Jake and Gina loaded their luggage into the latter's car as they prepared to leave for college that morning. Their mothers, along with Jake's Nana, had gathered to bid them farewell.
"Take care" Janine says, hugging her son.
"Will do" Jake says, holding his mother longer than usual.
Gina's mother blows them a kiss as they sit in the car and make their way to Georgetown.
"Excited, boo?" Gina asks her best friend.
"If "excited" means the same as"nauseated", then yes, I am super-duper excited!" Jake replies, a little green in the face.
Having spent the past six months telling anyone and everyone he was leaving town, it had just dawned on him that he was ACTUALLY leaving town. It was his home, the place was born, the place where he grew up. He was leaving behind his mother; and while he would be out there making tons of friends, his mother would be all alone, waiting for his call every week. He had just begun to realize how difficult it must have been for her to say goodbye to him.
How could be so selfish?
The very thought makes him sick to the core.
"I can't do this!" He says to Gina "You gotta turn around"
"What?" Gina turns and looks at Jake, who is in the middle of a panic attack.
"No way I'm leaving Mom alone, I'm all she has. I'll just apply for Community College next year; meanwhile I'll have to get a job at the supermarket or something. And it doesn't matter which college I attend in any case, cause I'm gonna be a cop and-"
Gina takes a deep breath and says "Janine knew you were gonna get cold feet. Honestly, you held on longer than we expected"
"What do you mean?" Jake asks suspiciously.
"We had a pool going; Nana, our mothers, Mrs. Hawkins and I; about how long would it take before you broke down" Gina says, drawing out her cellphone from her pocket and dialing a number.
"Hey Janine, guess what? Nana won! I mean, he lasted for a whole twenty-five minutes! un-frigging-believable!" Gina says, talking into the speaker; one hand resting on the wheel.
"Here, she wants to talk to you" she says, extending the phone to Jake.
"Heeeeey beautiful!" Jake says sheepishly.
"You listen to me loud and clear, Jake Peralta, I have waited eighteen years for the day you would get the HELL out of my house. So don't you even dream of moving back in! You not welcome here. I repeat, NOT WELCOME! Literally, I would disown you if I saw your face before graduation day!" Janine hollers at her son.
"Seriously, Ma, dial down the emotions, you're making me cry" Jake replies scathingly.
"You are getting to live a life I never could, so don't you dare chicken out on me" she warns him.
"Alright, alright. I'll call you when I get there" he says, giving in.
"That's my boy. Now hand over the phone to Gina"
Gina takes the phone from him, and chuckles before saying goodbye to Janine and disconnecting the call.
"What'd she say?" Jake asks her.
"I just got ultimate whacking rights from your mom, to keep you in check. Get some shut eye, we'll switch in three hours." she replies.
"Fine" he says, stretching back in his seat and closing his eyes.
Charles is sitting next to his father in their sedan. Lynn Boyle had taken a leave from office just so he could be present for his son's rite of passage. Both men were trying their best to suppress the tears in their eyes. And even though Georgetown was only a thirty minute drive, it seemed as if Charles was going off to war.
Lynn helps his son unpack and settled in his hostel room, doing this at a snail's pace to delay the goodbyes for as long as possible.
The moment finally arrives and Charles simply looks at his father, lost for words.
"Ten minute mandatory hug?" Lynn suggests, choking a little.
"Make it twenty" Charles rushes into his father's arms as he says that.
They hold on to each other, inviting eye-rolls and chuckles from passers-by.
They finally manage to tear themselves off each other.
"Call me" Lynn says.
"Five times a day, I know" Charles nods.
Amy is seated, or rather crushed, between her brothers as the entire Santiago clan is crammed into a station wagon for a two hour drive to the University.
It is a time-bound family tradition of the Santiagos to publicly embarrass their children and ruin their reputations even before they have had a chance to build one. Amy can only be thankful that her aunts and uncles had abstained from tagging along; she had to thank her cousin Leslie's elopement for that.
They tumble out of the car as Mr. Santiago pulls up in the parking lot.
After a lot of yelling and swearing; they manage to take Amy's luggage to her dorm and then depart for lunch.
Most parents would warn their children against drinking, partying and mixing with the wrong crowd. Amy Santiago, however, is being given an entirely different lecture.
"Try to loosen up a little" Her father says.
"You could die of over-studying, you know" her elder brother Michael says threateningly.
"You could bunk a few classes" Tony suggests.
"Make some friends" George interjects.
"Find a guy-" her mother begins.
"Or a girl, we won't judge!"
"DAD!"
"I'm just saying, these are going to the best four years of your life; don't waste them buried in books" Mr. Santiago told his daughter.
"Exactly" Mrs. Santiago agreed
"Oh, alright. I'll try and get hooked on drugs, fail a couple of classes and get wasted every single night" Amy said sarcastically.
"Here's hoping" Mr. Santiago said, raising a glass of ice tea in her direction.
Terry and Sharon are cuddled together in his dorm room, contemplating their lives in silence. A long distance relationship is a lot harder than they had anticipated. Though they managed to visit each other every other weekend; and practically spent entire summers together, they still craved to be around each other all the was at Georgetown, she was at Princeton. The time and distance was tearing them apart.
"So this is goodbye then?" Sharon asks, quietly; her eyes welling up with tears.
"Doesn't have to be" Terry says.
Sharon turns around to look at the love of her life.
"What do you mean?" She asks him
Terry withdraws the arm he had draped around Sharon. Getting up, he walks over to pick up his jacket off the floor. Fishing out a red velvet box, he walks over to the bed and kneels before Sharon, who is holding her breath.
"Is this what I think it is?" She asks him in a small voice.
"Sharon Rimes, the day you came into my life, I felt complete. When I held your held your hand for the first time, I realized I wanted to hold it forever. You are the light of my life. You are the love of my life. Will you do me the immense honor of becoming my wife?" Terry says, trying his best to hold back his tears, and failing miserably.
"No"
Terry's face fell.
"The honor's all mine" Sharon says, her face breaking into a smile.
Terry laughs in relief.
"We're engaged!" Sharon says as Terry slips the ring on her finger.
"We ARE!" Terry said squealing with happiness as Sharon takes him into her arms.