Senior prom has arrived. Charles is planning to attend with his best friend Melinda. However, a family emergency that nearly ends in tragedy results in poor Charles getting stood up. Then, once graduation comes along and the seniors receive their diplomas, will Charles and Melinda ever meet again?

March 1975. Senior prom was just around the corner. One of the twelfth-grade girls was handing out flyers as she announced, "Senior prom is coming this Friday night! Find your partners and invite them to the prom!"

Each of the seniors picked up these flyers, including Drew, Chas, and Melinda. Chas had a big grin on his face; for he was going to be eighteen in a little more than a month, and being eighteen would mean being a real man! At that age, he would be able to vote, he would be able to stay up as long as he wanted, and he would be able to go to whatever movie he wanted—but of course, Chas would always be distinctly hesitant to watch R-rated movies because he would always faint at the sight of blood.

Drew said to Chas, "You know, Chas, I've barely had enough time to clean off Charlotte's lipstick from my face before we get back to arguing again! You'd think she'd be more cooperative than your own kid brother!"

"I wouldn't know, Drew. I'm an only child."

Chas then turned to Melinda and said, "Melinda, would you like to go to the senior prom with me tonight?"

Melinda replied, "I'd be delighted!"

"Great! Then it'll be on March 21! See you then."

"Same here."

And Chas and Melinda went off to their classes as they thought about how great their senior prom would be…

In his chemistry class, Chas thought about how he and Melinda would look at the prom: all dolled up, he in a black-and-white tuxedo, she in a sky-blue dress. Chas, who got easily nervous, planned to create a checklist to make sure the evening went exactly as he wanted.

Chas thought about that evening, and he imagined himself as much buffer than he really was. Melinda would say, "Oh, Charles! I'm so happy you decided to take me out to the prom; you're so organized. Show me that checklist again."

And so, he would, causing her to swoon with joy.

Meanwhile, in her English class, Melinda thought about what Chas would do at their prom, and her thoughts were more honest about how he looked than his own thoughts. There, Chas would mutter something, and Melinda, concerned about him, would ask him, "What's wrong, Charles?"

Chas would reply, "Well, uh, I just, uh…"

Melinda would smile and say, "Oh, you don't have to tell me. You're still the sweetest boy I know."

And then, she would kiss his cheek, causing him to blush lovingly.

Yes, Chas and Melinda had agreed to join each other on the dance floor at senior prom. But there was soon to be an unexpected snag…

That Friday night, Melinda was preparing to go to the prom in her own car, when suddenly, a man came over in a rented car, came to Melinda, and spoke with a grim expression on his face, "Excuse me, young lady. Do you happen to know a man who goes by the name of Christian Cavanaugh? Brown hair? Green eyes?"

"Yes, that's my father," Melinda replied. "Why?"

The man sharply exhaled and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, miss, but… I got in an accident with your father… He is seriously injured, and he is in the hospital right now. He told me he wants to see you as soon as you can."

Melinda was distraught. "But… I promised Charles that I would see him at our senior prom!"

"Your father needs you by his side."

"But… but… Oh! Why must being a grown-up be so hard?!"

And Melinda covered her face with her hands, not knowing what to do…

Meanwhile, at the dance floor, Chas didn't realize that his high expectations were soon to be met with soul-crushing disappointment. For the moment, he was standing on the dance floor, looking everywhere for Melinda.

"Where is she?" he asked himself as he saw all the other seniors, Drew included, with their respective dates.

Realizing that Melinda was nowhere to be found, Chas just stood there, hands behind his back and head hung down in shame.

Meanwhile, Charlotte spotted Chas on the dance floor. She said to Drew, "Look at that! Chas got stood up on his senior prom! He must look pretty embarrassed."

"Let me tell you embarrassed, Charlotte," said Drew. "You'd be embarrassed if you had to dance with that geek!"

Charlotte blinked, then she replied, "Good point."

"The woman he asked to dance with him probably ditched him at the last minute!"

And so, Drew and Charlotte laughed at Chas. When some of the meaner seniors caught word of it, they also were howling with laughter!

Now, not only was poor Chas embarrassed, he was heartbroken! Surely, Melinda couldn't have been so heartless as to intentionally ditch him at his own senior prom!

