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The ceremony wraps up after they announce each of our names for the presentation of diplomas, we throw our graduation caps, and a string quartet plays joyful music as we parade down the aisle.
It’s performative, sure. But seeing the gleaming pride on people’s faces as we walk past seems fitting for the occasion.
Before I reach the end of the aisle, my heel slips and I falter a bit. My hand goes up to the side of my head and I fight back a spell of dizziness. I guess I should have eaten lunch instead of attending a skills lab and a gallery surgery today.
Chapter 2
Blythe
“What are you getting?” I ask my brother Warren as I peek at him over the top of my menu. He’s seated across from me at the table I reserved for the four of us for a post-graduation celebratory dinner.
“No,” he protests without even looking up at me.
“What?” I tease.
“I know exactly what you’re doing and the answer is no. I ain’t sharing with you.”
“Fine you big grump,” I slap his arm and he playfully rolls his eyes. “I didn’t want to try the sea bass that bad anyway.”
We give each other as much shit as possible, but at the end of the day, we’re closer to each other than anyone else.
Since I moved from Texas when I turned eighteen to start college, he’s called or at least texted to check on me almost every day. Since I didn’t carve out much time to go down and visit my family, I treasured those moments talking with him. Getting the latest gossip around town, hearing what Mom and Dad are up to, laughing with him about his newest romantic entanglement.
The waiter comes to take our orders, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Dad and Warren both get big fat steaks and potatoes.
“Can I have the baked stuffed lobster, please? Oh! And the cheese and leak souffle. Thank you so much,” I say.
“Of course. Excellent choice. And for you, ma’am?” He looks at my Mom.
“Let’s see… I think I’ll have the sea bass. Thank you.” She hands him her leatherbound menu and gives me a wink.
She’d give me the shirt off of her back or order a dish for herself that she wouldn’t have originally picked, just to share it with me without hesitation. I adore that woman.
Dad takes a small sip of his whiskey and clears his throat. “So… it’s not much. But it’s our way of saying just how proud of you we are. And something to remember us by when you become a world-famous doctor and all that,” he chuckles.
He pulls a little forest green velvet box up from under the table and slides it across to me. I suck in a breath when I snap the top of it open and see a delicate chain. Dangling from it is a tiny gold prairie rose. The detail is gorgeous and exactly resembles the native flower that grows wild where I was raised.
Nostalgia doesn’t typically hit me often. But this brings me back to a much simpler place in my mind when I didn’t understand the struggles of the real world yet. When adult responsibilities and stresses didn’t take over every fiber of my being.
I would pick these flowers from the pasture behind our house and bring them inside, soak them in the sink to rid them of any bugs, and fill a mason jar with water for them to be displayed in. It was rare that there wasn’t a bundle of them in our kitchen on any given spring day. This little charm necklace gives me a sense of home.
I hand the necklace to Mom, sweep my long thick hair to the side, and turn away from her in my seat. She drapes it around my neck and clasps it with gentle hands. Before retreating, she touches both of my shoulders and leans in. I place my hands over hers and nuzzle into her embrace.
“We love you, sweetheart. So proud,” she whispers.
“You know…” Warren starts, giving a break to the emotional moment, “When we talked this morning you mentioned you wouldn’t be in Tucson for that interview until after the first of the year.”
“Yes?” I say.
“Why don’t you come down to the ranch for a bit? Harvest is over and things slow down around the holidays. Could be good for you. Spend some time away from all this for a while.”
He gestures around the restaurant bustling with people in suits and fancy dresses. Classical music plays softly. Downtown Baltimore roars just outside the bay windows behind us. Nothing like home.
For a split second, I consider the idea. I expected this topic to come up. My family often requests I come and visit. I’m just always so busy. If I waste precious time that could be dedicated to job applications or networking, it negatively affects my career. That’s not an option for me. I sigh and close my eyes, not looking forward to trying to let him down easy once again.
“Look…”
“We sure miss you, you know.”
