Hold Me Now

Chapter 54: Into The Breech

Graduation, the day everyone has been looking forward to has come. The book of high school, and childhood, is closing. Soon the West Valley seniors will be turning pages in the book of college and new adulthood. Half our life and time is spent waiting for the perfect sign to lead us to the perfect path. But more times than not, it never appears. These are moments where you find yourself at a crossroad, nervous, a little disoriented, and entirely without a map. How you handle it could define the rest of your life. 

When Dutch, who was not late for graduation, met up with his friends he had a moment of clarity. "One day you're seventeen, sitting in the basement with a beer in your hand, and you're planning for someday. Then one day you wake up, and like a smack to the head, someday is here. And you didn't even notice it, yesterday."

Bobby just looked at him and said "Wow Man. That's deep shit." 

"I know. Tell me about," Dutch told him. Then he began looking around. "Now, who can I talk to about canceling my free subscription to adulthood?" 

Chuckling, Bobby nudged Jimmy. "That sounds more like him." Jimmy gave him a smile of agreement. 

All of their families are here for the ceremony. For Johnny, this includes a robust extended family, which is something he's never had. Ava's grandparents from Savannah, Waylon, and Anna Beth, flew in a few days ago. They're staying at her parent's house. That coupled with her mother's two sisters, her father's other brother, and all of their own families made the house full to the brim. 

One of the first things everyone wanted to do is see where Ava lives. So she and Johnny invited them all over for dinner Wednesday night. The stress of graduation alone was enough pressure, not wanting to feel stressed over dinner too, Ava ordered a family BBQ meal from the restaurant in their sweet town. As is her usual thing, she did make dessert from scratch. She baked three different cakes, a hummingbird cake (which her grandfather loves), a sour cream pound cake, and a death by chocolate cake. 

Johnny kept sneaking tastes of the icing for the chocolate one. Ava smacked his hand away, but it didn't deter him. Once the cake had cooled, and the frosting was put on it, he cut a slice off. When she saw what he had done, well let's just say she sent him out grocery shopping. If he stayed near her, it would not have been a pretty sound. Although she did let a few words escape. "You are just like Tommy sometimes," she stated with narrowed hazel eyes. The look he gave her was a cross between appalled and shocked.

Despite the missing piece of cake, dinner and dessert were fine. Everyone loved their house, especially the outdoor entertaining area and the covered dock. Ava's grandmama, however, adored the kitchen. "It's so big," she kept saying. "Just think of all the meals you can cook in here and all the space for gadgets. I don't know what I would do with one so big." 

Then there was her grandfather. His eyes were drawn to a golf club in a display case, in the living room. "Would you look at that? Now you've got one all your own," he mentioned to Ava. Naturally, she had told him all about her golf season, the par of sixty-five, the outstanding player award, and meeting Mr. Palmer. "Ava I'm so proud of you and all you've accomplished. But to be clear, even if none of those things had happened I'd still be proud of you. You've got a big heart and a sensible head on your shoulders. You're going to do great things in your life."

She beamed under her grandfather's praise. Then he praised Johnny too, which was not expected, but he thanked him for it all the same. And now here the two of them are sitting side-by-side in chairs, listening to the class valedictorian speak. They've held hands ever since sitting down. The whole thing is surreal to both of them, for different but similar reasons.