In The Now of Tomorrow

Isadora’s radiant smile ushers guests into the sombre atmosphere of the auditorium. The faces of each graduate are washed with tears racing down their cheeks as Jessica stands in a draping midnight dress. She embraces guests, one after the other, folding beautiful goodbyes into the evening. In the auditorium foyer, students in mismatched pajamas stand still, looking through teary eyes at the emerald gems dancing across Adelei’s dress, knowing it may be their last. 

The guests flood into the room in numbers, hands wrapped around each other. They settle in their seats, leaving twelve at the front unoccupied. The empty chairs sit in an absence that the room will have to learn to carry.

Bubbling beats crescendo over the melancholy floating through the room, met by scattered applause. James leads the way in his royal blue blazer and confident bounce in his step. Behind him, the rest of the cohort follows, fingertips grazing their teary eyes. When the room finally settles into sporadic snuffles, Ms Shizuha begins her commencement speech. Her words are measured and deliberate, reminding the room of the powerful lessons each graduate will carry home. 

One by one, each graduate ascends the steps of the stage. 

“If tomorrow goes well, I will be happy,” Izzy says gently. 

Her words capture the room. Reminding them the importance of living in the now, the now where Chloe reflects on living at ALA, where being black is the norm, and the role this experience has played in rewriting her understanding of her blackness. The now where Vrinda and Aurellia’s teary speeches carried the room into a lightening laugh. The now where Olivia’s dialogue with Mirriam transported the audience into the lightening spirits of their room in Keza. 

Between every speech, the room erupts in chant.

“Attention, one! Attention, one! SEGL eheheh! Eheheh! One!” 

Moments later, the graduation comes to an end. Lucas and Max move through the audience, collecting final goodbyes, while others stand, consumed by the pain of separation. The night's sorrow is quickly carried away by the glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts passing through the dining hall, over the buzzing chatter.  They all dance into the side dining room under the flickering blue, green, and red lights, soaking up their final moments, knowing the distance of tomorrow stretches far beyond.