The Unseen Path
As Themis lay in the hospital
bed, the Christmas lights from the neighboring streets of Lae City passed through
the narrow window showing the pale confines of Angau General Hospital. The
outside festivities were a distant echo, reminding her of her isolation and the
things that she would not be able to do. At the age of twenty years old, Themis
felt the weight of her dreams and disappointment heavy upon her shoulders, her
petite frame completely wrapped around by the hospital gown that seemed to
swallowed her. Themis’s thoughts were far from the sweet cheerful carols and
holiday spirit. Her immune system, as fragile as a butterfly’s wing had
betrayed her once again landing her in the hospital.
Themis Wong was a determined and
ambitious young woman whose biggest goal was to become a lawyer one day. She showed
great strength and dedication, which made her family very proud of her. Coming
from a mix parentage of East Sepik and West New Britain, her heritage plays a
big role in her physical appearance. She has warm brown skin that glows in the
sunlight, a sharp nose, petite with an expressive eyes and thick black hair
that she wears in a loose ponytail.
It was past ten in the morning on
Christmas Eve, as Themis reached for her medication on the table beside her
sick bed, her fingers danced over the familiar shapes of the blister packs.
Each pill holds a promise of healing, a small colorful reminder of her journey
towards wellness. As she carefully pops each one out, the foils echo like a
comforting lullaby, a ritual that signifies taking control of her health.
With her pill in hand she took a
glass of water on her bedside table, she looked at the clear liquid like a
little pool of possibilities. Raising the glass to her lips, she paused for a
heartbeat before swallowing the medications, one by one, as if sealing a pact
with her future. Each gulp washed away doubt, leaving her refreshed and ready
to embrace whatever the day may bring, she put the glass back on the table and
turned around to her bed side to picked up her phone that was buzzing.
She poured every ounce of her
being into her studies with the aim of getting into the University of Papua New
Guinea School of Law. Law had always been her main singular focus. She had met
every requirement, studied all the martials provided but it was more to it,
more like an obsession, her wearing black and white and standing in the
National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea, yet here she was, in a
hospital room, facing an email that mocked her dreams.
Themis’s mind felt like a battle
field of emotions. She had always been the goal getter, the girl with eyes full
of ambitions and heart full of determination. She was known among her peers for
her sharp mind and strong drive, traits that had made her the pride of her
family and now, Themis felt as though she was letting everyone down. Her dreams
of becoming a lawyer felt as distant as the stars, slipping through her fingers
like the grains of sand. The thought of studying journalism, a filed she had
considered as a last resort felt like a bitter pill to swallow. It was not the
path she had envisioned, not the future she had planned, it seemed like a cruel
twist of fate.
The room seemed to shrink around
her, the walls pressing in as if it understood her feelings. She closed her
eyes, trying to shut out the harsh reality of her situation. Her breath came in
shallow as she struggles to steady herself. Tears began to spill from her eyes
as her fingers clutched the edges of her blanket as if it were a lifeline,
grounding her in a moment that felt overwhelmingly out of her control. She felt
betrayed by the universe, as if it had conspired to undermine her carefully
laid plans. The hospital once a place of rest and recovery, had now become a prison
of her own despair. The sense of purpose that had driven her, now that purposed
seemed to be slipping away.
The email felt like an insult to
her efforts, a reminder of her failure to secure a place at the law program.
She had given everything to her dream despite being sick all the time and now
she was left with a heart ache of her shattered expectations. It was not just
about the rejection from UPNG, it was about the death of a dream, the loss of a
future she had carefully planned.
As minutes ticked by, Themis
struggled to find comfort in the news. Her mind raced with questions and
doubts. What had she done wrong? Why her dream been so abruptly snatched away?
The road ahead was uncertain and
the path she had envisioned for herself was now covered by doubt and regret,
but even in the depths of her despair, Themis clung to her faint hope that
perhaps, in time, she would find a way to navigate this new direction. For now,
she faced the unseen path of her future, waiting for the dawn of a new
understanding to break through.
