A fictionalized short story inspired by some actual events.)
A Short Story By Rosemary
(*The author registered the original version of this story
at the U. S. Copyright Office in 2023 in,
“The Adventures of Rusty and Janie,” Chapter 9.)
Rusty's and Janie's graduation was coming up. The month of June in
1981 had already begun on a merry note.
The twin sisters had just attended the senior prom with their dates in
their new long white evening gowns. They also intended to wear these
garments for their upcoming graduation.
Rusty’s dress was a beautifully designed white eyelid fabric dress, adored
with a big light pink tinted ribbon, which complimented her complexion,
and curly carrot red hair?
Her latest hairdo was short and wavy, with one side pulled back with
a beautiful comb barrette. Her earrings were usually smaller and
unassuming, as she did not favor large ones. She usually wore
little makeup, just some pretty light rose colored rouge, and
lipstick in a soft pink shade.
Janie sported a different look. Her hair was longer than her sister’s.
The white dress she wore to the prom was styled in a more grown-up
design, with the top slightly off the shoulder. It was adorned with
a light blue sashay gathered at the waist. Janie wore a bit more make-up
than her sister, completed with a light coat of mascara which gave her
a more sophisticated appearance.
The graduation guidelines required all young ladies to wear white
floor length evening gowns. Like the majority of the other girls,
the twins each purchased one white dress. The colored sashays were worn to
the prom, and white ribbons would later be used for the upcoming graduation
service to comply with the all-white dress code for the female graduates.
At this high school, the young women graduating were instructed to
wear completely white gowns, as they were each required to carry
a bouquet of red roses during the upcoming ceremony.
The young men were required to be attired in light blue tuxedos.
The commencement at this high school had this long-standing tradition
which was always known for its elegance.
Another ritual which occurred every year which was not approved by the
school administration was Senior Ditch Day.
“Hey Rusty, have you decided on where we should all go for the
upcoming ditch day?" one of her friends inquired.
“Nope. I do not have a clue. Let me discuss it with Janie and the others,"
Rusty suggested.
“Okay, but we all have to decide quickly,” her friend warned, as
she gathered her books for her next class.
Rusty then blurted out, “The teachers passed around a notice of
warning that anyone who participates in this day may not be able
to graduate,” she stated with slight fear in her voice.
“Oh, they say that every year. They said that when my older sister
graduated last year!” her friend, Melinda replied with laughter.
“I know, but what if this year they are actually serious about it?”
Rusty asked with a tone of concern.
“They won’t, don’t worry! What are they going to do,
cancel everything?” her friend asked smugly.
She then added, “They can’t fail all of the seniors, they could
be sued. I know this for a fact, my dad is a lawyer,” her classmate
stated defiantly.
Rusty felt a lot better.
“Okay, I will talk to you later. Right now, I have to get to my next class,”
Rusty answered, as she began to swiftly move down the hall, in order to
arrive on time before the bell rang.
After classes adjourned for the day, Janie waited for Rusty outside.
They shared a small white economy car.
“Hi Rusty, let’s go to the grocery store on our way home. I promised
Mom we would pick up a few items for her,” Janie announced, as
she pulled out an envelope with cash which was accompanied with
a shopping list.
“Oh, by the way, there is a little extra money in here so we can
buy a treat for ourselves. It is her way of saying thank you,” Janie
mentioned.
As they both climbed into the small vehicle, Rusty decided to
bring up the subject of the upcoming unauthorized yearly tradition.
“Janie, are you planning on taking part in the ditch day next week?”
Rusty curiously inquired.
“Yeah, probably,” Janie replied.
“Well, I don’t know if I can. With this last semester of school, I am
taking mostly electives, however, I still have two final exams scheduled
for that day. What should I do?” Rusty asked.
“Gee, that’s a tough one. I guess I am lucky with my classes
there isn't anything scheduled for us that day,” Janie announced.
As Janie carefully maneuvered their compact vehicle into a parking space,
they each climbed out and headed towards the entrance of the small business.
As they were shopping, Janie marked the items off the list.
They each grabbed a cold bottle of their favorite grape soda pop, out
of the big cooler which was stationed by the express line.
“Hi girls, your mom called. She stated she forgot to tell you she
also needs a box of mashed potatoes mix. I have already set it
aside for you. Your mother also said there should still be enough money
left over for you each to buy a treat,” the middle-aged female clerk
mentioned good naturedly.
