Pride and excitement were palpable in the assembly hall of NCU's Department of Science. It made me think of my own graduation day. My iabuelos/i were delighted to sit next to me and they both shed tears of joy when my name was called by the Dean. That was quite some time ago, when I was still a fresh-faced student, on the verge of delving into academia proper, with a bit less understanding of the world and slightly less ink on my body.
Today wasn't about me at all, though. The circumstances were similar, my iabuelos/i were there, they were both being emotional, and the assembly hall was buzzing with anticipation. Alright, perhaps it was about me a little bit, by extension, but I was far from being the star of the show. That very star sat next to me, pale and holding my hand in an iron grip, sweating.
"Joodee, I don't feel so good," she exhaled with effort, closing her eyes, "There's too many people 'round here…"
"You're going to be alright. Trust me, these things might seem long and boring, but in truth everyone just wants to get out of their silly robes and go have a drink," I kissed V's cheek and she smiled, thankful for the distraction from her own anxiety, at least for a moment.
"Okay. Gotta keep breathing, right?"
"That's it, V, just keep doing that, one foot ahead of the other, when someone wants to give you a diploma, smile, shake their hand, nod and come back to me, and it's all done," it felt odd to be giving her this kind of advice, but I was glad I could.
"I'll do that. I really don't want to barf on this nice robe-dress-thing…" she looked incredibly cute in her long, black university gown and her square cap. Most universities didn't pay that much attention to ceremony anymore, but NCU remained loyal to the old ways even though they weren't as time efficient as simply mailing the diploma to their graduates.
"iHijas/i, please. Stop it or you'll miss the name being called out!" my iabuela/i was starting to catch some of V's anxiety by proxy, it seemed.
"Ainara, give the girls a break, you know it's exciting for V! Let Judy soothe her, she's been through it many times…" my iabuelo/i knew just what to say to
The murmur in the hall died down as one of the side doors on the large stage opened and a body of professors came in, including the Dean of NCU's Department of Sciences. He welcomed everyone and went through the usual speech about being proud of all the students before moving on to the important part, "May I have your attention please, graduates. Please welcome Professor Richard Xavier Crex, our Honorary Dean of Computer Sciences, who has been a mentor to many, a motivator to the development of science and a diligent reader of many of your theses as one of the reviewers. Most of you probably know him and refer to him under his e-mail handle - rxcrx … It speaks volumes that we had to give him his own personal hard-drive to store all correspondence. His patience, attention, and the ability to provide feedback have helped many a student struggling with their writing to get ahead and conclude their research. He will be presenting the diplomas to our honor graduates."
A tall man with a short beard entered the room, waving at everyone while holding a cup of coffee in his other hand. Deafening applause roared through the hall as he appeared, the enthusiasm of all the souls he had motivated and helped was palpable. V was clapping and grinning as well, more than happy to see one of the people who mentored her in her path to higher education. I tried to tell her and remind her often enough, just how quickly and how far she'd come in those few years we've been back to Night City.
We took it easy the first year, with V adjusting to noise, to tech, to all the amenities that were there. Her curiosity had no end to it and I adored that about her. She supported my tricky return to the university. The department was elated to see me return alive and immediately sent me on a sabbatical so I could recover and get everything in order, not just my affairs, but also those of Russel's family, and of Tom and Roxy. There was a lot of grieving to do, but enough joy to balance it out as well.
V kept surprising me in the best of ways. Her hunger for learning, for widening her scope of knowledge and skill was admirable. I signed her up for a few community courses for IT, but soon that wasn't enough, and after several tests and some coaching from me, she was accepted at NCU. The regular Bachelor's program quickly turned into a fast-track, and she blazed through it to get her Master of Science degree. And yet here she was, all anxious, despite her resounding success.
Professor Crex raised his hand and the hall ceased their applause, "Alright, okay, you're going to rupture my eardrum," he joked and the hall chuckled. As far as I knew, he was European, but a true citizen of the world, and a pure soul that was set on helping others. I met him a few times and he left a good impression on me. I was over the moon when he agreed to be V's mentor in her thesis for the fast-track program because I knew they would work together extremely well and that his experience and attitude was just what she needed to develop to her full potential.
"I'd like to summon someone on the stage here for their diploma," Crex continued after taking a sip from his coffee, "Someone whose thesis on creating models for algorithms which find and identify bugs in code still has me feeling jealous that I didn't come up with that!" the hall echoed with a chuckle of hundreds again, "Please, let me finally give the well deserved Master's Degree with honors to Mrs Valerie Álvarez!" Another round of applause thundered through the assembly hall and I joined in with a wide grin on my face while V stood up and made her way down to the stage to shake Professor Crex's hand, then hug him, and then receive her diploma with tears in her eyes. There she was, my relentless hunter of bugs. She made it, and she became amazing at it. V, my savagely perfect wife.
After a small reception we held at the beach with my iabuelos/i and a few friends to celebrate V's graduation, the two of us lingered on the coast, taking a walk to the pier to take in a bit of the evening breeze and watch the seagulls dive in search of fish as they squealed relentlessly in the sky above us. In the several years since we returned to Night City, the oceans of Earth began to change, and many scientists couldn't understand how or why it was happening… but the consensus was clear, it was a change for the better, considering the state of our planet. We were in on the little secret, but it didn't mean we had to spread it or share it. The fewer people knew, the better.
I leaned against V, resting my head on her shoulder as we stood on the very end of the pier, watching the sun turn from its blinding light to a more bearable orange glare, disappearing behind the horizon.
V gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and leaned in to kiss my head before speaking softly, "He's here, sweetheart."
Below us, hidden from anyone but the two of us, Takemura poked his head and a part of his torso from the water, "Judy, V, it is good to see you two again. Everything is in place for the next environmental cleansing operation. Are you two ready?"
"Hey Arthur. We got our bags packed and waiting in the car," I replied with a smirk.
"Judy, you know I do not appreciate that reference. And it is not because I dislike curry," Takemura frowned, mildly disappointed.
"I know… sorry, couldn't resist. We'll have the boat ready in a few. Is Pinchy with you?"
Takemura nodded and pointed to a small mound in the sand where our crabby friend made himself visible. His large pincers no longer had barrels or instruments of warfare attached to them. Instead, they became capable of transforming into propellers, and he became our traveling partner for getting to and from the Atlahua quickly without the carrier having to get too close to the waters of Night City.
"Please tell the Captain we're on our way, then. See you soon, Goro," I saluted and V gave him a wave. He nodded and disappeared under the surface again.
The sea was calling, and we were going to answer.
xxxx
If you got this far - thank you. Thank you a thousandfold. You've helped an anxious soul without much self-confidence to get through her first novel-length project with a plot that had a beginning, a middle, and an end. It means the world to me that people spent time reading this, sometimes even leaving a comment (did I mention that I love comments?). The feedback from readers propelled me forward, even in times when my mental state was far from good and writing felt like something I could never do again. Thank you.