That Night

Epilogue

"You look so handsome."

My mother stood before me with teary eyes as she smoothed my hair down and straightened my tie. She swore she was done crying, but I was doubtful as she continued to sniffle.

"Mom, seriously, you need to stop," I teased her, shaking my head in fake disappointment.

"I know, I know," she replied, blinking the wetness away. "I didn't even cry like this when you were born."

I rolled my eyes, but I believed her. I never would have expected her to get this emotional over my high school graduation, but here she was balling before we even made it out the door. We had grown closer that year, making it difficult for her to cope with the fact that I was off to college in a few months. She nearly wept when I received my first acceptance letter.

"I promise, I won't cry during the ceremony," Mom assured me, though the amount off tissues she was shoving into her purse was discouraging. "I never cry in public."

"Well, I'm no longer worried about you embarrassing me in front of these people. Fingers crossed, I'll never have to see them again." With one exception, I added in my head.

As far as I knew, none of my classmates would be attending the university I had chosen. An astounding number had selected the big state school nearby, while most of the rest went with either small private schools or community college. I ended up enrolling at a liberal arts school just under two hours from home. It was a good school, but not quite Ivy level. I had no specific program in mind yet, so I went for a college that had a lot to offer for indecisive students.

My father was disappointed, of course, that I shied away from law school. "It runs in the family," he had said. "It's in your blood." He and Mom had met in law school, the same school all of my father's family had attended, so it seemed to him to be a no-brainer. Mom was thrilled, though. She said it would be refreshing to have something to talk about at family functions other than law.

"I suppose we should get going," she said with a long sigh, gazing at me with her hands on my shoulders.

"Let's do this," I replied, grinning widely.

She chuckled, squeezed my shoulders, and turned towards the door.

My high school always held graduation on the football field. It was a little saddening to walk across the field towards the locker room where the graduates had to check in. How many times had I strode across the turf, hung out in the locker room, simply sat on the bleachers to pass the time? Football had been my life for three years. If I closed my eyes, I could transport myself back in time, pretend I was on my way to gear up before a big game. Only this time, graduation was the big game. Instead of padding and a helmet, I'd adorn a cap and gown. I snorted to myself, opening my eyes and pushing the thoughts from my head. It was all in the past. Many things didn't turn out the way I would've predicted three years ago. If anything, it all turned out for the best.

"Last name?" the teacher sitting at the folding table outside the locker room asked when I approached him.

"Mayer," I answered.

"Is it Dash?" he asked hesitantly, seeming to think there was a typo.

I smiled, satisfied that my name request had been approved. "That's me."

"Alright," he said, making a swooping mark on the page in front of him. "You're good to go. We'll be lining up in ten minutes. You'll be between Matthews and McCall." He gave me a nametag and a bag and called for the next person.

I pushed through the mass of graduates and entered the locker room. It was packed, but I managed to find a spot to put on my cap and gown. I didn't linger long, wanting to suppress the memories that flooded my head upon seeing my old locker.