Still, Chas didn't want anyone to think he was a wimp. So, he put up a stoic front, saying to himself, "I'm a big, brave knight. I'm a big, brave knight. I'm a big, brave knight…"

This he said as he walked across the dance floor, to the amazement of everyone around him, so he could exit for the bar to get something to drink.

No sooner had Chas left, though, than everyone else got back to dancing.

In the bar, Chas said stoically, "Bartender, get me an ice cream soda, and make it snappy."

"Sure thing, Chas," the bartender replied in a familiar voice.

Chas looked up and saw that the bartender was none other than… "Stu! What are you doing here? I thought you were only a sophomore!"

Stu replied, "Well, the high school principal hired me as the bartender so I could get a taste of adult life." And as he scooped up some ice cream to place in a glass, he asked Chas, "So, what seems to be the trouble?"

Again, Chas put up a stoic façade as he said, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Come on, Chas, drop that dumb act," said Stu as he poured some chocolate syrup and club soda into the glass with the ice cream. "You asked for the ice cream soda, and so, you're gonna drink it and tell me all about what's been bothering you."

Chas sighed, "All right."

Still looking stoic, Chas accepted the ice cream soda from Stu and drank it. Stu looked on as Chas downed the drink into his mouth.

And once Chas had finished drinking the soda, he kept his stoic front on for a few seconds… only to break down sobbing inconsolably.

Stu then said, "That's better. Now, I can comfort you. So, what's the matter?"

Chas sniffled as he said in a broken voice, "A few days ago, I invited Melinda over to this senior prom because I thought she would come! I really thought she would come! Instead, I got stood up! Stood up!"

As Chas again broke into sobs, Stu couldn't help but feel sorry for his friend.

"There, there, Chas," said the purple-haired bartender as he handed Chas a box full of tissues. "Here, blow."

Chas grabbed a tissue and blew his nose into it. "Thanks, Stu," he said with a catch in his voice.

"Much better," Stu said as he placed his hand on Chas' shoulder. "Just let it out. Didi told me that holding in your grief will only damage your health."

Chas sniffled as he dried his eyes, "Are you sure about that?"

"Certainly. Just ask Didi on Monday."

Chas smiled a little.

Then, Stu asked him, "So, why did Melinda stand you up? She doesn't seem like the kind of girl who would think of you as only a toy to be played with."

It was then when Chas' face fell, and he blushed with shame as he admitted, "I don't really know…"

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Melinda was having a bit of a family crisis. She was sitting by her father's side, fearing for his life. He had lost so much blood during the crash that he needed a blood transfusion just to stay conscious.

Yes, for Melinda, being a grown-up meant having to face real grown-up fears. A man could lose his wife to a terminal illness. A couple could see their child with his life hanging by a thread. Or, in her case, a young woman could watch silently as her father lay severely injured from a car accident.

Melinda gazed at her father as tears ran down her face. "Will he be all right in the end?" she thought.

Mr. Cavanaugh turned his face to his daughter's and said to her, "Melinda, I would like to see your friend."

Melinda dried her eyes as she said to her father, "You mean Charles?" Now, she was ashamed of herself. She muttered, "He must be so sad that I stood him up on his senior prom. I'll have to take him to see my dad here."

Melinda then said to her father, "Don't worry, dad! He'll be here soon!"

And so, she went out of the hospital and into her car to take Chas to visit her father at the hospital…

Meanwhile, Chas was sitting on the front porch of his house, feeling sorry for himself after his disastrous senior prom. He sighed, "I never thought Melinda would ditch me like that…"

Presently, Melinda herself showed up, driving to the Finsters' house in her car.

When Chas saw this, he thought, "The nerve of her! She stands me up on what was supposed to be our senior prom, and now she shows up to grovel?!"

Chas only glared at Melinda silently.

Melinda said to him, "I can explain, Charles. Just get into my car, and I'll tell you along the way."

Chas was still pretty mad at Melinda, but he decided to get into her car, riding shotgun as she drove from his house.

After Melinda had driven a way from Chas' house, she said to him, "Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

At this point, Chas cried out, "Good! Because you did! All I was expecting was a dance with you at our senior prom! Instead, I got stood up, to the point where they all laughed at me for not having a date! I went to the bar and cried my eyes out, all because you weren't there to stand up for me! What's the big idea?!"