“Thanks for your help,” Rusty stated as she, and her sister, placed
the items out of their cart and onto the counter.
“Please also add these two grape sodas to the bill,” Janie respectfully
instructed.
As they left the store, and headed towards their car, Rusty carried the large
brown bag in her arms, as Janie reached into her pocket to find the car keys.
When they were both seated inside, they twisted off the caps from their grape
flavored sodas, and began enjoying their cold sweet, carbonated beverages.
Rusty marked her bottle with a black marker with an “R” so they would not
mix-up their drinks. Since Janie was driving, Rusty was in charge of holding
both bottles in her lap, during the short drive home.
Janie drove their auto into the circular driveway, of their white suburban home.
There was only enough room in their family’s garage for their parents’
cars, so their small vehicle was always parked in the middle of their
round driveway.
However, today they did not need to find their house key.
Their mother was standing in the doorway.
“Hi girls, I thought I would help you with the groceries,” she stated
gleefully, as she was standing in a new pink dress.
“Hey Mom, I love your outfit. What’s the occasion?” Rusty asked.
“It’s for your graduation!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm. She then
paused for a moment to collect her emotions, before continuing.
"It’s not every day that a mother has her twin daughters graduating
from high school!,” she proudly proclaimed.
As they all walked into the house, their mom also showed them
a box of new pink shoes, with a matching handbag.
“Aren’t they pretty, everything goes with the dress,” their mother
emphasized.
“Wow, you have really out done yourself!” Janie laughed.
“Your father insisted. He also bought a bunch of new rolls of film
for his camera, which will come in handy," their mother announced.
During dinner, their parents began to discuss their family’s
plans for their graduation.
“Girls, I thought that after the ceremony, we could all go
out to that steak and lobster restaurant and have a celebratory meal!,”
their father happily suggested.
“That’s a great idea! Why don’t we just make it for our family?
I hope your two older siblings will join us, then it will just be the six of us.
I will call them. This way, we can all relax and really enjoy ourselves,”
their mother added.
“I hope they will be able to celebrate the twins’ graduation with us too!,”
their dad stated with a sentimental air.
She then turned to the twins and asked, “How does that sound girls?,”
she asked happily.
“Terrific,” Janie cheerfully replied.
“Yeah, it’s okay with me too!” Rusty added happily.
After dinner, the twins were cleaning up the kitchen. Janie stood for
a moment and observed Rusty’s sluggish body movements, as well
as the unhappy expression on her face.
“Rusty, I know what you are thinking. You are worried that if you
participate in the ditch day, you may be jeopardizing your graduation,”
Janie stated.
“Yes, as I told you before, I have two exams scheduled for that day.
There is no guarantee that the teachers would allow me to make them up.
They have already been instructed by the Principal not to allow any of
the seniors to take the test before the ditch day, or after it,
unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as a family
emergency, etc.” Rusty repeated.
“I don’t know, Rusty, maybe you should go to school that day. Those elective
classes are pretty easy, and there is no doubt you could pass both tests with at least
a "B.” Why take the risk?” Janie calculated.
You’re right. Although they will not be difficult, I still have to take
them in order to pass both courses and graduate,” Rusty acknowledged.
The day in question was approaching, and Rusty was still struggling
with this dilemma.
Janie and their school chums were in the process of making their elaborate
plans for the day. The television weathermen predicted a warm and sunny
afternoon.
The night before the day in question, Rusty walked downstairs to look
for something. She noticed that all of the lights were turned on in the
fancy room.
This was the one area of the house, which was usually reserved for guests,
and rarely used. Rusty walked quietly near the door and decided to take
a peek inside.
Her mother was wearing her new outfit, which was further attired by
her latest accessories. Their father was taking pictures of her, as he
complemented her.
“Oh Albert, can you believe our girls are graduating from high school?”
she asked her husband, as she gleamed with pride.
“No Margaret, I cannot. It’s hard to believe they are both young women
about to enter college in the Fall,” he stated proudly.
“By the way, I have already told my employees that I will be taking the day off
just before the twins’ graduation, as well a few days after it,” their dad firmly
announced.
“That will be great, you won’t have to fight the traffic on the highway to get home,”
his wife replied as she was feeling a sense of relief.
