River and I received notice that graduation was imminent and since it was one of our most important days marking our passage from our teen years into young adulthood, we knew that we had to attend this landmark occasion. The ceremony was to be held at Vancouver City Hall in one of their banquet halls. Frankly that was the only place that could hold a graduation ceremony with up to a hundred fifty students graduating out of this year's class.
We opted to take a taxi to the event. As if in gloomy portent of our chances at making a life outside of the classroom, the skies opened up and it poured. But we weren't about to let a little rain dampen our exultant mood. We were out of school. No more teachers, no more books...yeah; at least that was something to be happy about. And then oh...god, having to listen to endless speeches. Y'know, the stuff about cherishing these years that we had in high-school, how the future is in our hands, commitment to making the world a better place, blah blah blah blah blah. River had to kick me in the ankle to keep me from snoring audibly.
Oh...and since my parents were the talk of the town with their breakup, several paparazzi were there looking to get my take on the entire situation. Well, with my rear-end planted in a chair in the Mayor's office's banquet hall, listening to the valedictorian drone on and on, they had nothing better to do than to hoot n' holler outside City Hall. And frankly one of them got hit by lightning. Goody for her. One less paparazzi to have to talk to.
Thankfully, with the ending words of the last valedictorian speech, "From this day forward, let us make each decision with our best interests in mind. Let us believe in ourselves so that we may reach our goals and fulfill our dreams. Let us be the best that we can be so that we may fill our lives and the lives of those closest to us with happiness and with pride." and all that other glowing horse-pucky, everyone broke for the doors; our numb rear-ends aching in protest. To our delight, the paparazzi had vanished. At least the speeches went on so long that the attention span of the paparazzi was drawn elsewhere.
We came out and mingled with people we probably wouldn't see again for the rest of our lives exchanging half-hearted congratulations to the people who had picked on us throughout the course of our high-school years and making light chit-chat as if we were young adults and above the petty grievances of teen-age years, all the while thinking veiled "Go fornicate yourself". Ah thank goodness our highschool years were over. Back to the mundane existence of trying to make a living and keeping the roof over our heads...a taste of which we'd had from the time that River and I got thrown out of my parents' house.
Both River and I had to get back to the job of keeping the roof of our very basic home over our heads. Now that City Hall knew that we had a home, we had to pay taxes. And I was told this by a smug city bureaucrat as we exited the grad banquet doors. "Hi, Mr. Chikamori, we were notified by City Assessment that you have taxes outstanding in the amount of §1500.00. If you could remit that as soon as possible so that we don't have to repossess your property, that would be great. Thanks. Oh...and happy graduation. Welcome to adulthood." Oh, flark me! River and I couldn' get on our bikes fast enough to head home in the pouring rain.
When we got home, I set my only prized possession that i took from the house which I had grown up in; my camera and set it on a tripod so that at least River and I could have our grad pictures in our graduation robes.
We celebrated our graduation in our own way...by getting out of our sopping wet clothes and getting warm...in a nice shower...
Happy Graduation Day to us...
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