The Kick Back

Pomp and other circumstances

I walked down the hallway of Roosevelt High School the morning of graduation. As I made my way through the halls, I thought about all of the things that I had been through recently, and how much every circumstance had made me mature. Everything I had gone through, was making me everything that I was destined to be. I had been accepted to three different colleges already. Two were local...and just for amusement, I had applied to Michigan State and had been unexpectedly accepted. I don't know why I was so surprised to see the letter of acceptance. My grade point average wasn't bad and I wasn't a horrible student by far. Some things just took me by surprise and that was because of my circumstance. I was a young hispanic from the mean streets of Oakland. My chances of making it to 18 were slim to none and I had done that. My chances of making it out of the hood were even slimmer, but it seemed like I was on my way to doing that either. I had decisions to make and sacrifices as well. I had to do whatever was going to be best for me after I walked across that stage. It was now or never...

I went home and got dressed early. I got right out of the shower and went straight to the mirror. The curly locks I had kept on my head for so long had to go. It was time to start my new life, new look, no more baggage. I grabbed my clippers and carefully cut it into a fade. I lined up my facial hair, lotioned up, and sprayed on some of my best cologne. I was ready...it was finally time for me to graduate high school.

I walked over to Mike's house to see how he was handling everything. I knew that he would be nervous. Me and him were the only ones out of our group of friends that were actually graduating. The other guys were still heavy in the streets and Alonzo had been murdered earlier that week. I wasn't too emotional about it. He was my boy, but when I received the news that he had been killed, I was already going through way too much and I was all cried out. It hurt my heart though. He had so much potential, and he would've been walking across that stage with us.

When I walked up to the house I could smell the aroma of all of the different foods Mike's mom was preparing. Whenever a big event came up, she was the one we could count on to feed us and a whole army if she wanted to. I knocked on the door and Mike answered. He looked a little down, but I didn't really wanna pry and ask him what was wrong with him. He stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind him so that we could have some privacy.

"Hey." he said, looking around the neighborhood rather than looking at me. "Hey." I replied. It took a lot for us to even start the conversation, but it happened eventually. "You going to the funeral?" Mike asked me, looking up at me. I didn't wanna respond but I knew I had to keep it real with him. "No...I ain't too good with goodbyes, you know?" I answered. He nodded and continued eating on the piece of chicken he was holding in his hands. "You heard from Stephanie?" he asked me. I nodded. "Yeah...she's leaving pretty soon. The way I see it is...I just want her to be happy." I replied. Mike shook his head. "If she leaves...are you gonna be happy, bro?" he asked. I knew the answer to that question already. My thing was, I didn't wanna hold Stephanie back. She had so much potential and who would I be to drag her down with me. My life seemed to be looking up, but I had no idea where I would end up in the end. I didn't wanna bring her into a future and a life that uncertain. I wanted to let her go, but for some reason, my heart wasn't ready to let me. "I'm gonna be happy to see her happy, man." I told him. He nodded. "We been through a lot this last year of school...I gotta tell you I'm proud of the man you've become, homie." Mike told me. I was surprised to hear those words come from his mouth, but I was moved by the fact that he saw me as a man and that he had noticed my growth.

"Thanks, man. I'm proud of you, too. Everything you did with Stephanie, man, that shit was amazing. Our neighborhood ain't the same no more and that's because of you guys. You should be proud of that...I know I am. We went from two boys walkin through the world clueless, to two men, true lindos." I said. Mike's eyes welled up with tears and then he asked, "We'll always be friends, right?" I swallowed that lump in my throat and said, "Para siempre. Nunca olvidare." The tears fell from his eyes then. I walked up and took my friend into my arms and gave him a real hug. Mike and I had a bond that nobody else could understand. We were more than friends, we were brothers. I knew it and so did he. And no matter where I was gonna end up, I was never gonna forget that he was my brother. Always and forever.

That evening, friends and family of the Seniors of Roosevelt High School gathered in the auditorium to watch us graduate. My parents and Gabby were in the audience and I was too proud of myself. I was rocking my cap and gown proudly as the class of 1987 walked down the aisles of the auditorium. I looked over at Mom, she was crying tears of joy. My Dad looked so proud that it seemed like he would burst. As we took our seats, I noticed Stephanie sitting by another one of our classmates, looking as beautiful as ever. All I could think about as the room quieted down and the speaker read off the introduction, was that if I could have at least one more night with Stephanie, I would make the absolute most of it. If I could never have her again, I at least wanted her one more time. I couldn't let her go without showing her how much she meant to me, physically, emotionally, mentally. I needed her body one more time. Soon, my thoughts were interrupted by the beautiful words our principal was speaking. "I have never been more proud of a class of this high school. These students have endured some of the worst of times and you guys have made it through. Regardless of any circumstance...broken homes...broken spirits...you guys made it through. I just wanna say thank you for making me the proudest Principal in the state of California tonight. Here's to the class of 1987...give them a round of applause!" as soon as he said that, applause and excitement erupted. The crowd was going crazy. I knew, my classmates knew...our families and friends knew...we had been through a lot and some of us were even responsible for shifting the way our community thought and acted. We were the next generation of great leaders and it was time for us to go out into the world and make a real difference.

"Antonio Garcia." The superintendent called my name and audience applauded. I couldn't even contain myself. As I walked across that stage and grabbed my diploma, I felt a wave of emotions fall over me. Tears were coming down nonstop. I had made it and every naysayer could shut up and sit down at that point. I was where no one ever thought I would be and that was walking across the stage, receiving my diploma.

After an emotional post graduation party, dinner with the family, and final goodbyes with classmates, I was tired. All I wanted to do was get a good night's sleep and get ready to start the first day of the rest of my life. It was 1 o'clock in the morning when I heard a faint knock at the door. Luckily, I was sleeping in the living room that night due to the fact that my bedroom was too hot. I got up and opened the door to see Stephanie standing there. She didn't have to say anything...I knew what I wanted, and I had a feeling that she wanted the same thing.

Green light...