Episode 13: When Dreams Feel Distant
543 Words
There are nights…
When silence feels louder than noise.
That night was one of them.
I sat outside my small room, staring into the darkness.
The compound was quiet.
Goats moved lazily across the dusty ground.
A faint breeze passed… but it carried no comfort.
Inside me…
There was a storm.
Music.
My first love.
My dream.
Slowly… slipping away.
Not because I wanted it to.
But because life had placed something else in front of me.
Survival.
I picked up my phone and scrolled through old recordings.
Old messages.
Old memories.
Songs I once believed would change everything.
“Unconditional.”
“Yarn Ur Mind.”
I pressed play.
My own voice filled the air.
Raw.
Honest.
Full of hope.
For a moment…
I smiled.
Then reality returned.
I stopped the song halfway.
Dropped the phone beside me.
And sighed deeply.
“God…” I whispered.
“When will it be my turn?”
No answer.
Just silence.
My chest felt heavy.
Not just from the struggle…
But from watching others move forward while I felt stuck in one place.
I closed my eyes.
And for a brief moment, memories flooded in—
The studio in Makurdi.
Late nights.
Laughter.
Dreams that felt so close.
Back then…
Everything seemed possible.
Now?
Everything felt paused.
My phone suddenly rang.
Patience.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds.
Took a deep breath.
And answered.
“Hello…”
“Tony,” she said softly,
“you sound tired.”
I forced a smile, even though she couldn’t see me.
“I’m okay.”
Silence.
Then she said something that broke through everything I was holding in.
“You don’t have to pretend with me.”
I closed my eyes again.
And this time…
I let go.
“I’m tired, Patience,” I said quietly.
“Tired of trying… tired of waiting… tired of seeing others move forward while I feel stuck.”
She didn’t interrupt.
She didn’t rush me.
She just listened.
“I don’t even know if this music will ever work,” I added.
A pause.
Then she asked gently:
“Do you still love it?”
The question hit deep.
I didn’t think.
“I do,” I replied immediately.
“More than anything.”
“Then it’s not over,” she said firmly.
I frowned slightly.
“But I can’t even afford studio sessions…”
“That’s not the end of your story,” she replied.
“It’s just the part where you’re being prepared.”
Her voice was calm.
Certain.
Unshaken.
“You’re not behind, Tony,” she continued.
“You’re just on a different path.”
I looked up at the sky.
For the first time that night…
Something shifted inside me.
Hope.
“You really believe in me that much?” I asked quietly.
She didn’t hesitate.
“I believed in you before you even believed in yourself.”
My chest tightened.
In that moment…
I realized something powerful.
Even if the world hadn’t seen me yet…
She had.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
That was enough.
I stood up slowly.
Picked up my phone.
Took a deep breath.
“This is not the end,” I whispered.
Because somewhere inside me…
The dream was still alive.
- Writer
