Congratulations To The Man

The radio went off a little after 6:00 this morning. Trudy rolled over against me and lay quietly for a while and then got up and took her shower and ate breakfast and went out to water the garden. The dog lay next to my stomach as I dozed. After a half hour, I got up to take my late, telecommuter's shower.

The morning routine had started out as usual ... except for one thing.

"Is the boy riding with you to school this morning?" I asked Trudy, making a face of mock sadness. Because of course there is no more "school", and he isn't "the boy" anymore.

After the ceremony Thursday evening, as Ben emerged from the crowd of Austin High graduates in their streaming maroon gowns with friends and family offering congratulations, my brother held out his hand to my son and said, "Congratulations to THE MAN!"

And let's be honest: that face of mock sadness of mine hid (not so well) something real.

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Commencement

The band played as the Class Of 2009 filed out onto the floor in their gowns and mortar boards. Speakers spoke from the podium. Names were announced one by one. The graduates walked across the stage all smiles, greeted by a principal who gave each of them a hug.

And when they had all been called, they moved their tassels from one side to the other, and they threw their mortar boards into the air, creating a swarm of maroon trapezoids. And there was cheering from the floor. And there was cheering from the seats. And the band played as they filed off the floor and out into the hot Texas sun.

We waited for Ben at the appointed place. We waited and waited, and then we called. There were happy sounding voices in the background when he answered, and I heard him say, "I need to find my parents." Trudy was the first to reach him as he emerged from the throng, his diploma under his arm, his maroon gown streaming behind him, his graduation medal and honors cords hanging about his neck as he took long steps toward us with a smile on his face that spoke volumes.

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