March 21st 2022

Chapter 80
Our Look Back on Seniors

Lucas woke up to an empty spot at his side. The baby monitor gave no indication that the girls were awake or that Maya was with them, and even beyond that, he didn't pick up on any other sounds. He sat up in bed, yawning, rubbing sleep from his eyes as his brain slowly considered things and came up with a guess. Where might his wife be, this morning, when they all had to get up soon and get ready to go… for graduation… for her students' and their daughter's graduation… Stretching as he stood and slowly walked, he made his way out of the room, looked in on the nursery for a moment, then headed for the stairs to go up to the second floor. The closer he got, he picked up on a quiet scratching sound. Called it…

Looking eternally more awake than he did, Maya stood by her desk, bent over it with the same little knife she'd used to carve out each of the previous six stars near the top. Now she was forming the seventh, for the class of 2034.

"Figured I'd get it done before the girls got up," she quietly explained, holding up the little knife for a moment before getting back to work, having never turned or looked up. As much as both Marianne and Tori were now adepts of the 'hands to yourself' rule, it really felt like the way to go.

Lucas came up to have a look. The stars were really starting to stack up, now that she'd been doing it this long, and it was really amazing to think it had been this long. All those stars, all those classes… He didn't know the exact number of students she'd had as part of hers by now, but he'd bet she knew. She would know how many, and their names, and who they were, what they might have gone through, and of course how they had been as artists. It was no wonder that she'd get so invested when the time came to say goodbye and see them off into the world…

With the star completed, it wasn't long that they were pulled into the morning routine. The girls woke up and needed tending. This was taken up one level now that Kacey and Remy were crawling. Even when they'd still been fairly new to this world, there had been this sensation like they would fall under the category of 'can't let them out of your sight for a second' once they got mobile, and these days they saw all too well how right they'd been. They'd tried leaving them in their cribs when it wasn't their turn to be changed or dressed, but this only aggravated them, so they'd compromise to put them on the floor, but if they did that then they definitely had to block the exit into the hall. Meanwhile, Lucy would still only sit by and watch, doing her own thing.

They might have chosen to leave the triplets behind with the Sandersons if it had been any old graduation, except it wasn't. It was their big sister's graduation, so of course they had to be there, too. They wouldn't remember it, would very possibly start to cry at some point and make a scene, but it was a chance they'd have to take. There would be plenty of them on hand to help if needed. The Hunters, the Hart-Lanes, the Calaharts, and the elder and senior Friars would be there, for their granddaughter, their niece, their great granddaughter…

After a quick breakfast, they'd all gotten ready, and once again Maya had done Ella's hair, though here she'd had the assistance of both Marianne and Tori, much to the graduate's amusement. Several pictures were snapped along the way, in the bathroom and beyond, until finally they got to take pictures of Ella in her full cap and gown, on her own, with Tori, with Maya, with Lucas, with Maya and Lucas, with the triplets, with the triplets and Marianne, with all of them together… As much as possible, they would try and keep the top of her cap in frame. It was no surprise by now to find a tribute to Lambert there; every single student in her class would have those, not a single one had refused.

It took a ridiculous amount of time for them to get in the minivan and leave, but they finally left and, because they had the presence of mind to factor in this delay, they arrived just about when they'd intended to arrive. Ella wanted to find her friends, so she was allowed to go on ahead while they parked and gathered the little girls. With the five of them, it could be a lot, but luckily their first helping hands came in the form of…

"Papa!" Tori bolted when she spotted him, and soon she was in Theo's arms, hugging him good and tight. When she released him and was put back on her feet, she put her arms around her aunt, and Nika returned the embrace with a smile. Of course, they'd come to see Ella's graduation. It was not lost on any of them how this fact, which felt like a given now, would have felt impossible just a year ago.

Before finding their graduates again, they would first run into their families. A big part of walking into graduations for her students meant stopping and chatting with their families along the way, and even that felt different this year, seeing as she and Lucas had one of their daughters as part of this class.

Finding the Munroes, they also round the Orlandos, and here again was a scenario that felt entirely in opposition to what they'd once known. It used to be that the entire situation of Jo Munroe/Jocelyn Orlando and her children felt like two camps, difficult to cross. And it wasn't to say that there weren't awkward moments every now and again, but in general they were all facing things in a very 'it is what it is' way. Kyle, Dylan, Phoebe, and Taylor were siblings, and they wanted to be in one another's lives, so their parents just had to deal with it or run the risk of not being involved at all. And none of them wanted that.

