Half of our class were in
tears. Almost all female students had a bit of tears in their eyes. Some couldn't contain it, even some guys cannot hold back their tears.
It was a sad moment. After 16
years serving in Unimas, Dr Petrus finally called it a day.
He didn't renew his contract,
even though he was given another term to continue his service. He stands among
my most favourite lecturer. He was the first to recognize me by name, long
before any other lecturers began noticing me. He is truly soft-spoken, always
cracking a joke here and there, has passion for teaching and tries his best to
explain complicated concepts in a simplified manner.
That surprise farewell
occasion, it was brilliantly executed to perfection. They planned it carefully,
all credits should be given to the mastermind. Even I was left in astonishment
to their crafty planning. They left the lecture hall one by one after finishing
their exam paper. I sent my answer script quite late, because I wanted to have
a small chat with Dr Petrus. After all, that was his last class with us and I
was treasuring all the little fraction of time left to be with him.
The hall was almost empty, I
was among the last person still standing in the hall, chatting with Dr Petrus, apologizing
for my past mistakes, as well as enquiring about his next move. The atmosphere
was sombre...I was quite disheartened with all of them because almost all left
without wishing Dr Petrus anything. I felt that they didn't show enough sense
of gratitude to the person who had given them so much. That was when suddenly
they came in droves, entering the hall one by one, and dispelling my earlier
scanted presumption once and for all.
There were fruits and cake
and cards. The dying and sombre atmosphere suddenly came alive with flashing
cameras and well-wishers. Even Dr Petrus himself was taken by surprise. He
tried to choke back his tears, but emotion overcame him eventually. With teary
eyes he addressed us in his last speech, wishing us all the best in our future
undertaking.
It was a pleasant surprise,
the one that I’ve never experienced before. As for Dr Petrus, thank you so much
for everything. I could never repay his deeds and his faith in me. You may be
out of Unimas, but you’ll never be out of my heart.
