top six

i was sprawled on the bed on a friday night watching TV when suddenly, my younger sister who had just taken the pharmacy licensure exam on tues-wed, broke into tears.

my mom and i asked her what was wrong. in between muffled sobs, she said her former classmate texted her she was not on the list of the board passers.

i looked at the clock. it was only quarter to 10. she told me yesterday the result would not be in till 10 in the evening. i raised an eyebrow and scolded her for her lack of faith, or rather lack of confidence. instead of answering back, she just kept mum and cried in silence.

i felt a lil bit guilty. so i stood up, slipped into my jeans and hurried out of the door. the office is a block away, and in my haste to take a look at the official result issued by PRC, i forgot to combed my ruffled hair.

so there i was, gasping for air while climbing up the stairs in a hurry. and hope surged upon learning the official result was not released yet. i searched online for the alleged source of the news saying my sister did not pass the exam. but the website did not bear the result either. to get things straight, i called other newspaper offices, and these too did not have the result either.

exasperated, i decided to surf the net for a while and waited in a gripping suspense. then in a minute, the result finally arrived. an officemate told me `my cousin' passed the exam after he had downloaded the file. he said she landed the sixth spot. i was not sure he was talking about my sister but as soon as i heard him read her name, i almost fell out of my seat in a great surprise. `that's my sister!' i exclaimed.

so there i was reading through the top 10 board passers. and as i scanned for my sister's name, indeed it was written on the sixth spot.

i ran back home as fast as i could to tell the good news. and as soon as she heard she passed the exam, even landing on the sixth spot, my sister jumped up on her feet in a surprise. she almost could not believe it, repeatedly saying i was kidding.

now, she's always smiling and thanking God so much for this blessing. So, i told her: now you know it. trust in Him and have faith. God always gives you what you need.