TRUE FAILURE OCCURS WHEN ONE GIVES UP

It was just another day for my cousin. The past two years had shown him several such days and it ended only in disappointment. It was the day when final list of yesterday’s interview arrived. Life has always been hard for him and the interviews were his only hope.
The past two years were not kind to him. He had gone through a lot of suffering and harassment. No matter how hard he prepared he just couldn’t get past the interview and secure a job. He had his 25th interview yesterday. People said he had 25 failures, but what kept him going was that he knew it was his 25th lesson.
He woke up late on the very day. After getting dressed up , he skipped the breakfast and dashed through the door. He wore the usual black pant with white shirt. The road was empty. It was a positive sign. Today he was hopefull. Hope was something he always had, even during his worst of times. He never gave in to sadness or any rejection. It was not his style. As he went past the Mall he slowly increased his pace. The office could be seen at a distance. As the road grew shorter he became more nervous. He had a many thought going through his head. All of them circulated around the question “ Is this my lucky day? “.
There were many questions in his head which he needed answer to “ What if I don't get this job?”
“ How much more can I take?” and finally
“ How much longer can I pretend ?”
“ I just thinking too much”
He stood still and took a moment. He was standing in front of the hotel he used to work during his free time. It was good job but the pay was less but was sufficient for a single man.
It wasn’t always like this. A year ago he was living peacefully. He had planned for higher education. A year after his college, and since he was coming from a needy background it wasn't possible for him. Having no income made him insecure. He then dropped his plans for higher studies and started to attend interviews. After failing a numerous interview he joined a hotel and started to work. Socializing and making friends was the easiest part, he befriended a lot of employees . They were from different place but had one thing in common-DREAMS. They all wanted to reach somewhere in this life and was ready to work for it. It was the only perk of job. Nevertheless he continued to attend the interviews.
He started to walk again. The office was now in sight, after taking a course of steps he saw a group of people standing in balcony of third floor. He snapped and sprinted towards the office. At every step his heart skipped a beat. He opened the door. It was a small building. There was a lift at end of the hall, but he went for the stairs, patience was something he didn’t have, especially on that morning. He raced up the stairs, as he reached the second floor, he stopped took a moment to ready his hair and dress. He slowly walked up trying to hide his anxiety .
The others were amused to see him. He slowly made his way towards the notice board. In the last round out of six ,five were selected and only one was rejected.It was him who was rejected! He stood there for a minute not knowing what to do. Yet another failure. He quickly turned around and made his way out the office, in an attempt to hide his tears he looked down and retraced his steps.
Upon reaching home ,he ran to his room and went straight to the bed. A bundle of comic books was there near his bed. He slowly turned his head and picked up one of the books. His teary eye gently scrolled down the pages.This was his routine for the past two years.
These books meant a world to him. They provided an unusual comfort. It was the most luxurious part of his day.
After all it was just an interview he thought. He took a pen made a mark on his calendar. Now there were 25 such marks. Each of them signifying the interviews he lost. He decided start the preparation for his next interview after finishing the book.. It had been his strength all these time. Its enough to win. True failure occurs when one gives up.