The school was packed, parents attempting to get the best seats possible, younger siblings running around on the grass off to the side while they waited for the ceremony to start.
Elizabeth hadn't seen Henry yet, afraid that she would breakdown as soon as she saw him in his red cap and gown. Reality had been looming over them, each day becoming harder. She couldn't tell him that, today was supposed to be a celebration. He didn't need her bringing down the mood. So instead she offered to get up early and help save seats with his dad.
They barely said a word to each other. She knew his dad didn't like her and she wasn't sure why. She checked her watch, there was at least 30 minutes until the others would be joining them. She couldn't sit in this silence for that long.
"How's the steel industry doing?"
"Oh you know how it is, up before dawn and home after dark, it never stops."
She laughed, "Sounds a lot like school. Up before dawn, studying all day, back to the dorm after dark, rinse and repeat."
"Yes, sitting around reading books all day is the same as installing 400-pound steel beams and columns for buildings that people go in every day."
"Well, of course it's not the same, I wasn't trying to say that." At least she tried but now she wished she hadn't said anything.
She pulled out the book she always kept with her, she didn't care about coming across as rude anymore. She lost herself in the world of The Handmaid's Tale until the rest of his family joined them. They arrived just a few minutes before the ceremony began.
"He's so nervous. Was he like this all week?" Mary asked as she hugged Elizabeth.
"Oh yes, he's been practicing his speech multiple times a day. Even I have it memorized by now."
They quickly took their seats, Elizabeth on the end next to Erin, as the band played Pomp and Circumstance. A sea of red and white robes filled the aisles on either side and flowed into the bleachers. The school administrators went through their speeches, they went on and on about school spirit and how their lives were just beginning, one even used the chrysalis metaphor.
"Now it is my pleasure to announce this year's valedictorian, Henry McCord."
He scanned the crowd as he approached the podium, looking for the two people that would calm his nerves. His mom beamed at him with so much pride and joy and Elizabeth watched, her love for him radiating off of her. He could do this, wiping the sweat off his palms and taking a deep breath, he began.
"There is a universal truth we all have to face, today especially, everything eventually ends. Today we say goodbye to everything that was comfortable.
I live in two worlds. One is a world of books. I've been chained to a rock with Prometheus, hunted the white whale aboard the Pequod, fought for truth alongside St. Augustine, sailed a raft with Huck and Jim, and debated with Socrates. It's a challenging yet rewarding world, but my second one is by far superior.
My second one is populated with characters slightly less eccentric, but supremely real, made of flesh and bone, full of love, who are my ultimate inspiration for everything. Patrick and Mary McCord are kind, decent, hardworking people. Every morning my dad gets up at the crack of dawn to go to the shop and come home after dark from union meetings. He taught me to work for everything I want. My mom never gave me any idea that I couldn't do whatever I wanted to do or be whomever I wanted to be. Our house is filled with love and fun; I am proud to be their child. Thank you mom and dad, I owe these incredible eighteen years to you.
But my ultimate inspiration comes from my best friend, the dazzling woman, Elizabeth Adams.You taught me life is short and we have to be vigilant in protecting it. You also taught me one important lesson that I believe will all do well to take with us as we venture out of the safety of these halls and into the next phase of our lives. When life knocks you down, you get back up and keep fighting. You are my strength, my solid ground, my North Star. The small voice in my heart that will be with me…always. Thank you for this unforgettable year, my life is far richer with you in it.
Thank you and congratulations to the class of '87, we did it!"
There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd. Elizabeth thought she even saw Patrick wipe away a tear. Elizabeth hadn't heard that last section but part of her wasn't surprised; Henry was always the sentimental one. She was worried before if they would last while he went off to college but he assuaged those fears. He truly loved her and she loved him, if there's anything he taught her it was that their love conquered all.
A/N: I struggled so much with this chapter and went through several different versions and ideas before landing on this. I know it's short but this is where it naturally ended so I'm not going to try to force it anymore. This is the end of this story but hopefully not the end of this universe. I want to write a sequel with them in college just need to come up with a storyline first :). Thank you to everyone who read and who reviewed, it kept me going through this long process.