It was the day Ginny Walton was graduating high school. Butterflies filled her stomach as her mother helped her put on her cap and gown.

"I just hope everything goes all right," she said. "To me, it's scary getting up in front of all those people."

"You won't be alone," Cindy replied. "All the other graduates will be up on stage with you. It'll all be fine."

"Do you think people will be able to see my braces underneath my gown?" asked Ginny.

"I really doubt anyone will notice," said Cindy. "It isn't anything to be ashamed of, anyway."

"You know I've always been kind of self-conscious about them," Ginny replied.

"Well, there's no reason to be," her mother told her. "There, all done! Isn't she pretty, Ben?"

"You're beautiful, sweetheart," Ben told his daughter.

"Thanks, Daddy," Ginny replied.

Ben drove his family to the high school. Some of Ginny's classmates were already there, including Patsy, Sue, and Stan.

"Where's Walter?" she asked.

Sue grimaced. "Who knows? He probably slept in late again, but I'm sure he'll be along soon. He wouldn't want to miss his own high school graduation!"

The girls chatted as they waited for the rest of the students to arrive. At last it was time for the ceremony to begin. The students lined up in alphabetical order, and as the principal addressed the audience, Ginny looked out at her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She saw her Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Paul, and - joy of joys! - a smiling Matthias sat at Paul's side!

Her heart began to beat faster, and she suddenly couldn't wait for the graduation to be over. The minutes were agony as she waited for the other students to be called up to receive their diplomas, but at last it was her turn. The audience gave her a standing ovation, which brought her to tears.

After she received her diploma, there were only several students left, and then the ceremony was over. She waited until most of the other students had been reunited with their families, then slowly stepped down from the stage to greet her own.

Instantly she was wrapped in first her mother's embrace, then her father's. Then it was her grandparents' turn, then Aunt Elizabeth's and Uncle Paul's.

"Is it my turn now?" asked Matthias.

Ginny reached for him, and he wrapped her in a warm embrace.

"I didn't know you were coming!" she cried.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Matthias replied.

"When did you get here?" asked Ginny.

"Yesterday evening," said Matthias. "I spent the night at Paul and Elizabeth's and came with them today."

"This is the best surprise I could ever hope for!" said Ginny.

Matthias grinned. "I'm glad you think so. If your parents wouldn't mind loaning you to me for a couple of hours, I'd love to take you to dinner."

Ginny turned to her parents. "Can I? Please?"

Her mother smiled and caressed her cheek. "Certainly, dear."

Matthias borrowed his brother's car to take Ginny out to a nice restaurant in town where large windows let in plenty of sunshine and patrons sat at beige tables with brown chairs. He pulled her chair out for her.

"Thank you," she said.

"My pleasure," he replied.

"Great news," he said as soon as the waitress had taken their order. "Volkswagen sales have exploded in the United States. The demand is so high the plant in Richmond has tripled in size, and the company has offered me a permanent position there. Of course I could never turn it down."

"That's great!" Ginny enthused. "Now we can see each other as much as we want!" She frowned. "But where will you live?"

"Paul and I are going apartment hunting tomorrow," said Matthias. "Hopefully I'll find something soon."

"But what about your parents?" asked Ginny. "Won't they be lonely with both their sons living in the United States?"

"They're talking about moving here themselves in a couple of years," Matthias replied. "Either back to Wisconsin to live near my aunt and uncle, or here to live near us." Their food arrived, and they dug in.

"So what will you do, now that you've graduated high school?" Matthias asked a few minutes later.

"I took typing and shorthand in school," Ginny replied. "I should be able to get a job a a secretary somewhere. That wouldn't involve a lot of standing, so my braces wouldn't be a problem."

"I hope you find the perfect position," said Matthias.

"Thanks. How did you end up working with cars?" asked Ginny.

"My country suffered a lot of destruction and loss because of the war," Matthias replied. "Providing transportation was an important part of helping it get back on its feet again, and I wanted to be a part of that."

"And ended up getting a job in an entirely different country." Ginny laughed, and Matthias joined in.

"I'm so glad your country and mine are friends again," said Ginny.

"So am I," Mattias agreed.