And in the past two years, I’d done everything I needed to do. I’d put to rest my guilt over Grandma Amble’s death, found out my mother had been an amazing photographer, met my father and sisters, and finished college. And it turned out, as weird and messed up as I thought my life was, it was actually pretty cool. I had great relatives, good friends, and a boyfriend who loved me through it all.
I rubbed at a window with a cloth. It was a shame Brad couldn’t be here for the big day. He congratulated me over the phone when we’d talked the other night. But somehow it wouldn’t be the same without him. His health had been steadily improving over the past months, but his doctors wouldn’t give him permission to travel. A final look around by our gang of overworked, exhausted, thirty-something college students. Everything sparkled.
“Perfect,” said Gwen.
“If she says it, then it must be true,” Dagger commented. “Let’s get the clutter out of here.” Portia kept on us as we gathered up the cleaning supplies.
“Take care, everybody,” Portia said. “Tomorrow’s the big day. I guess we’ll find out if all the effort pays off.”
“See you guys tomorrow,” Maize called, skipping out the door.
Portia and I walked to the Dogpatch station, swinging buckets of cleanser and Windex on our arms.
“Have you heard back on that camp position in Michigan?” I asked.
She looked at me, eyebrows raised. “Yes. They want me to interview for associate director.”
“That’s great. What town was that again?”
She laughed. “Just north of Big Rapids. It didn’t look too close to Port Silvan on the map, but if I get the job, maybe we can get together once or twice a year.”
I threw an arm around her neck. “Definitely. That’s so awesome.”
“What about you?” Portia said. “Have you decided what you’re going to do yet?”
“I have.” A smile crossed my lips. “I’m going back to Port Silvan. I’ll live with my grandfather for a while and work at the Coney up the road-”
“Coney?” Portia interrupted. “You mean the restaurant in your old house? I thought you were trying to get them out of there.”
I shook my head. “Nope. I decided it was a perfect fit for Sam and Joel. That’s why I bought it in the first place-fix it up and sell it to the right customer. I’m really glad this time it turned out to be family.” I kept going with my story. “Anyway, Samantha had her baby in March and she’s looking forward to having me help out while she does the mom thing.”
“I’m surprised you’d do that to yourself.”
“Nah. I’ll get to see my baby cousin every day, make a few bucks, and be close to Brad. Once he’s over the rough stuff, he can come stay at Puppa’s.” I gazed at the spring blossoms on some exotic bush near the station. “We’ll enjoy the view at the lake house. It’s right on Silvan Bay, which is gorgeous this time of year. And you can hear the church bells.”
Portia gave a knowing smile. “Speaking of bells, do I hear wedding bells in your future?”
The bus pulled up on schedule.
“Ladies,” the driver said with a nod.
“Hey, Mr. Kim,” Portia greeted the grinning man. “Tomorrow’s graduation. Are you coming?”
“Young lady,” he said, “I haven’t missed a graduation ceremony at Del Gloria College in twenty years.”
“Great. We’ll see you there.”
He slid the door closed and we were on our way, bouncing toward Cliff Edge Apartments.
The next morning, I stayed in bed a few extra minutes, thinking about the day and what it signified in my life. Looking back, I was glad everything happened the way it did. I would have changed a few things if I could, like the trail of dead bodies that seemed to follow me from place to place. The years I’d spent in prison. The loss of my mother. Brad’s life-altering injury. But who’s to say everything didn’t happen just the way it was supposed to, according to God’s higher, grander purpose. It felt good to look back with acceptance rather than regret. I got up and hit the shower, then dressed in my navy blue duds from my admissions interview almost a year ago.
“You look professional,” Portia said, playing with the pleated collar of her summer fashion as we jockeyed back and forth for the lead position in the tiny bathroom mirror.
“Maybe we should trade outfits. You’re the drill sergeant around here.” I laughed.
“Graduated drill sergeant. I can’t wait to be around undisciplined little kids instead of undisciplined adults.”
“Come on. We weren’t that bad.”
She smiled. “You were all hard workers, you just needed direction.”
“And as long as you were working alongside us and not shouting from the sidelines, we didn’t mind taking orders from you.”
Portia shook her head. “Bunch of rebels.”
Laughing, we slipped into high heels and headed for the Dogpatch bench out front.
The graduation ceremonies were traditionally held on the expansive lawn in front of Walters Hall, with the steps and portico serving as stage. The gentle sunshine of late May and a cloudless sky made the location perfect again this year.
Students with hopeful faces sat in folding chairs arranged in rows, forming a patchwork of black and white graduation gowns-black for the men, white for the women. I squeezed Portia’s hand on one side of me, Koby’s on the other, as Dean Lester addressed the graduates along with the crowd of spectators behind us. After an uplifting speech, she introduced Professor Braddock to present the diplomas.
He took his place behind the podium, clearing his throat into the microphone. “Thank you for coming today. We generally like to start out every year by announcing the winner of the Covenant Award, a prize given to a team of students who show extraordinary growth, courage, and accomplishment in their final year at Del Gloria College.” He paused as the spectators applauded. “This year, we have a special visitor who will present the award. This individual himself exemplifies the qualities embodied by the Covenant Award. A year ago, this man nearly died from a bullet wound.”
I gasped, then calmed myself. He couldn’t be talking about Brad.
“The bullet damaged his spine, leaving him virtually paralyzed.” Denton glanced behind him at the doors to the building, then back at the audience.
My shoes squeaked a happy rhythm. My fingers twirled the tassel of my cap.
The professor paused, as if reining in his emotions. “Only through great courage and faith was this individual able to conquer the odds and be here today.”
I told myself not to get my hopes up as the doors opened and a group of people came through, one man pushing a wheelchair. I squinted. That looked like Joel. The woman next to him, with long black hair sweeping over her shoulders, resembled Samantha Walters-Russo. And the man in the wheelchair… I caught my breath. It was Brad.
Tears burst forth like water through a dam. I bent forward in my seat, sobbing.
“What’s wrong?” Portia’s voice held urgent concern. I just shook my head, too emotional to answer. He was here. Brad had come to my graduation. There was nothing but my white gown to catch the happiness falling from my eyes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my son, Mr. Braddock Walters.”
I looked up as Denton handed the microphone to Brad. He took it as if he’d never lost mobility in his arms.
Brad toyed with the mike a moment before speaking. “As a child, I was blessed by having two fathers. One, my birth father, is this man next to me, Professor Denton Braddock, who established this college and changed for the better the lives of so many hurting people. The other was my stepfather, Samuel Walters, for whom Professor Braddock dedicated this building as a memorial. Both men loved me deeply, and by example showed me how to live a rich life.”
Tears ran in a steady trickle down my face as I listened. “Not too long ago,” Brad said, “I reached a low point. My only goal was to die. I wanted out of the disappointment and pain that circumstances had brought my way. But God,” Brad held the mike away as he fought for composure, “God had different plans. Because of Him, I can be here today to present the Covenant Award to a very special group of people.”
He fumbled in his inner suit pocket for a slip of paper, the microphone magnifying the rustling sound as he opened it. “Could I please have the graduating members of the Revamp Program come to the stage?”
