"It always seems impossible until it's done." — Nelson Mandela
Kiekie's POV
I remember seeing Cleo close her eyes and take a deep breath.
My own heart was beating so loudly that it felt like everyone in the hall could hear it.
Mark:
"We are honored to announce the three amazing students who survived the battle of Carina."
Joe:
"Yes! The battle of Carina was one of the bloodiest wars in African history."
Laura:
"And today, we are honored to have three winners. They are..."
The entire hall fell silent.
I could feel my fingers trembling.
Laura:
"Alex Greenfield — Third Place."
Applause filled the room.
Joe:
"Calvin Kelvin — Second Place."
More applause.
The sound felt distant to me.
When I heard the first two names, every hope inside me slowly died.
I looked at Cleo.
Her eyes were fixed on me with worry written all over her face.
I lowered my head.
I couldn't look at her anymore.
She had always believed in me.
She had always defended me.
And yet... I couldn't prove to her that she was right about me.
Not even once.
A painful thought crossed my mind.
Maybe my parents were right.
Maybe I really am useless.
A dark thought whispered in my mind.
Maybe I should just buy something tomorrow and end this useless life.
The voices from my childhood returned.
The insults.
The rejection.
The words that had been repeated to me for years.
They were controlling my mind again.
I forgot everything Cleopatra told me before the competition.
I forgot the strength I felt after meditation.
Everything disappeared.
Just like that.
They say you should always leave room for disappointment.
But that day, I didn't.
I had believed in my success too much.
And now it hurt even more.
Laura:
"I will leave the first place winner for Mark to announce."
She said it with a grin.
I noticed she was smiling at me.
But the sadness inside me was too heavy.
I couldn't even smile back.
Mark cleared his throat.
The room went silent again.
Mark:
"Our first place winner is..."
He paused.
My heart nearly stopped.
Mark:
"Kiekie Inna Johnson."
The world froze.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Did I hear that correctly?
Was I dreaming?
I stood frozen on the stage.
Then suddenly—
Cleo ran toward me and wrapped her arms tightly around me.
We were both crying.
"Congratulations, Pumpkin!" she said, kissing my cheeks, which had turned red from excitement.
"Congratulations, baby! I knew you would make it."
Her voice trembled with happiness.
I was completely speechless.
I didn't know what to say.
I didn't know how to thank her.
---
Keke:
"Cleo... I will always be grateful to you. You are my hero."
Narrator:
"Please don't cry! Do you want to make me cry too? If you start crying, I'll start crying, and then we won't be able to finish this story."
Keke:
"I'm sorry, Rosie. I just got emotional. I promise I won't cry."
Narrator:
"That's my baby."
I say, kissing her cheek.
The judges handed us our medals, certificates, and awards.
I was awarded $750,000 Liberian Dollars.
Cleo was happier than I was.
Because she knew what this meant.
This victory wasn't just mine.
It was ours.
Everything I had achieved that day started with her believing in me when nobody else did.
We decided to use part of the money to buy things for her house and keep the rest for food and transportation.
---
Keke:
"We really did live a hard life."
Narrator:
"Of course we did."
"But it taught us something important."
Keke:
"What?"
Narrator:
"Never give up."
Keke:
"Yeah."