaps, we should be more selective in choosing friends. We should choose them. And do not let them to choose us. Currently, I look at people from a different perspective. I analyze their behaviors and words. I evaluate their values in life.
Today, I appreciate equality and justice. I value honesty and humanity. My criterion of success is not being an Olympic winner but being passioned about what I do. And what values I create for my community.
She was sitting at the table and working on her laptop. My mother was always busy writing some projects. She was full of energy and new ideas. She had a couple of very successful business cases. When I entered her room, she looked at me with a smile on her face. Her eyes radiated kindness. Her face conveyed courage and resilience. She was like a coconut: hard – outside, soft – inside.
“I am dying” – said mom smiling.
I started crying. What? Why? What happened? But there was no response. I just remembered her beautiful and happy face. “It is OK, babe. I will be fine”, she continued.
I did not understand. She was in front of me. She looked strong and healthy. I was not able to control my emotions. I wept like a baby. Next thing I heard – an alarm sound “apex” from my iPhone. I woke up. It was just a dream. My tears ran down my cheeks like a water from the tap. How would I live without her? I hoped she was fine. I had to call her.
