After Graduation

Chapter Eleven: Say Yes to the Dress

Maya:

It had been 14 months since Zack’s departure, I found it hard to occupy myself with other things that needed to get done. I just wanted to sit at home and wait for his next letter, and maybe, he’d just surprise me and come home and stay home. I had gotten a new job at a dentist’s office, keeping and filing records, making phone calls, typing up reports and signing patients in, telling the dentist they were there. Every couple of weeks, if I was lucky, I’d get a letter from him. I had never missed someone so much. He would write about the weather, how he was, and good friends he made. He would tell me not to worry, that he would be home before I could say “when”, and how much he loved me and missed me. I’d always write back, talking about my job, and how everyone was. I tried to make them as positive as I could, even though it hurt so much having him gone. Recently, I sent him his favorite picture of me. I’m wearing his favorite sweatshirt, my hair is curled, and I’m smiling, my hand is brought to my face. That was when we went camping in Australia from the S.S. Tipton. I sealed it, and sent it to him, hoping it would lift his spirit. I could see him now, opening up the letter, reading it, and then running around with the picture, showing me to everyone, just as if I was there. After I sent that letter, I didn’t get a reply for three and a half months.

I had just come back from long, tiring, stressful day at the office, when I was about to sit down and eat dinner, the doorbell rang. I got up to answer it, and I walked to the door. When I answered it, there was a man in a uniform at the door.

“Ms. Bennett?” He asked looking at me.

 "Um, yes. That’s me. Can I help you?

He shook his head. “No ma’am. I have something for you.” He reached out and handed me an envelope and I took it. At first I was excited that it would be a letter from Zack, but it came from a different delivery man this time. I opened it cautiously, as if it were to explode in my hands. I pulled out a folded piece of paper, and carefully opened it. As I read it, I felt like I was going to throw up, the more words I read, the fuller and wetter my eyes became. They were going to erupt, filling the room with tears, drowning me. I laid down on the couch, read the letter three more times, trying to convince myself it wasn’t true even more each time.

Miss Maya Elizabeth Bennett,

We regret to inform you that Zackary Daniel Martin has now been classified as missing-in-action.

Bailey:

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Ms. Tuttweiller, London and I were putting the finishing touches on the wedding to make it look absolutely perfect. All except one thing. It’s almost 3 weeks before her wedding, and Ms. Tutweiller doesn’t have a dress. But, we are going to go get one tomorrow. And she had been texting me like crazy.

Bailey! I need to get my dress!

I opened my phone and clicked ‘reply’.

I know Ms. T. We’re going tomorrow.

I closed my phone, put it back in my jacket, and continued writing my term paper. 

"Mitosis and Cytokinesis…”

After staring at the screen and checking the time, I closed the laptop and went to bed.

The next day, I went to Starbucks to meet up with Ms. Tutweiller and London. Ms. Tutweiller was already waiting, coffee in her hand, though she was shaking like a Chihuahua. I think she had enough coffee as is. I ordered my usual, a hot mocha, and walked over and sat with Ms. Tutweiller.

“Bailey! Where’s London?!” She practically screamed in my ear, and just as she said that, London walked into the coffee shop.

“Ms. Tutweiller! Ms. Tutweiller! Ms. Tutweiller!”