“It’s crazy. Their whole lifestyle is adolescent,” I replied, “But at least they challenge the status quo. They’ve torn into the old complacency and paved the way for change.”
Mary nodded with a look of satisfaction.
By the time we reached our stop, the closeness between us had tightened. We might have emerged from different religious zones, Mary and I, but we were in agreement, coursing down the same path. Would wonders ever cease? Would life ever bloom so splendidly?
* * *
A letter from Mother asking me to pick an upscale restaurant for my graduation ceremony and to bring any friends I wanted. Why don’t you stay with Dad and me at the hotel? Oh, dear—how could I explain that I wanted no part of the graduation claptrap? That I considered such ceremonies officious and irrelevant, promoted to uphold the platitudes of authority and outdated traditions. Plus, I had no fancy friends to invite to dinner at an upscale restaurant. Luckily, my lack of academic planning with an advisor saved me. I hurriedly sent off a reply:
Dear Mother, I have been informed by the standards office that I am missing credits for the completion of my degree. No one noticed this before. My graduation is off. It looks like I will have to remain for the first summer session to catch additional science classes. I will receive my diploma by mail in August. I’m afraid you will have to forgo your trip.
* * *
It was a hot summer evening the day before my departure. A single strand of cloud inched across the sky, tracing a shadow path across the sun-tamed lawns. I sat on the front stoop listening to the Spanish melodies that drifted over from the Tudor building across the street—love songs from former days and sweet memories that spoke of devotion, passion, and oneness. Carlos, smiling widely and full of good humor, and his fiancée Manuela, dazzling in her flowing Mexican skirt and rose-colored blouse, stood on the stoop across from me and sang duets, their voices blending in easy harmony. They moved with abandon, looking into each other’s eyes or slipping their arms around each other’s waists.
Often I’d gone over and chatted with them, trying out my weak Spanish phrases that made them laugh. Sometimes they brought out bottles of chilled Jarritos and told me of their life together while Carlos strummed softly on his guitar.
Now they were smiling at me and singing my favorite song. The childish tune sent shimmers through me, peals of longing and hope. The words stirred a flash of sadness in the hidden corners of my mind.
A penny a kiss, a penny a hug
We’re going to put our pennies in a big brown jug.
A penny a kiss, a penny a hug, oh how rich we’re going to be.
I’m going to save a penny every time I hold you tight,
And we’re going to watch the pennies grow.
I’m going to save a penny every time we kiss goodnight,
And darling when we’re married we can build a bungalow.
A penny a kiss, a penny a hug
We’re going to put our pennies in a big brown jug.
A penny a kiss, a penny a hug, oh how rich we’re going to be.
As they sang one song after another, I listened to the play of harmonies skimming the air like flower petals. The sky shown iris blue and the warm stoop felt golden under me. Tomorrow I would be leaving U.S.C. for good. Classes were finished, the streets deserted. I would miss my cinema brothers, Mary, Abdul. But campus life had reached a dead end.
I was about to enter a new stage—a flight into a loftier realm, fortified with a BA degree and an encouraging letter from my creative writing instructor Ariel Arnold. Life was in my own hands—just as I wanted. I must plunge ahead and just see. That’s what I must do.
From an open window a clock chimed out the hour, each stroke ringing out a promise. Emblazoned by sun tips, a million bright stars shone ahead, each within my reach. I felt alive, every fiber inflamed by the eternal sunshine.
I was ready to travel into the rest of my life.
Mother and Dad ready for another party in Tyrol Hills
A Penny a Kiss Page 28
