CSI: A New Beginning

Chapter 1: Graduation

Elizabeth~ June 2009

 

Graduation day.

I've been thinking about this for months. 

As I walked down the aisle to the gigantic stage, people standing from their seats on either side of me, I looked around for my aunt Alice. She was here for my mother, taking a video of the graduation for her. I waved when I found her, she was smiling widely and waving frantically back at me. She looked just as excited as I felt. 

While I made my way up the stairs and onto the stage, I couldn't help but wonder how my mother was feeling. She'd been the center of most of my thoughts for a long time now. Being in the hospital for six months, she was undergoing treatments for pancreatic cancer, and she was in her third stage with only a couple months left.  She knew she would not live much longer. Oh, how I wished she were here now. 

Sitting down and looking around at all my crazy forensics buddies, I wondered where I would end up. Here in Arizona, there was a lot to offer. But who knows? I could end up working in a pizza joint.

The dean called my name and I walked up to get my diploma. Aunt Alice got up and gave me a standing ovation. The look on her face made me smile so big, the muscles in my face started hurting. I loved her. She was my best friend and my mom's. She made us both happy. I remembered looking at pictures of them growing up in Marina Del Rey, California. They always looked like they were having so much fun; it made me wish I had a sibling. I held my diploma up and gave the camera the "peace" sign with my hand. She started laughing and I started crying. It was all just too surreal. I couldn't believe I was finally out of school, college, and everything that had to do with taking classes.

"Please put your hands together for the Graduating Class of 2009," the dean announced proudly.

I held hands with my friends and we threw our caps into the air.

That was it. My smile couldn't get any happier as I laughed for maybe the last time with my friends, giving them all hugs of good luck.

Wow. How fast things could go. This is crazy, I thought.

I tried to walk off the stage, but I was caught in the crowd of people with cameras. After a few pictures, I walked towards my aunt and gave her a bear hug. She looked very petite in her little yellow sun dress. She was so bright and colorful. Then there was me in my yellow graduation gown and red cap. Even though these were bright and colorful, I looked very dull in comparison to aunt Alice. She was blonde and tan from the Arizona sun, with cute little curls all around her head. I had pale skin despite the sun and I had little curl to my brunette colored hair. Her eyes were green and bright, my eyes were apparently like my father's, grayish blue. I was always jealous of she and my mom's green eyes, because mine reminded me of a stormy sky; not very pretty at all.

My mother once told me I looked like my father, though I had never met him before. She said that when she found out she was pregnant, she'd told him to leave because she wanted to raise me on her own. That was the only story about my father I was told growing up, and I never doubted it. I had no reason to.

"Well, now that graduation is over," aunt Alice piped joyfully, "we should go and re-live it with your mother!" 

"Of course, let's go!" I declared. I couldn't wait for my mom to see the graduation.

"She'll be SO proud of you!" aunt Alice squealed.

So we made our way to Maricopa Medical Center, which was only about 10 minutes away from the college. Once we got there, I had to ask where my mom was because she got moved around sometimes. So just to make sure...