However, Rusty began to see the real message beneath the humor her parents’
comments were really conveying. It was obvious that their graduation was in
some way more meaningful for their folks.
Rusty had finally made her decision.
The dreaded day had finally arrived. Rusty awoke earlier than usual
and slowly got out of bed. She showered and dressed in her favorite
tee shirt and blue jeans.
She gathered her books, and hurried downstairs. She assumed she
would need to take the bus to school that day, since Janie had already promised
their small circle of friends that they could use the car for their excursion.
Rusty grabbed a banana, and a can of soda, as she did not want to miss her ride.
She would need to eat on the run. Janie was nowhere to be found.
She assumed that her twin sister was probably in her bedroom sleeping,
as she did not have any finals that day. Janie had expressed that she was certain
she could take the day off, and still graduate.
As Rusty stepped outside onto the driveway she heard a loud horn beeping
from their small car.
“Hurry up, we are going to be late,” Janie yelled.
Rusty was shocked! She immediately opened the door and plopped down
in the passenger’s seat of the vehicle.
“Hi Janie, I didn’t bother to go to your room this morning. I thought you were
going to take the day-off with everyone else, since you don’t have tests today,”
Rusty stated with puzzlement.
“I changed my mind. I got to thinking; high school will be over very soon.
Who cares if the other kids don’t like that we came to school today. Why does it matter
what they think! We will not even see most of them anymore after graduation.”
Janie stated realistically.
She then added, “Besides, what happens if this year they decide to carry out
their threat of not allowing anyone to graduate who ditched school today?
Why chance it, for people we probably will not see much of after graduation,”
Janie stated realistically.
“Yeah, I was thinking that too. Besides, I can only imagine how upset Mom and Dad
would be, if we were not allowed to graduate, and Mother could not wear that frilly
new dress she bought,” Rusty joked.
“You’re not kidding! I think this graduation means a lot more to them, than to us.”
Janie humorously proclaimed, as their little light-colored automobile headed
towards the high school.
A few weeks later, Rusty and Janie attended their graduation.
During the commencement ceremony, the sisters sat on the stage with their classmates.
They sat politely as they had to patiently endure one speech, after another. The orators
were comprised of distinguished faculty, the valedictorian, and a few guest speakers.
They noticed their parents sitting proudly in the audience. Their mother’s new
pink flowered frock complimented her curly red hair, and delicate facial features.
She was wearing a dainty-looking corsage comprised of two small light pink roses,
surrounded by baby's breath and flowing soft pink colored satin ribbons.
Their father sat in his freshly ironed light blue suit, with his camera placed on
his lap so he could snap pictures when his daughters received their diplomas.
He also planned to take an array of photos right after the ceremony.
The twins were aware that more pictures would await them afterwards.
Most of their friends were in attendance. As predicted, most of the seniors
who took part in the ditch day were allowed to graduate and participate in the
ceremony. The school didn't carry out their warnings of not allowing anyone
who took that day off to automatically be denied the opportunity to graduate.
However, the school did carry out the stated policy, of not allowing seniors
who failed to attend classes that day, to make-up the exams they missed due to
their unauthorized absence.
The twins knew this for a fact, as one of their friends found herself in
this predicament. When she missed one of her final exams, the school did not
allow her to make it up. Since the examination was heavily factored into
the final grade, she did not earn enough points to pass the course.
Therefore, she could not graduate with her classmates.
Although the students scheduled to graduate in August of that year were
allowed to participate in the June ceremony, the course their chum needed to
graduate was not scheduled to be offered in their upcoming summer school
curriculum. There was not a course being offered which could have
been considered a suitable substitute for the one she failed.
Therefore, she would need to return to high school in the Fall to retake the class,
in order to graduate in January. She would still be given the option of
attending the next year’s June commencement if she chose to participate.
After the current ceremony, the two graduates and their entire family
enjoyed a wonderful dinner at their favorite eatery. Rusty and Janie especially
liked the extravagant salad bar, which was more elaborate than usual due
to the graduation and prom season.
They were also feeling relieved when they were no longer needed to
pose for additional pictures.
As a result of the number of photos their dad took before the
graduation ceremony, during it, and shortly thereafter, he ran out
of film for his camera by the time they arrived at the restaurant.
Author’s note:
The author wishes to dedicate this story in loving memories
of her parents and older sister.
