Dream come true

Mike and Kenny went inside their hut immediately after they finished eating dinner with their father, Musa.

It was bright outside due to the illumination of the full moon.
Musa lay on a mat under the brightness of the moon. He expected his children to join him outside as they always did but that night, the duo had gone to bed.

"Ejima," Musa called on them. "Do you not have homework to attend to tonight?" He looked in the direction of Ejima's hut and talked to them in a loud voice.

Mike and Kenny were twins, also referred to as ejima in their mother's tongue. They were in year 4 of high school.

Both of them walked out of the hut upon hearing the call of their father.

"The assignment we have is in mathematics. We need further guidance on how to solve the questions," Mike explained to his father.

"The loophole left by your mother is still being felt," Musa responded soberly.

"We will be fine, Dad. Don't get disturbed again by Mother's death," Kenny chipped in.

"Is there any time that I will stop thinking about your mother? A unique love story that was cut short."

Musa's wife was a mathematician. She was a teacher at her children's school before her death. During the formative years of the twins, she was there to guide them on mathematics homework and any other gray areas in the subject. It has been three years since she died, living behind many loopholes including helping her beloved twins in mathematics.

"Even if you don't have homework to do now, let's spend some time outside. It amounts to laziness if you are sleeping at this hour."

Mike settled on the mat beside his father while Kenny sat on a wooden seat beside the mat. Everywhere around them was bright with the sky filled with shining stars.

"The sky reminds me of a poem that we learned in primary school," Mike said as he looked up to admire the bright stars.

"Twinkle, twinkle Little Star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high..."

Kenny started the poem immediately while Mike sang along.

"Do you know that this is a good time to make a wish?" Musa interrupted their singing. "Make a wish upon the star and see it come to reality."

The twins paused the poem and concentrated their attention on their father.

"What do you mean by making a wish upon a star?" Kenny asked.

"My wish is to see the two of you excel beyond my imagination. Whatever that I can't do for you like guiding you to solve mathematics assignments, I wish that you do more than that for your children. That's my wish.

"What's yours?" Mike turned to Kenny and asked.

Kenny looked into the eyes of his twin brother before making a wish.

"We wish to become Medical Doctors who will be saving people's lives. Malaria and typhoid shouldn't be allowed to kill anyone the way they killed my mom."

The twin's mother died as a result of the nonavailability of a Medical Doctor for a proper diagnosis. Before the problem could be factored out after days of suffering from quack medical personnel, it was too late for survival. She died of a curable ailment.

Musa battled the free flow of tears, listening to the wishes of Kenny.

"What's your wish?" He extended the question to Mike.

"The same as that of my brother," he responded.

"I hope this doesn't become a tall dream. Where will I get the money to sponsor one person to medical school not to talk of the two of you?"

"Dad, the stars are listening to us. You said such wishes do come true."

"Ooooh!!! Sorry for my comment. My faith is not shaking. Wishes made upon a star shouldn't be doubted."

The trio had a chitchat for a few more minutes before retiring inside to sleep.

---

Two years later, the twins completed their high school. They wrote a national entrance examination into the university.

"We will soon become the first twins to become Medical Doctors in this village," Kenny sounded optimistic on their way back home from the examination.

Two days later, the results of the examination were released. Kenny scored 81% while Mike got 84%. The joy of the two knew no bounds as they returned home from the cafe where they had gone to check the results.

"Dad, we have good news for you," Kenny jumped over his father in excitement.

"Everything that concerns both of you shall continue to be good news. What is it?"

"Mike and I scored way above the cutoff mark for studying medicine and surgery at the university.

"Dad, let's get prepared. We are three months away from becoming medical students."

"Congratulations, my children. I am proud of you."

Bothering Musa in his mind is where the fund to finance the registration would be coming from.

"It seems these children believe in the authenticity of making wishes upon a star than I that informed them about it. If I sell all my farms and animals, it will barely pay for the fees for two years. What next for the remaining four years?" Musa asked himself.

The twins were continually overjoyed. They were counting the days to resume medical school.

---

"If you write this year's national entrance examination into universities and score 80% and above, you can apply for a P & Z scholarship." Mike received a text message from his teacher who had come across the information on the internet.

They applied for the scholarship after getting the details of the procedure from their teacher.

Two months later, the duo became medical students courtesy of the scholarship.

"This is a dream come through," Kenny declared on their matriculation day.

The scholarship was total. Musa didn't have to spend anything on his children.

---

Graduating from medical school was greeted with fanfare. The twins did not just finish timely, they topped their class.

"The happiest day of my life, I must confess," Musa beam with smiles holding each of them with a hand to pose for a picture.

The twins rose through the ranks to become prominent medical doctors in the state. They established a charity organization that takes free care of women and children in the memory of their mother.