What If !

Last semester I had a course in parallel algorithms. As usual the study started when it was inevitably. Yes, you guessed correctly, the night before exam. The exam was in the morning at 8:00. After dinner, when I started I got to know that course was not as small as I thought it to be. But I was determined. The idea was for a comlete night out. I made every effort to complete the course. But some topics were too good to understand in a single day :(. The time flied with out a hint, and the dark began to faint in sunlight as my hope to complete the course. I don't know after how many months I saw the dawn. After the best possible effort I managed to finish almost except for the two most abstruse sections (which were impossible that night). Now it was time to go on front, I got ready with my full arsenal (in my case that is only my pen with refill at the verge of getting empty ;) ).

Tired with the night out I picked up my bicycle and headed towards the examination hall, praying to God that I do not see those two sections in exam. I took seat in the last row of the examination hall. It was almost impossible for me to even sit as sleep was showing its vitality in fullest. I could feel there are two hemispheres in brain, which were colliding when I was moving my head. Then paper was distributed. My worst nightmare came true. There were four questions of 25 marks each. The first one was easy, and I guessed every one could do it. The second, oh my God! I never knew this was also in course :O . Then came the relief as the third question was one I prepared well. But the last and final was a blow as it was from one of the sections I left untouched. Now I counted I could attempt only 50 percent of the paper. As the grading is relative, I was sure to get worst as a person who knows only 50 percent is bound to get lower than that. I was sweating in theair conditioned room and wasted more than fifteen minutes just thinking about the grade I am going to get and the other students, who were filling the answer sheets like will never get chance to write in the life. I was cursing the teacher that in the whole course he didn't get any other question from so many sections I studied the whole night. The whole effort of the night was looking wasted.

As the time was moving, the pressure began to mount. Then a sudden thought came to my mind. What if the third question was from the second section I left. Oh my God! The thought itself scared me. That means I could attempt only 25 percent. And God knows how much I would get. Then I sighed with great relief. God is great, I said. I was totally calm now, in full control of my own. Then I took a deep breath and started writing. Attempted the two questions and left examination hall one hour earlier. I was content yet very tired. I immediately went to bed and had a good days sleep.

Next week the result came. I got slightly less than 50. I was even happier when I got to know that average is below me :) .