The sun is warm and bright, the skies are a clear azure, the air is filled with the chatter of excitement and the birds are singing merrily while on the field gathers a sea of red robes and caps adorned with red and white tassels and the many different colored chords…
To the dark haired girl, it seemed almost surreal…
Everywhere are the signs of a growing and changing generation, as the graduates lined up and laughed with friends and spoke with teachers. A soft breeze whispered past crimson polyester, whipping the robes around their feet, toying with the tassels and teasing loose hair. Everywhere was joyous cries and sparkling eyes as the exuberant spirits of the graduates soared and thickened the air with nervousness and excitement.
Soft strains of music drifted to expectant ears, and the chattering rose into whoops and cheers as they recognized the graduation song. One by one, they filed out into the stadium, passing under white arches festooned with flora under the light of the setting sun. The expectant expressions of joy and excitement tinged with agitation and more than a little fear and reluctance surrounded her, even as they moved to stand before their seats.
Time passed in a blur of names and applause as the speakers gave their speeches, named members of their clubs and organizations as the named graduates rose to their feet to be recognized. As the two Valadictorians gave their speeches and led the graduates in a cheer to celebrate their successes, she felt a blinding euphoria in her, and a desire for time to stand still at that singular moment, a moment when the entire Graduating Class stood together, yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs, smiles on their faces, mere moments away from true adulthood. All too soon, they were seated and she sat between two good friends, waiting and watching as other members of the class lined up, two rows at a time, one on both sides of the stage as each gradauate stepped forward to accept their awards.
Soon, it was nearly her turn, and she was acutely aware of the mass of bodies at her back. The faces of her audience were flesh colored blurs and her blood was a hot, roaring surge in her ears. She was aware of the cotton of her light sweater against her skin, of the coolness of her pink crystal beads around her neck, of the slight weight of her chandelier earrings in her ears, of the soft leater of her white shoes against her feet, and of the polyester gown covering her knuckles as she clasped her hands in front of her. Her face was frozen in a polite yet nervous smile of excitement, as her mind whirled about in a disorganized jumble of thoughts. She heard, as if from a long distance, her name being called, and in a daze she mounted the steps of the stage. Her surroundings took on a dreamlike quality and she misjudged the number of steps and stumbled as she mounted the stage. Her body shook like a leaf as she shook the Board Member's hand and accepted the cover for her diploma, and as she and the School Board Member turned to face the audience to have their pictures taken, she felt time stand still. Then, the camera flashed and she smiled was once more on the cool grass, the hem of her robes brushing over the plants as she returned to her seat.
She smiled as the ceremony continued, and ran her fingers softly over the imitation leather and the gold lettering spelling out the name of the school. Her eyes prickled, and she resolutely pushed her tears away. Now was not the time to cry. How would she beable to face the cameras if her face was red and tearstained with her eyes red and puffy from crying? Maybe after Grad Night, when it was safe, she would cry. She looked up and squared her shoulders, smiling happily and clapping with sincere joy and excitement as her friends' names were called, and they walked up to collect their own awards.
All too soon, the ceremony drew to a close. She, in her joy of passing a hurdle that her more cynical family members had always claimed she would never pass, threw her hat into the air with a joyful cry, her voice becoming one of many exuberent yells and cheers. She watched as it traveled a graceful arc and landed, and her sight was blocked by joyful friends with whom she joined in an embraced that conveyed a multitude of emotions from congratulations to joy to sadness of being parted after four glorious years of an unpredictable but close friendship. And then she was swept off with the crowd of red as they passed between two rows of teachers on their way to the field behind the stadium to pick up their diplomas, to say their last goodbyes or their last words of friendships, before being swept out onto the front lawn to meet with proud parents and sad underclassmen friends and departing classmates and to take their last pictures in their caps and gowns, with their newest accessory, their diplomas.
Inwardly, she mourned the loss of her cap, knowing that her parents would be upset, but the joy of graduation, and the melencholy of leaving her friends and all that had been familiar, of leaving the school that had become a second home to her, surged to the forefront as she and various friends embraced their former teachers.
"Merrily, merrily, merrily," she thought, smiling as she remembered the old nursery rhyme, "life is but a dream..."
She plunged into the heart of the crowd, and her cap was forgotten for the moment...
