The Graduation
By Mucke
Michelle looks down to all the people sitting in the bright sun on that Saturday afternoon. It is her day!
In some little minutes the chancellor will give her the diploma. Normally she always was one of the firsts in the alphabetical order, but now with Santos as last name, she has to wait almost until the end.
She doesn't care. She feels not nervous or unsecured at all. She just loves the feeling standing here, almost on the top of her dreams in the sun with her family watching her.
She looks down and finds them immediately. Abby and Rick sitting with the 2 little ones on their laps.
Oh they look so cute and they were so sweet this morning. They drew her a picture of herself at the graduation…She never would thought that it could be her, her hair was bright and curly like an angel and they took the black clothes like contrast. Phillip and Thomas are so lovely in that age.
And then her look goes along to her father! She was so surprised by finding him yesterday at the doorsteps. He wanted to surprise her, but didn't had the keys of the new lock, and so he waited hours outside the house for someone to let him in…
She was so happy about seeing him. The last time she saw him was a few years ago when she went to her honeymoon to Europe. Honeymoon! Her eyes are searching her husband. She gets a little nervous when she didn't see him at first, still the fear of Carmen and her threats, she thinks.
But then she smiles there he is. He is covered by the big video camera he rented this morning, almost a professional one She smiles happy and waves a little greet over to him.
Suddenly she awakes of her thought by hearing her name. Don't miss your own graduation, she chuckles to herself.
She takes her diploma and the certificate about being the best of the year, shake some hands and goes over to the others in line.
She has to wait until the end, before she can go back to the microphone and held her speech. That was the thing she was really proud of! The other students had chosen her to hold the final speech and that by knowing she is a Santos now.
It was the first time that nobody was afraid anymore about the Santos name and she could be proud of her name and her husband without hesitating!
The chancellor introduce her…"…and so I give the last words to Michelle Santos…"
OK, now I get a little bit nervous here, she thinks, walking over to the podium again. She stands at the microphone and doesn't know a word anymore. She is unsteady and gets really nervous very quick.
She tries to find Danny eyes. He always gave her so much strength. And finally he gives the camera over to Ed and looks her straight in her eyes, in her soul and she knows what he want to say. Go ahead Baby, trust yourself and everything will be fine! You can do it! Go baby.
And yes it worked again, like on their wedding day, she clears her throat, and goes ahead.
"Dear family members, dear friends, I'm very proud today to be chosen to speak those last words!" She looks again down to Danny and now she sees in his eyes how proud he is and how happy that she stands there with his name and being his wife!
And it was that look that makes her even more happy.
"I know that we all are only at the beginning of being good physicians with this diploma. I know we have so much more to learn and so much more to do before being worth to be called a doctor! But I think the most important thing we already learned, that with self-esteem and a bunch of work we can be successful. And that believe in humanity and ourselves will make us what we want to be! We can be like every person we admire! And we can help other people to be like they want to be. We can give them the strength and the force to help them to do in what they believe. It is our power to change the world and us in a better one! I break up this medical class of 2003, let's celebrate and the future begin!"
The orchestra starts the hymn of the winners and at the same time the entire student are throwing their hats in the air!
Michelle, still standing at the podium, says to herself "I love you Danny Santos, with all my heart!"
When she sees that he starts smiling, she realize that the microphone is still on and that every single person heard her commitment.
First she starts blushing red, but then she starts running down the podium right into his arms thinking: To heaven with everyone, they can all know how much I love my husband.
And when they kiss, everyone knows it for sure!