One Night Only

“Something so right has got no chance to live, so let’s forget about chances…” Young Mimi sang sorrowfully the Lyrics of Jennifer Hudson in her song titled One Night Only as she watched herself drained on her sick bed. The bed she had prayed earnestly that a day would come when she will gladly and courageously stand from it. The same bed that never gave her the chance to see the woman she wanted to be in the future. She knew she only had one night only, just a breath left of her.
Since the day she was bedridden with Leukemia, her worst nightmare, Mimi never lost hope of recovery. She was out with her friends in her school gym, practicing a new move for her performance on bars for the summer gymnastic competition. Yes, she was just the best her school could have. She was pretty with brains. Then, she had climbed the bars and suddenly she felt this dizziness in her eyes and everything seemed to be dancing de ja vu before her, that weakened all her joints. She tried to withhold herself, she wanted to come down slowly but then, she fell like a rag thrown out in the dirt. That was her first time of falling from the bars with so much weakness.
Few hours later she woke up in the school bay feeling weak like never before. She was advised to stay away from the gym for some time for full recovery. But, how could she leave without the only thing that gives her joy? Losing her mum to ovarian cancer was ill fated enough, she shouldn’t be denied of this one thing that makes her happy. Young Mimi continued with her struggle to take the champion of the best gymnast on bars nationwide. If not for anything, she wanted to make her late mum proud who had her life checkered with trials of life.  Gradually she lost weight. She began bleeding within as most times she coughed out blood. She didn’t want to tell anyone, not even her Dad who loved her so much. She never wanted to believe that anything can stop her from being the champion.
On the eve of the finals, the story changed. Everything changed. As she climbed the bars, everybody cheered her. Her Dad was there. She was extremely happy; for once she knew a lot of people believed in her and saw who she was. The girl with unlimited dreams.  Boldly, she made her moves on the bars, and then slowly she felt that dizziness again. Mimi became scared; she prayed within that she lands successfully without fainting again. She knew she would be a champion but that was the last she remembered.
Few days after going through the first stage of chemotherapy, Mimi, wakes up to see the last of her with her hair all shaved. She felt empty and was losing breath.  Her Dad never left her side. Not quite long, the doctor entered and just then, she was told she can never be a gymnast anymore.  She knew her dreams were becoming nothing more than a dream. Just dreams. But yet she refused to accept them, she refused to be a victim of circumstance.
From one chemotherapy session to another, Mimi died slowly. Yes, she knew she was dying, but yet she believed she had a chance to live. A chance to live her life like a normal girl child, to achieve her dreams and become a great lady. A chance to live again.
Back in the hospital, Mimi had no dull moment. She was loved and she never loosed her smile.  Friends and well wishers visited her and showered her with a lot of gifts. On her wheel chair, she looked through the window and admired the wonders of nature. How the birds sang, the green leaves danced, the sun shone, the rain fell and the cool breeze of life blew.
In good fate, she knew she had lived a life, she knew she had also added smiles to the faces of others. She also knew it was just one night only remaining for her. She continued singing the song and slowly, Mimi closed her eyes for her re-birth in the world beyond.
Dear reader, we all have one life. Live to smile and also live to put smiles on others faces. If you make someone else’s day, some one else will make your day. Little Mimi suffered Leukemia but she did her best not to die in sorrow and pity. Make  every moment of your life a history. Live like you only have one night only to spend on earth. Make every hour fulfilled and don’t leave on chance. We all have one night only and we become dust. Just one night only.