Picturesque

Chapter 6: Lucky

The staggering magnolia and dogwood trees were in their full Louisianan bloom. Their ivory petals painted the horizon of campus and their fallen petals blanketed the landscape of plush grass. It was not uncommon for one to feel a white petal gently land atop their head on their walk across the springtime campus. It looked like happier snow, and for once, I was feeling happy.

Getting a college degree had admittedly felt like a schoolgirl fantasy of mine. While I had the intellect and the motivation, it did not become tangible reality until I was packing up my dorm to move back home and sat down for a moment to look at the diploma printed on stock paper.

Rebecca Hayes, Bachelor of Education, Focus in French. I couldn't stop running my finger over the indented words and letting them fall in a whisper from my lips. Touching the letters seemed to make it easier to believe.

I gently set the diploma down on my halfway packed bag and moved my eyesight to the window where a dogwood stood right outside. The sun was behind it, and a breeze swayed the tree's flowers, letting the sun flash across my face in increments. I thought about the story that Mama would tell me about Daddy flying to the sun. Of course, I knew now that it was just a fable.

Although I had never gotten the chance to meet him and only had an exaggerated sense of what kind of man he was—which had become diluted as my growing age made sense of Mama's illusions—I sort of felt in that moment that he was there in the sun, smiling at me through the dogwood trees. I knew Mama would tell me the same thing.

As I stood up to finish up packing, there was a knock at my dorm door. Although I had not made any friends of substance during my university years, there was always the occasional knock of neighbors asking if I had any makeup they could borrow. I assumed it was a girl asking for one last borrow until I opened the door and saw the director of my girls' dormitory building.

Having an unannounced visit from the director of the dorm was enough to raise alarm in my head. Had I broken a rule? Was I in trouble? Would my actions expel me and revoke my diploma that I had only just earned?

Mrs. Foreman's polite smile assured me that there was nothing to worry about. "Hello, Miss Hayes," she greeted me, her hands folded together in front of her collared dress.

Mrs. Foreman was a caring director, often serving as a mother to all of the girls in the building. Since I was as quiet as a church mouse, or so everyone labeled me, and I never caused any trouble, I could count with one hand the number of times I'd interacted with Mrs. Foreman over the four years of my stay.

"Hello," I answered, letting the door open a bit wider.

"I just received a call from Dr. Marlar asking for you to visit him in his office at your nearest convenience."

My eyes widened. Dr. Marlar was one of my professors and also the primary instructor of French at the university.

"Oh," I mouthed, clearing my throat and straightening my posture that had suddenly bent. "Thank you."

Mrs. Foreman nodded with a smile, and before she started to turn away, she looked at me for a moment. "It's been wonderful having you, Miss Hayes. You've been such a good resident all this time. Your abidance has certainly made up for all the trouble everyone else has given me."

Over my college years, I'd found that I took a liking to compliments. This wasn't to say that I was conceited or that I sought them out. They were few and far in between, which made each one entirely special. When you grow into a wallflower and avoid attention by the majority, it becomes a remarkable thing when someone picks you out.

The warmth in my chest pushed a smile to my face, and Mrs. Foreman looked a little surprised. "Thank you, Mrs. Foreman. You've taken such good care of all of us."