It was hard to imagine that they were already at this point, seeing Taylor on his way out of high school. Only a moment ago he'd been a very telling photo on his mother's phone, starting an entire revelation that sent so many of them reeling. He had grown so much, been through so much, in these last four years, and he'd come out on the other side giving them all great hope that he would get far in the world. He was off to Europe with Ella and Lea soon, yes, but after that… His return home would also start the clock leading up to his departure for Indiana, for college. Everyone was so proud of him, couldn't wait to see him play, but at the same time… He was potentially losing or giving up some very important things by going out there, and they could see that it weighed on him. It wouldn't change his mind, but it would still be there, playing at his mind.

The Friars and Munroes being together soon attracted the Sullivan-Reyes to join them. It was inevitable, even aside from the fact that for two out of three there was a pre-existing family connection, that their children's friendship would bind them all together. For Michael Sullivan and Keith Reyes, it felt like a monumental day, to see their eldest graduate from high school. A constant thought on their mind was just how much they remembered the process of trying to adopt the first time, all their fears, and their disappointments, until finally they'd found their way to their baby girl. And now she was all grown up…

In the end, after much debate, Lea had decided to go to college in Houston, with Ella. Sophie and Chiara were more than happy to take her in as well, and so the two best friends would get to be roommates, and their parents all knew that, for one as much as for the other, there really could not have been a better outcome. She was determined to still be involved in theater and musical theater, and she would be. She already had a position lined up with the Houston chapter of Stage Ready. As much as her choice had been made in part to be near her best friend and her family back in Austin, Lea had finally concluded that she wanted to have a proper college experience. Broadway could wait… Once she went out there, they'd never know what hit them, and that was her absolute guarantee.

Seeing the Sullivan-Reyes kids together, thinking of graduation, and college, it brought plenty of memories to the surface, memories of Maya's own family and of another. Lea's cap travelled from her own head over to Lara's, the soon-to-be sophomore then passing it on to her little sister. Lydia and her 'hypnoteyes' were still going strong, even as she was about to start middle school in the fall. Funniest of all was when the cap found its way onto little Leyton's head. Just a few weeks shy of three years old, the lone boy soon zoomed along, leaving his sisters to chase him and retrieve Lea's cap. Those three would always mean the most to Lea, them and their fathers, and Maya understood that feeling so very well.

The sight of those four playing around together… It took her back to four years ago, to Dakota Day's graduation, to him and his younger brothers… Barton and Michelle were here today, with Dakota, and Roman, and Anton. They'd been invited, by Taylor personally but by the entire school in truth. This was going to be Lambert's graduation day, and this was their last chance to honor their lost classmate. They would not let it go by unnoticed.

"Well, that didn't take long," Maya chuckled, as they'd barely gone to approach the Days when Anton had gotten a look on his face and excused himself from his family and his teacher and hers before hurrying off past them. Upon turning to see where he went, they spotted the Hunters arriving. Nellie brightened to see him, and soon they were walking along, hand in hand.

"I think he was relieved to know she'd be here today," Barton admitted, and now Maya wished she hadn't made the joke, as harmless as it had been. He was thinking about his brother, and having his girlfriend nearby was a source of comfort.

"How are you doing?" Maya asked Barton and his wife, their eldest sons… Dakota and Roman mostly just shrugged. They were okay, but it was hard not to be in their own heads a bit. The same went with their parents, though they were more vocal about it. They had always looked to the Friars as those they felt most at ease confiding to.

"Honestly, I've been looking forward to this day," Michelle slowly nodded. "It's strange, isn't it, but… in my mind, he's done it… He's finished school, and… he's moving forward now… I imagine him now about to go travelling with his friends, and then…"

"Culinary school," Barton nodded, squeezing his wife's hand. "We were thinking of taking a class together. Lambert was the best chef in the house since he got into cooking," he recalled with a smile, and the memory brought smiles to Michelle and the boys as well. It would be their way of carrying his life forward, and to think of his classmates, his dearest friends, maybe they wouldn't be the only ones. Through them, Lambert Day would carry on for as long as they lived…

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners