The Price of a dream
975 Words
Amanda Reed stepped out of the library and into the cool afternoon air.
The campus was alive with activity. Students moved between lecture halls carrying books and laptops. Some sat beneath trees laughing with friends while others hurried toward their next classes.
Amanda watched them for a moment.
Most looked relaxed.
Most looked happy.
Many of them were counting down the days until graduation.
She wished she could do the same.
Instead, all she could think about was the amount displayed on her student account.
The outstanding fees felt like a mountain standing between her and the future she wanted.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
A message from the Finance Department.
Amanda opened it immediately.
The message was brief.
"Dear Student.
This serves as a reminder that all outstanding fees must be settled before graduation clearance can be granted.
Kindly ensure that your account is up to date to avoid disappointment."
Amanda stared at the screen.
Avoid disappointment.
The words almost made her laugh.
Disappointment had become a familiar companion over the years.
She deleted the message and continued walking.
As she approached the Faculty of Commerce building, she noticed several students gathered around a notice board.
Excitement filled the air.
Internship opportunities.
Graduate recruitment programmes.
Corporate networking events.
Amanda stopped and read through the announcements.
Many of the country's largest companies were looking for final-year students.
For most people, these opportunities represented a pathway to stable employment.
Amanda looked at the logos and smiled.
She respected those companies.
But she did not dream of working for them.
One day, she wanted her own company's logo on a notice board like this.
A company she had built herself.
A company capable of employing thousands of people.
A company that would change lives.
The thought sounded ridiculous.
At least that was what many people believed.
But Amanda had learned something important.
Every successful company had once started as an idea.
Someone had dared to believe before anyone else did.
Why couldn't that person be her?
"Amanda!"
She turned and saw her friend Sarah approaching.
Sarah was one of the few people Amanda trusted completely.
The two had met during their first year and had remained friends ever since.
"Why do you look like somebody just told you the world is ending?" Sarah asked.
Amanda forced a smile.
"Nothing."
Sarah folded her arms.
"That's a lie."
Amanda sighed.
"The university sent another reminder."
Sarah's expression softened immediately.
"The fees?"
Amanda nodded.
Sarah knew the situation.
Most of Amanda's friends did.
It was difficult to hide something that affected almost every aspect of her life.
"Have you spoken to Financial Aid?" Sarah asked.
"They said the same thing they always say."
"And that is?"
"They don't have additional funding available."
Sarah shook her head.
"That's not fair."
Amanda laughed softly.
"Life isn't fair."
The two began walking toward their next lecture.
For several moments neither of them spoke.
Then Sarah suddenly asked,
"What are you going to do after graduation?"
Amanda smiled.
"You sound like my mother."
"Maybe because it's an important question."
Amanda looked ahead.
Students filled the pathway.
Some would become accountants.
Others would become managers.
Some would probably start successful businesses.
But Amanda wanted more.
Much more.
"I want to build a company."
Sarah rolled her eyes.
"You always say that."
"Because I mean it."
"What kind of company?"
Amanda paused.
She had spent years thinking about the answer.
"I don't know exactly yet."
Sarah laughed.
"You want to build an empire and you don't even know what industry?"
Amanda laughed too.
"When you put it that way, it sounds crazy."
"It sounds very crazy."
"Maybe."
"But I know one thing."
"What?"
Amanda stopped walking and turned toward her friend.
"I don't want to spend my whole life struggling."
Sarah's smile faded.
Neither did she.
Amanda continued.
"I don't want my mother waking up at four in the morning to clean other people's houses."
"I don't want her worrying about rent."
"I don't want her choosing between paying bills and buying groceries."
"I want to change everything."
For a moment, Sarah said nothing.
Then she smiled.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I actually believe you can do it."
Amanda laughed.
"You might be the only one."
"No."
Sarah pointed at Amanda's chest.
"You believe it too."
The words stayed with Amanda for the rest of the day.
That evening, she returned to the small apartment she shared with two other students.
The apartment was cramped.
The furniture was old.
The walls showed signs of age.
But it was home.
After greeting her roommates, Amanda sat at her desk and opened her laptop.
She should have been studying.
Instead, she opened a blank document.
At the top of the page she typed a title.
**Future Business Ideas**
She stared at the words.
The document was empty.
Completely empty.
Yet something about it excited her.
Because every dream started the same way.
With nothing.
Amanda began typing.
Ideas.
Problems she wanted to solve.
Services people needed.
Ways businesses could improve.
Possibilities.
The list grew slowly.
One idea became three.
Three became ten.
Hours passed without her noticing.
By the time she finally looked up, it was almost midnight.
Exhaustion tugged at her body.
But for the first time all day, she felt hopeful.
The debt was still there.
The graduation deadline was still approaching.
Nothing had changed.
And yet everything felt different.
Because Amanda had remembered something important.
Her future would not be determined by her circumstances.
It would be determined by her decisions.
She closed the laptop and prepared for bed.
Outside, the city lights flickered against the night sky.
Inside her tiny room, Amanda whispered a promise to herself.
"One day, things will be different."
She didn't know how.
She didn't know when.
But she believed it.
And belief was where every great journey began.
- Writer
