Cut and Run

“Andrea Marissa Gold. Andrea is attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University to study Psychiatrics and Music. She wants to be a children’s therapist.” My feet padded along the stage in my flats, my black gown swinging at my calves. Alex was grinning at me from the audience. I shook my principals hand, and took the diploma from. The superintendent turned my tassel and I went to my seat, grinning as wide as I possibly could.

A mere five people later, and the announcer, my math teacher Mr. Melton, was reading off Freddi’s name. “Winifred Alyssa Finch. Winif-” Melton was cut off as Freddi turned and glared in mid stage walk. “Freddi” he corrected himself with a smile. “will be attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University to study English. Freddi wants to be a high school English teacher.” Freddi went through the same motions I did before taking a seat as well. We both leaned forward and clapped to one another, smiling so wide I thought our cheeks would rip.

I looked in the audience, my mother was sitting two rows behind Justin, Aiden, Alex, and Freddi’s parents. She had been released from prison for good behavior, on parole of course, a year before her true release date. Hours before she had shown up at the joint graduation party Freddi and I were having and had formally apologized and said that while she was in jail, she had hired a lawyer and she and my father were now divorced. She had also taken the liberty to file a restraining order of two hundred feet for herself, me, and Justin. For my graduation present she gave me a copy of the order, my fathers mug shot (which made me smile because he looked miserable.) and a promise ring. Engraved on the inside “Taken from me by a boy, returned to me through the Father, to be taken again by my husband.” There was a cross on the top. She even apologized to Justin for kicking him out and shunning him since. He accepted the apology but we both agreed that I was going to stay with Justin, and that while we do forgive her, healing takes time.

Freddi and I have opted to be off-campus freshman seeing as the house Alex, Justin, and Aiden have bought for us all to live in is far enough from campus to be allowed. We’re moving in a month, and until then, Freddi has plenty of time to spend with her boyfriend, Camden. Camden is going to Texas A&M Commerce a mere hour and a half from SOSU and our house. He and the gang will be staying with us quite a lot, we suspect.

All in all, everything turned out just great. I have a the best boyfriend, an amazing best friend, great friends, a fantastic brother, and my brothers fiancée is awesome too. Did I mention Alex bought me a puppy for graduation?

Life is great. And I’m going to enjoy the rest of it.

Ten years later, Andi has opened her own therapy and counseling service, Andrea Understands. She and Alex are married, and her promise ring is on a chain around her neck, reminding her of her past. Together they have one daughter, Marindia Lee, and Andi is pregnant with a son. Marindia knows her grandmother, and so will their son.

Aiden and Justin finally got married in a legal state, and live in Texas, just down the street from Andi and Alex. They adopted three year old twins, Tasha and Kimberly, and are raising them to be okay with having two dads.

Freddi and Camden are married, they live next door to Andi and Alex, and Freddi is pregnant with a son as well. The best friends are due on the same day.

Rick Gold is still in prison, and does not know where his ex-wife and kids are…