Summer Fling

twenty

   8 years later. . .

I exchange a smile with Catalina as we're waiting for our names to be called. We're a few seats apart since the seating arrangement is based on alphabetical order but I grin when I remember that this will be the last ceremony where we're a few seats apart.

Soon, our last names will be identical. I look at the sparkling ring on my finger and when I turn, I find Catalina gazing at me.

Exactly a month ago, Catalina had proposed to me.

It had been absolutely romantic and when I think about it, I'm thrown back into the memory again.

She had taken me to our special spot in California and I had been so confused as to why we were back there after having spent years away from California. We were living together in Maryland to finish medical school so it was a shock to me, when she unexpectedly announced that we were going on a vacation there.

Of course, ignoring my confusion and my frustration (I didn't want to go on vacation, I wanted to study), I went anyways. I'm glad I did because when we walked into the hidden place, it was completely decorated and looked magical.

And she completely surprised me when she bent down on one knee and asked me the question. I couldn't believe it but after overcoming the shock of the moment, I immediately said yes.

Now, we were here, a month later, at our graduation. After a tough 8 years of schooling, we had finally done it. We had achieved our goals and I smile as I think about starting my internal medicine residency and Catalina going off to her surgical residency.

After my internal medicine residency, I will be able to go into a cardiology fellowship and hopefully, be able to call myself a cardiologist one day. Catalina, on the other hand, will be starting her surgical residency and hopefully, she'll be able to call herself a general surgeon in the future.

We had opted for residencies that would allow us to work in the same area so we won't be far from each other and luckily, our wishes were achieved. We had both been selected at one of the top hospitals.

Which, coincidentally, was the hospital that Catalina and I had done our internship at over 8 years ago.

Is it fate that we'll end up at that hospital, working and carrying out our dreams?

  Was it fate that Catalina had proposed to me in the first place that we ever went to when we met?

  I don't dwell on it for too long because my name is called and I feel several eyes on me. I hastily stand up and walk over to the front of stage, where I shake hands with a few people and finally get my diploma.

  I smile as I walk back to my seat and look at my diploma.

  8 years of work had gone into this. 8 hard years that were full of blood, sweat, and tears.

  When Catalina's name is called, she nearly falls over in excitement and the joy is obvious on her face as she receives her diploma. She gives me a kiss on the cheek before she heads back to her seat.

  After the rest of the names are called and a few more acknowledgements are given, the ceremony ends. As soon as we stand up, Catalina and I slightly run towards each other and I embrace her, giving her a tight hug and a kiss.

  "Can you believe we did it?" Catalina asks me excitedly.

  "I never doubted it for a second," I respond.

  Although, to be honest, that's a lie since I did believe in Catalina... but had I always believed in myself? Not really.

  "So, how are you Dr. Esquivel?" Catalina asks.

"That sounds so good," I remark and I return the question by saying, "how are you, Dr. Almánzar?"

"Great because soon, we'll both be known as Dr. Almánzar!"

I smile and say, "I can't think of anything better."

When Catalina and I get married, I'll be taking her last name because I have a huge attachment to my last name, but it isn't necessarily a healthy kind of attachment. Whenever I hear my last name, I'm still reminded of my father and by taking Catalina's last name, I'll be letting go of another part of him.

Although I'm a bit sad to be giving up my last name, it's my choice and I'm really excited to start the next chapter of my life as Alana Almánzar.

"I can't wait to get married," I tell her.

"I'm so proud of you," Sofia says as she walks up to us with my mom behind her.

"We're also proud!" Catalina's parents exclaim when they see us.

I hug both Sofia and my mom, then they hug Catalina, and I hug Catalina's parents.

When I had first met her parents, I had been afraid that they would hate me or wouldn't approve of me. Instead, they gladly accepted me with open arms. Now, it was almost as if they had become my second set of parents.

"Where's Kai?" I ask Sofia since I don't see her boyfriend anywhere.

"He's late but he'll be here soon," Sofia says.

"I didn't know if you would be able to attend! You're so busy with your book tour," I tell her.

"I could never miss this."

"Didn't you have a book tour date for today?" I question.

"I did," she says sheepishly, "but that can be rescheduled. This can't."

"Aww, "I say. "Are you still trying to use me as inspiration for your new romance novel and that's why you came?"

"No!" She says right away. "Ok, maybe. It was mostly because this is important though!"

I laugh and my mom asks, "would you expect anything else of Sofia?"

I grin as Sofia annoyedly says, "hey."

When Catalina finishes talking with her parents, I greet them again and they congratulate me.

The crowds around us get larger but Catalina and I exchange a small look that brings us into our own world.

  When I look into her eyes, I experience everything all over again.

  The joy of finally accepting myself and being accepted by my mom and sister. The love I felt towards Catalina when we started dating that I still feel now.

  So many things had happened in the past but I won't think about it too much longer because now, I have a whole future to spend with Catalina as both a wife and a doctor.

  We hold hands and focus on each other, as we excuse ourselves from our families and walk outside of the huge university building to sit outside on a bench.

  We sit together and though we stay silent, we exchange meaningful glances that say much more than words can say.

   Through it all, thick and thin, Catalina had been there for me and I will never lose her.

The End.

  Thank you for going along with me on this journey! I appreciate all of you who took the time to read my story and I will have a bonus chapter up soon. I've received a few questions and ideas for the chapter but you can still send in more! Thanks 💖