Empty White Chairs

It seems as if the blog has died a little of late. I assume this has something to do with end-of-year formalities. I hope everyone is having fun at their wild shindigs and graduation ceremonies. Mine was destroyed by rain.

The graduating class was divided into groups, with one third graduating in the auditorium, and the rest of us in the gym. The orchestra, choir and band didn't get to play, because there wasn't enough room, so they used a recording of Pomp & Circumstance instead. Our commencement speaker, a friend of mine who is apparently a fabulous writer, had to record her speech earlier in the day, to be played in the auditorium. We in the gym got the real thing, and it was moving. I almost cried. There was a pall over the whole night. We could only have three guests per graduating student, so none of the younger students got to see us graduate, and for those whose families flew out to see the graduation, I imagine that graduation was not the best day ever.

Empty white chairs will be all that I remember of that night. The day before graduation, my friends and I went out to the football field, where graduation is normally held. They'd already put out the chairs for the graduating class, so there were rows and rows of empty white chairs facing an empty, blue-carpeted platform. Behind it were the risers for the choir and a stack of orchestra chairs. Tammy (my friend) wouldn't let any of us step on the blue carpet. She told us that we would have to wait until tomorrow night.

The next morning, we had to wake up unfortunately early for graduation practice, where they laid out the protocol in the event of rain. We all sat in uncomfortable white chairs, waiting while Mr. Gehrman, our principal, filled us in on Plan B. As it turns out, Plan B became the Plan. After a series of whirlwind visits to the junior classes, the senior AP English class went to Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe for Soul Food Day with our teacher. By the way, yams are delicious. As we came back from Soul Food Day, we passed by the stadium again. I saw the rows of empty white chairs again, and I think it was then that I decided they ought to be significant in some way, an unfulfilled promise to the graduating class of '08. Don't hate, oh-eight.

By this time, it was drizzling slightly. There were texts being buzzed around town, filled with inspirational cries of rebellion: "The class of '08 started together, the class of '08 will end together!" Viva la revolucion. Obviously, despite the fervor with which it seems the entire class of '08 opposed Plan B, the uprising failed. By the time I got to school for the graduation, I didn't hear any kind of dissent against what was now, officially, the Plan.

Ironically enough, at graduation time, there was no rain whatsoever. It looked like things might be clearing up. They didn't. In fact, things got much worse in the course of graduation. It was probably a good thing that we stayed inside. Marcos de Niza High School had theirs outside, and from all accounts, everyone was miserable. As it turned out, the post-graduation felicitations were much more heartfelt than might have been expected. Having been driven apart by Fate, we were far more inclined to cling to each other. The hugs were tighter, the smiles were bigger, and the laughs were louder.

Obviously, since I'd already decided that the empty white chairs were significant, I made sure to study them before we left. They were still sitting out on the field, empty, wet and soaking. I stole one for my friend Woody.

The rest of the night was filled with celebrations of a more traditional sort, and I forgot all about being a high school graduate. On the way back from Chris Lue Sang's graduation shindig, we noticed that the stadium lights were still on at our school, so we swung by again (Incidentally, I have no idea why the lights were on in the first place, if they weren't planning on having the graduation out there). The chairs were still there, and they were still being beaten by the rain. With the lights blazing, and the empty bleachers waiting for an audience, there was a definite air of expectancy. I would like to think they're still waiting, transported into a different dimension, for the class of '08 to return and graduate.

Anyway, I just thought you all should know what happened on my graduation night. Tell me all about yours! Or if it hasn't happened yet, then tell me about something else equally fascinating. Forgive me if my prose waxes obnoxious. These are just some thoughts that have been running through my head of late. You all need to show me how to write better. Try writing something in the blog, so I can have some examples. The blog must be revived! Viva la blog!