A Thousand Reasons to Live [On Hold]

A Thousand Reasons - Chapter 4

The weather on the day of the graduation ceremony wouldn't have been so bad, were it not for the fact that the gymnasium air conditioning system was still under repair.  The scratchy blue graduation gown stuck to Noah uncomfortably, and the tight-fitting cap left a ring of sweat on his forehead that he could do nothing about.  He kept trying to cool down different parts of his skin by pressing them against the cooler metal chair, but that just left him feeling sticky.  Besides, Abby Farthing and Brandon Eukra, who sat on either side of them, had scooted away from him-- probably afraid that he was coming down with some sort of AIDS attack.

He straightened up and glanced several rows behind him, where Isaac Richart sat with the lower half of the alphabet.  Isaac was slumped down in his chair, his hat tilted back to let his forehead cool, staring at the ceiling and looking half-asleep.  Noah could hardly blame him; the graduating class had already gotten their diplomas, and they were now simply listening to speeches prepared by what seemed to be every other member of the faculty.

Isaac had laid his plan out to Noah the previous night; he had decided to take Noah on a road trip to find these thousand reasons to live.  Noah had been excited upon hearing that, but immediately doubted it.  His aunt and uncle, with whom he lived, would never allow him to drive around the country with a friend, especially one such as Isaac.

When Noah told him this, he simply said, "Leave that to me."  Noah couldn't wait to see what Isaac had in mind, either for getting his guardians' permission, or for the trip itself.

"... And I hope that each and every one of you may embrace your future with courage.  Twelve years of learning finally come to an end, and with these parting words, you will all begin your own lives.  May you show during your careers and future education, the values that have been taught to you during your time at Harrowsbrook High School.  Good luck to all of you."

The principal finally finished his exhaustive speech and stepped down off of the podium.  Several of the seniors in the chairs on the gym floor began nudging their neighbors to wake them up, stretching and yawning.  The parents in the bleachers who were not busy fanning themselves with their program booklets clapped briefly.

The school superintendent stepped up and smiled broadly at his less-than-attentive audience.  "Now," he proclaimed, "You may all move the tassels of your caps to the other side, to signify moving from on stage of your life to another!"

His directions were obeyed, and there was scattered applause.  The graduating students began filing out of their seats as the band in the balcony played a song that Noah didn't recognize.  He waited in the lobby for Isaac, and hurried over when he spotted him leaving the gymnasium.

"So?" he said eagerly, "You had some plan for my aunt and uncle?"

"Uh-huh," Isaac replied off-handedly, "Which ones are they?"

Noah searched for them in the crowd of parents leaving their seats, then pointed out a thickset, grey-haired man and a broad, bespectacled woman.  "They're over there."

Isaac looked to where he was pointing.  "Ah.  Yes, I think they'll be perfectly fine with this."  He pulled a small packet of papers from his robes and handed them to Noah.  "Think this'll appeal to them?"

It was an information packet for a summer camp.  "Camp Cascade?" Noah asked.

Isaac nodded.  "It's a camp for people with AIDS.  You know, so kids who have AIDS and hate their lives can complain with other kids who hate their lives for the same reason."  He ignored Noah's furious stare as he continued, "Your aunt and uncle don't have to know where you'll be all summer.  And if they think you're makin' a bunch of friends at some lame camp, all the better.  They won't keep much of an eye on you."

"I don't know," Noah said slowly, "It seems like it'd be an easy lie to see through."

"Nah, see, I already have everything set up.  I made a fake e-mail account that looks like it could be that camp, and so all they have left to do is fill out those forms in the packet, and they'll never know the difference.  It's now or never," he added, gesturing with his head toward the aunt and uncle who were fast approaching.

Noah considered it for a moment, then sighed and muttered, "I guess it's worth a shot."  He rounded on his aunt and uncle.  "Hey, I need to talk to you."

It took a good deal of convincing, naturally, but Isaac was surprisingly good at persuading.  Once he assured Noah's aunt and uncle that they hadn't missed the registration guideline, the paperwork was simple, the camp would be a great experience, and he'd even be willing to take Noah there himself, they couldn't say no.

"You're brilliant, you know," Noah said in an aside to Isaac as his relatives were looking through the information packet.  "Not intelligent or anything, but brilliant."

"I'll take it," Isaac said.  "So, Saturday morning, be at my house.  Pack anything you'll need, plus maybe some bug spray and a swimsuit, if you're gonna look like you're goin' to camp.  Do you got money?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That tends to come in handy on a road trip."  He left off there as Noah's aunt and uncle returned.  "So it's for the entire summer?" his aunt asked.

"That's right," Isaac said quickly.  "A whole summer of bonding, creativity, and good, safe fun."

Those words fit into Isaac's mouth like a square peg into a round hole, but Noah's aunt and uncle didn't notice anything odd.  "Sounds good," his uncle said.  "We'll drop him off at your house on Saturday.  Can I get your address?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Isaac said, scrawling it onto the top of the packet.  He and Noah silently high-fived behind their backs before going their seperate directions home.