Fried Yellow Plantains – Chapter 1: First Peek (Part 1)

Written by @cerebralace and Illustrated by @deveerei

A sea of green spectators stretched as far as the eye could see. Green – it was a color that Jake Calloway had long associated with his old high school. In fact, Jake was back at Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. The unnerving silence belonged to the Class of 2006 and their family and friends; he was in the middle of his valedictory address.

“My dad once told me that there will come a time in your life when you will encounter two roads. One road will be very smooth in the beginning and will pull you towards it. But in the end, you will undoubtedly fail. The other road will be marked by many obstacles and starting out, you will face many difficulties. But if you manage to make it to the end, every victory and every success will be yours.”  

Jake couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered that he had copied that speech almost verbatim (and translated it to English) from an old Bollywood film. Exactly why he was here again on stage at Wilson Senior High, delivering this particular speech to his old classmates was beyond his understanding at this point. And as if stuck on shuffle, the speech continued to repeat itself over and over and over again.  

Jake woke up suddenly in a cold sweat. He peered over the edge of his bed to take a peek at his alarm clock. It was still 3:30 am. It had been a recurring dream that he had been having for months now. Nearly every night, he had been returning to his high school, seeing his classmates seated in the same old classrooms, agonizing over homework and group projects. But it made no sense whatsoever.   

He had long since left Wilson, studied engineering and computer science, completed his first two years of medical school and now was starting his Psychiatry clinical rotation as a third year medical student. In a few hours, Jake would wake up, get dressed and grab a quick breakfast before bolting to the hospital for morning rounds. His schedule had pretty much remained the same since entering third year, only the hours seemed shorter and the work even more tedious. 

Some days, he felt like he was almost sleepwalking through the hospital, speaking to patients with the same symptoms, pushing papers and having repetitive conversations with nurses and social workers. Life in the hospital could best be described as monotonous and at times chaotic. But it was a life many dreamed of having and was a prime reason why more and more people were coming to the United States to take qualifying exams, enter medical residency and live glamorous lives as filthy-rich doctors. Almost a decade after giving that speech at his high school graduation, Jake was feeling burnout and frankly unfulfilled despite all that he had achieved.   

That explained why he was always dreaming about high school and returning to his graduation. To that speech about the two roads. Perhaps he had chosen the wrong road in life. Maybe he had spent too much time, cooped up inside his own head, always reading, studying and confining himself indoors as life had passed him by. Indeed, Jake had his share of impressive academic achievements since completing high school. Surely, there were many people who would love to have his life. But now, buried in thought during the middle of the night, just hours before he would have to wake up to repeat the daily grind, Jake wasn't too sure if he wanted this life anymore.   

He felt beat-up, tired and empty. He wasn't at all satisfied with his current situation. Jake had already gotten up from bed and now standing in front of the sink, splashing cold water on his face, it finally came to him. The realization that he was missing something in life. His hand passed over his chest and to his astonishment, he felt his heart beating intensely. He was surprised to hear his heart beat after all these years of non-stop study and work. And maybe that was it. That feeling of emptiness was coming from his heart.   

Jake finally returned to his room and sat down on the edge of his bed. Sleep was now a distant possibility. He felt wide awake and with his mind racing and his heart pounding as hard as ever, he knew that he had to make a change in his life. And that could very well be the change he needed to finally save his life and live again – satisfied, fulfilled and at peace. He knew however that he would have to call on his old friend, Joe Attah.  

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Until next time, keep acing life!