DESIRES

(BACK TO SCHOOL)

Denise stepped out of her room, fully dressed and organized, ready to begin a new chapter of her life as a medical student at the most prestigious medical institute.

Three days earlier, after dinner and cleaning the kitchen and living room, she had been exhausted and eager to collapse into bed. She checked her phone - it was midnight - and quickly muted it, switched off her bedside lamp, and was just drifting into sleep when her phone lit up. She frowned and ignored it. A few seconds later, it lit up again.

"Oh gosh, I want to sleep. It's already late. Can't it wait?" she groaned, reluctantly picking it up.

To her surprise, it was an admission message from one of the most prestigious schools she had ever dreamed of. She rubbed her eyes, opened it, and read it aloud:

> Dear Denise Klein, you have been offered admission to Brooklyn Medical Institute. Your Ref No. is 142100/24. You are to pay a non-refundable commitment fee of $2,000, which is 80% of the total fee for the trimester. Use your reference number to pay at any bank and present the pay slip to the institution before 08/01/24. Congratulations.

She jumped from her bed with joy and shouted all the way to her mother's room, forgetting the time.

"Mom! Mom! Your daughter has made it - I've gained admission!"

Elizabeth, her mother, rushed out into the corridor and hugged her so tightly that Denise could hardly breathe.

"Mom... I can't breathe," Denise laughed, still beaming.

"Oops, sorry, my love. I'm just so happy! Congratulations!"

But Elizabeth quickly noticed the sadness creeping onto her daughter's face.

"What is it, Denise? Don't you like the school? What's wrong?"

Tears filled Denise's eyes.

"M-mom..." she said between sobs. "We can't afford the fees. We can barely afford one complete meal a day. The fee is too much."

"Denise, don't tell me you want to let go of this chance like you did before because of my illness. You're 23 - you should have been in your final year by now. Leave the fees to me. I'm your mother. I want to see you become the doctor you've always dreamed of. My princess... don't you want to take care of me before I die?"

"Mom! Don't say that - you're not dying."

"Then stop crying, my personal doctor, and hurry up and give me grandchildren."

"Mom, not again! We've talked about this already. I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Think about what I said," Elizabeth teased. "My only fear is dying without grandchildren - my ancestors won't forgive me."

"I can't hear you, old lady - and you're not going anywhere anytime soon," Denise chuckled.

Both returned to their rooms, but neither could sleep. For Elizabeth, the thought of how to raise the money for her daughter's fees kept her awake. For Denise, the guilt of having refused past opportunities because of her mother's illness weighed heavily.

---

Elizabeth had sacrificed everything for her daughter. Years earlier, her family had abandoned her for falling in love with a chef. They considered it disgraceful for a man to cook for a living, insisting she marry a wealthy old man they had chosen. She refused, ran away, and married the man she loved - Mr. Klein.

Their marriage was happy, and business thrived. One day, Elizabeth fell ill and was rushed to the hospital, only to discover she was pregnant. Mr. Klein was overjoyed.

"I'm going to be a father! I'm a father!" he laughed, making the nurses smile.

The next day, he woke early, tidied the house, and made breakfast.

"My love, why are you up so early?" Elizabeth yawned.

"Get some more sleep. I'll bring your breakfast to you."

"How can I sleep with that aroma in the air? I'm starving."

"He's hungry too," Mr. Klein teased, patting her belly.

"He?" she grinned. "Who says it's a boy?"

They laughed, then prepared to go shopping - not for her, but for their unborn baby.

After filling the car with baby clothes, toys, diapers, and food, they had lunch at a nearby restaurant before heading home. On the way, they playfully debated baby names.

"What about Denise?" he suggested.

Before she could answer, a truck slammed into their car, sending it tumbling off the road.

Elizabeth survived, but Mr. Klein did not. The last thing she heard from him was the name of their unborn child: Denise.

At the funeral, she was barred from entering by her mother-in-law, accused of killing her husband, and humiliated in front of mourners. Within a week, his family seized all his property and threw her out.

With nowhere else to go, Elizabeth moved into a small house only she and her husband had known about and started a bakery to survive. Business was steady until tragedy struck again: she was diagnosed with stomach cancer just as Denise was ready for tertiary education.

Every cent they had went to hospital bills, forcing Denise to stay home for two years despite repeated admissions offers.

Now, with another chance in hand, Denise stood on the edge of her dream - but the cost felt like a wall she could not climb.