They practiced their processional, recessional and song and made their way down the stairs, to get ready and hide from the arriving guests.
The gentlemen turned into the first room, and the ladies into the last. She, along with the rest, donned her black gown, attached the tassel to her cap, and placed it atop her head. The square headpiece felt strange; the front was slightly itchy and the elastic on the back didn't actually hold it on. Pins came out and were used liberally, makeup was re-applied, hair perfected, high heels placed on feet, tassel pushed out of eyes a dozen times.
The gentlemen soon joined them, also dressed in graduation garb, adjusting their hats a few times every minute. All thirteen of them sat around tables, teasing, trying to forget that they were finally nervous, complaining about their strange attire.
"Afterward, please keep your hats and gowns on, so that people will know who the graduates are."
Audible groans were heard around the room. We had all dressed up so nicely, and now nobody would even know. And these hats were so scratchy!
Their parents prayed for each of them, and then left to take their seats.
More waiting, constant adjusting of hats and pushing tassels aside. Finally the time came to mount the stairs. Pomp and circumstance was being played, though she hardly noticed as she walked up the isle.
The stage was hot. Sitting in her black outfit, tight, scratchy hat, under hot, hot lights for about an hour was somewhat uncomfortable. She wanted to adjust the hat time and time again, but she sat, trying her best to look calm; stood, trying her best to look calm; sang, trying her best to look calm; spoke, trying her best to look calm.
The hat remained untouched, and somehow it didn't fall off.
Dancing down the isle after the speeches were finished, the song sung, the diplomas received, the tassels moved, they made their way to the fellowship hall, where they greeted guests and visited for about an hour.
She realized right as they were getting ready to leave that all the other graduates had gotten tired of the tassels in their eyes and the scratchy caps, and had taken them off long ago, and she was happy as could be in her black square cap.
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~Emily
P.S. I'm no longer a highschooler!!! Watch my graduation speech here.
Congrats, Emily! :) My year, I left my hat on, but took off my gown so my dress showed. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tianna! Yeah, that's what I was going to do, but they insisted, which turned out to be fine because I was enjoying the strange outfit by the end. =)
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