The sun was really hot that day in early June 1985. In fact the whole spring had been sunny, warm, and ripe for skipping class and sitting on our deck behind the lilac bushes - or stealing a few precious hours between classes and dinnertime lounging at our lake.
But today was different. It was the very last day we would all be together. That night we would graduate. I did things I wouldn't normally do in the afternoon. I drank large cold glasses of Malibu and pineapple juice. I put Sun-In in my already impossibly blonde hair. I kissed a boy in the shady patch of trees off the beach. A boy who was taken, but used to be mine.
It was too much, so I left and went home to lay down.
Soon it was time...too fast I had to wake up from the lazy nap in my cool, dark room and get presentable for the ceremony. Ugh. Why had I put that Sun-In in my hair? What was Colleen thinking telling me it was awesome stuff? Blah. Nothing a super quick shower won't fix.
I got to graduation in my "Marilyn Monroe" dress. Showered, tan and sweet smelling from my favorite lotion. I made it with a few minutes to spare and lined up between "my guys" Steven and Sean. My locker posse for the last four years. And as we were about to promenade through the gym and take our seats I reached up to scratch an itch and found the few grains of sand that I missed...and swallowed back the tears of what I was about to leave behind.
16 comments:
Wow.
Just beautiful.
That is so sweet. You captured your memories of that day in writing so well!
Great memory! I loved the Sun-In reference, thinking back to my own run ins w/that stuff!
Such sweet memories...
I don't really have any about my own graduation day except that once I met up with friends just before the ceremony, one friend told me someone had called to ask her to babysit that night. When she told them she was graduating that night and couldn't make it, they asked if she could babysit afterwards! Obviously, my friend said no.
...except that once I met up with friends...
^^^Should read, "except that WHEN I met up with friends...
ugh, sun-in. it turned my impossibly light brown hair to an impossibly hard to name orange color.
wonderful memory!
lovely post. time flies, yes?
I love this post, incredible. Brought me right back to high school! I did the sun-in and lemon juice in the summers. I remember the Malibu and orange juice- we called it "suntan lotion." Come to think of it, I don't think I've had a drop of Malibu since graduation haha.
You brought me right back to my last days of high school (I graduated the year after you). You captured those last care-free moments and sadness of knowing those times were truly over. Really loved this!
Yeah, like Cheryl I started thinking about that graduation day and the wildness of it all. Good job and very evocatuve writing.
Yup, this was truly beautiful. You got me choked up.
What a great post! Good job, Lisa!
Ah, nostalgia! Your post is beautiful and bittersweet. It took me down memory lane.
ahhhh you made me feel my own last day at school, big gulp and watery eyes! great job and boy sun in you know your an 80's child when you write about that yellow inducing evil spray! x so glad i stopped by from the rdc linkup x
This was so good. I miss having a locker posse! ;)
Wow! YOu have me all choked up. That was beautiful.
Sun-IN was such awful stuff but we all used it ;) (I was strawberry blonde, it made it look TERRIBLE).
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