Time Mends(3)
She began reading from the sheet of paper clutched in her hands. “People will tell you tonight is a beginning, the start of a new life. I don’t believe that. Your life is what it is, it’s going to continue down the same path you’ve been ambling along since you were born. Tonight isn’t a beginning, it’s just a change.
“Grown-ups like to say the only certain things in this world are death and taxes. Well, no disrespect, but that’s a bunch of crap. There is only one certainty in this world and that is change.
“Life is change.
“When you wake up in the morning, you won’t be the same person you are today. You’ll be the the girl who danced on the table at the post-grad party or the boy who professed his love to a girl who was only vaguely aware he existed. You’ll be the person who sat through this speech. You’ll be a high school graduate. And, of course, you’re expecting that. But, the thing is, when you wake up on Monday morning, you’ll be a different person than you were the day before. And it’ll happen again on Tuesday, and Wednesday, and every single morning until the biggest change of all comes and you don’t wake up in this world again.
“To live is to change.
“You can’t stop change no more than you stop the earth from trudging around the sun, but you can influence its direction. Tonight, I beg you to commit yourself to making positive changes. Be better people than you have been. Rid yourselves of bigotries, prejudices, and pettiness. Go out in the world and do something important. Try new things and learn from your mistakes.”
Talley’s blue eyes locked onto mine. Something hidden in their depths caused pinpricks of anxiety to race up my spine. “It’s not always going to be easy, and you will, without a doubt, screw up over and over again; but the next morning you’ll wake up a new, changed person, and you’ll try again. Be strong. Be brave. And, please, be good.”
She broke the intense eye contact and flashed one of her brightest, most genuine smiles at the masses. Her thanks was swallowed up by the sound of three thousand people shuffling to their feet and applauding. I didn’t bother trying to stand - everyone would be sitting back down by the time I made it up - but Talley managed to re-capture my gaze all the same.
***
I was not the assumed Valedictorian of my class. It’s not like I’m some super-smart genius girl who aced her SATs and made As without trying. I had to work hard and study my butt off to even attempt to keep up with the other Honor’s students. In all honesty, Talley would have probably been named Valedictorian even if I had been able to finish out the school year.
The only reason I prepared a speech is because Talley and I started working on them our tenth grade year during her “power of positive thoughts” phase. We wrote them, but never showed them to one another, saving the “surprise” for graduation day. Mine was saved on my password-protected computer profile under the name “Screw Sunscreen.” A normal person would have never found it, but Talley is far from normal. She’s a Seer, and more specifically, a Soul Seer. With a touch she can reach into your brain and See your memories, thoughts, dreams, or the location of your secret graduation speech.
It looked like it was time to have a little talk about boundaries.
I managed to miss the cue to stand up while I was pondering when exactly she hacked into my computer because suddenly I was the only senior still in my seat. I grabbed onto the despised walker and pulled. Nothing happened. Another tug. Still nothing. My arms were like spaghetti, all pale and floppy and weak. Tears of frustration threatened to spill out, humiliating me further. And then two sets of hands were easing me to my feet. Jase let go as soon I was upright, possibly due to the glare I shot his way, but John Davis kept one hand on my elbow as he moved around to my side. He moved the walker out of the way with his spare hand before wrapping the other arm around my waist.
“Just lean on me, Graduation Buddy,” he whispered with a goofy smile. “We’ll make it just fine.”
Again tears threatened, but this time out of gratitude and affection. For the first time, I realized I may never see John again. True, Timber is a small town, but it’s still big enough you could go your whole life without seeing everyone who lives here. And who knew if we would both end up back home after college? Maybe we would run into each other at Wal-Mart over the holidays, but maybe not. John may not have been my favorite person, but he was a friend, someone who had been a constant part of my Monday through Friday life for the past thirteen years. Still, I was shocked to realize I would miss him.
The entire class made its way to the stage in pairs. John supported most of my weight the entire trek and practically lifted me onto each step as my turn neared, but it was better than clomping around with the walker. I swore I would only think kind thoughts about him for at least the next month.