Prompted Shorties

Awry

Prompt: Write about a situation in which plans go awry, leading to disastrous consequences. Did you go to college anticipating success, only to flunk out? Does a character fall in love with the wrong person, leading to a difficult breakup? 

Story:

A lot of plans go in awry all the time, but here's mine.

When I graduated from high school, all my classmates and I talked about was what are we going to take up in college? I was one of the many that had no idea how to answer that question.

We were asked the same question when we were in the second grade, but of course the usual answers were firemen, doctors and teachers. While I, being the odd one in the class, answered with a "taxi driver", because I'd get to go places when I'm a taxi driver. It was only later on in life that I found that there were no colleges for being a "taxi driver".

So there I was, young 16 year old Raf, exposed to the real world and I didn't knew what to do. I told my dad that I wanted to take a computer related course since at that time the world is in the transition zone where computers are becoming more important to everyone, and since I "thought" I was good with computers, naturally I said that I'd like to take a computer related course such as Computer Science or Information Technology. But at that time, I didn't had any plans on taking such courses, in fact that was already my back-up plan.

My dad said no and I didn't had anything up my sleeve at that point. So I was lost, for a moment.

He instead said that I'd be taking up accountancy. Says I'd have a better chance there than my "plan" to take computer courses since a lot of people are already taking them up. That was it, my dad changed my life, but my question is, will it for the better?

First day of college, I was dreading to be there. Sitting on my chair, waiting for my class to start, I wasn't mad, I just felt vulnerable. It was something new to me, yet I neglected to accept the opportunity my dad gave me.

So my new plan was, flunk my major subject classes.

Fast forward to now, plans do go in awry. I did decent in my major subject classes even though I was having a miserable time studying for them. I guess my classmates made it more bearable for me to be there. They made me feel like I could still go on, even though I came from a class of +120 students and only 5 of those +120 students graduated, I was one of them.

Maybe life had other plans for me because it didn't stop there, I became a CPA as well. Now I'm trying to live my life as an auditor, in this company and up to this day, I still couldn't find the heart to like what my dad made me do.

Should I be proud of what I've achieved? Yes.

But am I?

Answering that question is still a blur to me.

Yes, it was tough and I could've stopped at any time just to prove my dad that I couldn't do what he told me to, but I didn't. He set me up to this life, and I chose to take it. I chose to be a good son; to follow what his dad told him to do.

Now, I'm facing the consequences of my actions. I still don't know what I want to do with my life, I don't like my work, but I have to "have" a job to have that feeling of security, I don't have friends to hang out with and did I mention that I don't like my work?

Yeah.

But at least I know some good things that came out with me taking on this journey.

Writing and how to account for my taxes.