Summer, 1983 (I'll call you by mine)

The Graduate

The few weeks leading up to summer break were grueling, Elio was sad to see his senior students moving on into the world. Also at the same time, he was excited to see them go and make something of themselves. He always loved running into his previous students out in the real world.

As his last class of the year was coming to an end he always had a little speech prepared.

"What I want you to take away from my class is that the world will take you many places and you are going to meet people who will change your life. Whether it be for the good or for the bad, but take chances, take a leap of fate. You will make choices in your life now, that will affect who you are in the future. As a matter of fact, every choice you make now will affect who you become, trust me, the choices I made when I was a teenager proved to affect and mold who I am right now. I read a particular book when I was 17 about a knight who didn't take a chance and tell the princess that he loved, that he loved her. He was full of what if's and regrets and I never wanted to be that knight.
So I took chances and I fell in love and I lived my life. Some of you will get lucky and fall in love once and others will fall in love a thousand times. I always knew what I wanted in life, I always tried to be sure of who I was. But life doesn't always work out, I spent twenty years thinking I was truly never going to be completely happy. I fell on my face more than once, trust me it will happen to you all.

The main thing that I can tell you is what my father told me once when I thought my world was over. I was just a little younger than you are now but he told me.

We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!

He was a man who observed everything, he actually came to observe my class once not too long after I started here. And when your father is a retired professor and scholar like mine was, it's the most intimidating thing you could ever imagine. So live your lives like no one is watching, observe the world and don't waste any time. Live every experience like it will be your last." Elio was so far into his speech that he didn't notice Oliver looming in the doorway, he was smiling his Oliver smile.

The bell rang one last time and all of his students stood and left him with one last hug.

"Mmm, Mr. Perlman that was by far the sexiest speech I've heard, the most my students get from me is see you next semester," Oliver said wrapping his arms around Elio and giving him a deep kiss.

"Well that's the joys of having seniors, you can give them words of wisdom." Elio grabbed his laptop bag putting it on his shoulder and entwined his fingers with Oliver's, flipping off the light and pulling the door behind them. They went to walk out of the little hallway that leads to the main hall when Elio nearly ran into a student. Oliver was behind Elio hidden by the wall, he stopped as soon as the girl spoke.

"Oh, good Mr. Perlman, I mean Elio, you um haven't left yet." She was nervous Elio could tell she looked at the floor.

"Yes, Trina what can I do for you?"

"It's better to speak than to never know, so I'm speaking. I wanted to know if you wanted to go out for coffee tonight or maybe tomorrow. I've been working up the courage to say thing all year and I knew I had to after your speech." She looked up at him finally and Elio didn't know what to do. He was stunned, oh fuck Oliver just say something already. He looked at Oliver who was in the hallway unseen by Trina, with his hand over his mouth trying to hold it in.

"Um, Trina as much as I am flattered by that it would be really, um inappropriate of me to take you out when I have someone at home. " He said looking at her softly.