I often look longingly at them: the great sense of camaraderie they share with their peers, their laughter, their smiles; fun and joy springs to mind at the very thought of it. Deep inside, something would move, something would grow. It was resent; not for them, but for myself.

'It could have very well been me,' I would always say to myself. This would always be followed by an overwhelming sense of helplessness and regret.

I would, almost religiously, then start to fantasize about being in a junior college of my choice; ah, the fun, the laughter. Eating in that small canteen where everybody has a smattering of everyone else.

But then, I would ask myself: 'Will I be willing to make the trade?"

I've weighed the options, I know the answers. But one can dream, can't he?