A Life Cut Short

A warm light of the sun passed through puffs of white magic in a canvas of blue. A perfect day to make Billie’s day a pleasant one. Billie had been waiting for this day since childhood. Undoubtedly, every student would have etched countless hours of work to witness this day.

For others, it might be ‘a graduation day,’ but for Billie, it was her dream, her life, her moment to change the history, her time to fly high, a result of her perseverance journey.

Billie dressed in the finest of her clothes. She wore a white skirt and an embroidery shirt. She applied a special facial cream that she had bought just to use it on her graduation day. She hoped that she looked a little brighter than her usual days of dark honey. She then combed her coiled locks, looked at the mirror smiling, she patted her cheeks, checking if she had been dreaming. But it wasn’t a dream. She hopped in joy and wore her long floor-length academic gown and her skull cap.

“Mom, I wish you were here to see your daughter in her graduation outfit.” Billie hushed to herself.

Her mother had not been able to come as she was still in her native island. Billie then checked if she had taken all her belongings, locked the door, and went downstairs to book a cab to reach her university. She couldn’t stand on the floor as she was flying with excitement. The cab arrived in five minutes. Billie slid into the cab and closed the door. The stale air transported her to a thousand other rides. But this time, it felt different—she was going to her graduation ceremony.

“Big day, uh?” The cab driver asked in a low voice.

Billie nodded her head with a spark of joy on her face. She imagined her mother, who would be feeling proud to have raised up a daughter like Billie.

Billie remembered the struggles her mother had gone through to raise her up all alone. Her mother had never been exposed to the good side of life. Billie’s grandmother had been a slave, working in the fields of Mr. George. She would take Billie’s mother along with her for work.

When Billie’s mother was about seven years old, Mr. George took her to his farmhouse to work as his slave. Billie’s mother had no life for herself than to please her master whenever he wanted her. She had to work from 3 AM – 11 PM for her living. Whip lashes and harassments weren’t new to her. In one such incident was born Billie—an accidental child.

Initially, Billie’s birth was both a blessing and a curse. She saved and lifted her mother from the mud of slavery. When Mr. George came to know that Billie’s mother was conceived with his child, he sent her away. He wanted to maintain his dignity, so he abandoned her.

Though Billie’s mother had escaped from her cruel master, what would she do as a single mother? What would be her fate? How would the society treat her? Indeed, she raised Billie all by herself. She named her Billie because she saved her and gave her freedom. She made sweaters and sold them for her living. She met her needs out of it and saved some amount from her wages for Billie’s education. She never wanted Billie to suffer like her. 

Billie melted down in tears as she recalled her mother’s suffering. Her gratitude wouldn’t be enough to repay for all that her mother had done for her. Her mother’s savings was fully used just to educate Billie in a good university. She couldn’t think of making another trip for Billie’s graduation ceremony, but Billie knew that her mother would be with her in spirit.

The cab halted near the auditorium. Billie could see blossoms of black caps entering the auditorium.

“Congratulations, little bud!” The cab driver called out.

Billie grinned with pride and happiness for making it through. She made her way inside the auditorium. She remembered the days when she joined as a fresher. She had only four sets of clothes. She was full of insecurity of her Afro-American slang and tangled hair when everyone around her had straight hair. But she emerged as the best student. She had been asked to deliver a speech, so she took the seat meant for her. It still felt like a dream to Billie.

“I’m proud of you, mini me!” she uttered to herself.

As the ceremony had started, Billie’s eyes shone bright as she was finally going to attain what she dreamed of. When the host called Billie to the stage, she climbed the stairs, her teeth sparkling, her gown rustling with each step. She took a deep breath before she could start her speech.

“Distinguished faculties, fellow students, friends, and family, greetings! This day is a momentous day, a culmination of all our hard work, late-night study, and our caffeine intakes…”

But before she could continue, a deafening roar shook the ground. A crimson flash of light illuminated the sky. The atomic bomb exploded with great power, ejecting clouds of ashes and smoke. The auditorium, indeed the whole university of Hiroshima, turned into ashes. So were Billie and her dreams. She had no traces of her left.

It’s hardening to imagine how Billie’s mother would be praying for her daughter with no idea of what had actually happened. Billie had been given the opportunity to succeed in life and she grasped it with both her hands, but it was not enough. Life was not favorable to Billie, who wanted to live it to the fullest. Humanity’s rage turned Billie’s hard work into nothing. Billie’s life was cut short before she could even take her first step. So were the lives of many who left the world in the atomic bomb blast.

-EJ