Poor Melinda looked hurt. Then, after some silence, she replied, "I guess I deserved that. But I had a family emergency. I cannot be at two places at once."

"That's what they all say," grumbled Chas.

Melinda sighed, "If you don't believe me, you're going to have to see what happened to my father…"

Chas continued to glare at her for a few seconds, before what she said to him sank in, and he cried, "Your father?!"

Once Melinda reached the hospital, she took Chas to the room where her father was being treated. It was then when Chas saw for himself the terrible condition Christian Cavanaugh was in: he had stitches all over his chest, and his leg, broken from the crash, was in a cast and suspended by a sling just over the bed.

At this sad sight, Chas could no longer be mad at Melinda. Who could blame her for wanting to be with her father in his time of need?

"Melinda," he said humbly to her. "I'm sorry I got mad at you. Will you forgive me?"

Melinda replied, "Of course I forgive you."

And the two embraced as Mr. Cavanaugh watched.

Melinda's father then said to her, "Thank you for bringing Charles here."

"Don't mention it," Melinda replied.

Chas gazed at the older man and said sadly, "I'm so sorry for what happened to you, Mr. Cavanaugh. Will you ever get better?"

Mr. Cavanaugh sighed, "I don't know, Charles. I really don't know. I needed extra blood just so I wouldn't pass out…"

"You know, Mr. Cavanaugh, I also broke my leg when I was in grade school, and I got my cast off in only three weeks."

"That's because you were young. But when you break something at my age, it's pretty serious. In fact, I don't think this leg is ever going to be the same again."

Chas looked at the older man with tears rolling down his face. This time, he wept both for Melinda and for her father, rather than for himself.

Three months passed. Every day after school, Chas and Melinda would go to the church, where they would pray together that Mr. Cavanaugh would get better.

On Easter Sunday, they wept and prayed.

On Chas' eighteenth birthday, they wept and prayed again.

Finally, in June of 1975, graduation came before any of the seniors knew it. Among those on the stage, graduating from Eucaipah High School's Class of 1975, were Drew Pickles, Chas Finster, and Melinda Cavanaugh.

As the valedictorian spoke, Drew could see his father Lou and his younger brother Stu, and Chas could see his parents Marvin and Shirley. But Melinda couldn't see her father Christian.

"Dad should be here by now," she thought. "You'd think he'd have recovered…"

This made Melinda very worried. Could it be that her father didn't make it?

Sadly, Mr. Cavanaugh didn't make it… on time. When he finally arrived, he was on crutches, his leg still in a cast. But as he hobbled down the aisle and sat next to Mr. and Mrs. Finster, his daughter smiled with tears of joy in her eyes. Her father came, just as she had hoped.

Later on, the seniors received their diplomas, in alphabetical order. This meant that among our friends, Melinda got her diploma before Chas, and Chas got his diploma before Drew.

When the ceremony was all over, all the graduating seniors threw their caps into the air. They laughed and hugged each other, congratulating each other for their successes. This was the happiest day of their young lives, and their greatest achievement.

Lou came to hug Drew. "Congratulations, Drew!" he shouted with joy. "I knew you had it in you!"

But as Lou snapped a picture of Drew with his camera, Stu said to his older brother, "Just wait a couple years, Drew. Then I'll graduate, and I'll be the one having his photo taken."

"That'll be the day, bro," said Drew.

And Stu glared at him.

As for Chas and Melinda, they were soon met with their own respective fathers and Chas' mother.

"That's my girl!" cried Christian as he hugged his daughter.

"Congratulations, Charles!" Shirley beamed, hugging her son tight.

As Shirley let go, however, Chas wheezed a little, for the hug was tighter than he thought it would be. "T-thanks, mom," he grunted.

Marvin said to Charles, "Now that you're eighteen, you'll get to make your own decisions!"

"But for the moment," said Shirley, "we're serving lactose-free ice cream to celebrate."

And Marvin and Shirley stood by as Chas and Melinda embraced each other.

"Until we meet again, Melinda," said Chas.

"Have a good summer, Charles," Melinda replied.

And soon, Chas and Melinda went their own separate ways, he with his parents and she with her widowed father.

High school graduation was not only a major achievement, but also a great joy for young Charles Finster. But it would be a while before he and Melinda were to meet again.