One Graduate Short

It was the morning of June 20th, 2004 and Ms. Mae, as her students affectionately called her, awoke feeling the excitement of the day. This would be the first graduating class for TIS. Transitions International School. TIS had been established in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to fulfill a need for expatriates who wanted a good quality English-based education for their children. That type of education would allow them to continue their undergraduate studies in renowned universities in the region such as The American University of Beirut, The American University of Dubai, and the American University of Cairo. Some of these seniors who would receive their diplomas tonight had attended TIS from their KG years; Others had joined more recently, choosing the British IGCSE program that would provide them with graduation equivalency in their respective countries.

This graduating class had been Mae’s students since they had been in eighth grade. She had taught them English Language Arts, Biology, and Advanced level (AS & A level) Biology for four consecutive years all while heading the entire Science Department of the school. She had been with the school since 1995, when it only had grades KG--8. However, each year the school had expanded by adding one additional grade until it now had a total of 1,000 students and a graduating class of 30. Throughout the years, Mae had been promoted from Science and English teacher for grades 6-8 to high school Biology teacher and chairperson of the Science Department.

She had set the science curriculum early on and selected Harcourt science paperback modules for the elementary grades instead of a heavy hardcover textbook. This was more convenient for the students who carried their books home each night in their backpacks to do homework. She supervised twenty-five science teachers from grades 1-12 and was even in charge of interviewing and selecting qualified candidates to teach science for the school. As an American-born native, fluent in English and a Biology major, it was her job to ensure that both the science concepts and the English grammar in any worksheet or document sent home were irreproachable.

This evening’s event had been planned meticulously. A wooden stage had been erected in the outdoor concrete schoolyard. Curtains for the stage had been hung to provide privacy for dancers and speakers ascending or descending from the stage. Spotlights and audio equipment had been installed and tested to ensure the evening’s graduation ceremony would go off without a hitch.

Ms. Mae dressed in a lightweight summer skirt and cotton top and then slid her arms into the sleeves of her school uniform. In Saudi Arabia, teachers at International schools were allowed to dress in their everyday attire, but to ensure professionalism, all teachers and staff were required to wear a long sleeved button-down blue coat that resembled a lab coat. Mae did not mind wearing this as it contained two deep pockets in the front on either side to conveniently hold keys, a pen, a cell phone, and other useful items.

The day was a normal school day filled with the boisterous play of youngsters as they chased each other in the school yard, the sound of school bells that indicated the beginning and ending of each hour, and the delicious aroma of brewing coffee that was generously provided by the school administration for the teachers. Mae had two teenage sons, Andy who was a junior and Sam who was a freshman who would be a part of tonight’s planned entertainment. They had been selected by the coach/dance instructor to participate in a traditional Lebanese line dance called a dabka. They would wear traditional Lebanese garb that consisted of flowing black capes, white headdress known as a keffiyeh which are held in place by cords known as an aqal. Mae watched with pride as her sons rehearsed on stage along with their classmates as they shouted and kicked up their feetin rhythm to the music.

The final bell of the school day rang and it was time to depart for home, dress for the evening event and return to school for the celebrations. Mae chose a professional black skirt and jacket as she would be called on stage along with the other Chairpersons to be acknowledged for her role in preparing the seniors for their future years at university. Mae’s husband, as an area manager of civil engineering projects, had been assigned a personal driver by his consultant company. This Pakistani driver, Ali, chauffeured Mae and her sons to school each morning and picked them up from school each afternoon. Today, he would make two additional journeys to and from the school as he dropped them off prior to the commencement of the graduation ceremony and picked them up at the end.

Mae entered the school yard to see it had been transformed. Chairs had been set up neatly in rows facing the stage. The floodlights had been lit and cast a warm welcoming glow over the stage and its surroundings. The coach/dance instructor was busy at the podium testing the sound system and he waved to Mae as she walked past and said, “Everything looks great!!”

Graduates began arriving first and headed behind the scenes to be adorned in their blue caps, gowns and tassels. Then parents and guests began to filter into the school yard through the large iron gates, all vying for the seats closest to the stage. Some seats were reserved for VIP guests such as the school sponsor and for the school administration. Other seats were reserved for the graduates themselves. One of Mae’s responsibilities was to walk among the guests greeting and welcoming them and ensuring that no one intentionally removed the reserved signs from any of the seats as they had been known to do in the past.

The moment had arrived and the principal had already welcomed the honored guests and graduates. The country’s National Anthem and school song had been sung and the department heads had been called to the stage for acknowledgement. Mae gracefully walked up the stairs of the stage and took her place in line next to her colleagues. She smiled and allowed her gaze to envelope all the guests as she turned her head from left to right. Then she froze as her eyes focussed on a gentleman and his son standing beside him at the back of the crowd. Her heart skipped a beat and the color drained from her face. This youthful man was the exact image of Hassan, the student the entire senior class had loved and lost the previous year. Why were they here? Why had they come? This celebratory graduation was going to become a memorial instead!

Hassan, which translates into “handsome” or “good” , had been her student since eighth grade. He was not a high academic achiever, but he was a charismatic young man who had been well liked by his peers and the school staff. Last year after Biology class, Hassan had confided in Ms. Mae that he had been having a recurring dream where he saw himself dying a horrific death. Mae was slightly familiar with the interpretation of dreams from books she had read and past experience. She knew that dreams usually utilized symbols such as a flowing black river to represent a funeral procession, or a lit candle meant that a long awaited goal would eventually be realized.

However, Mae was unfamiliar with anyone having such a clear and vivid dream where they actually saw the manner in which they would meet their demise. This seemed more like a premonition than a dream. Mae did not want to scare Hassan, so she explained that maybe this dream was trying to warn him to be more cautious. Hassan felt more relaxed after his conversation with Ms. Mae and thanked her profusely. She gave him an affectionate pat on the back and told him not to worry too much.

It wasn’t until a week after she had had that fateful conversation with Hassan that she heard the ominous ring of her phone late at night. The call was from one of her female students who was sobbing and calling to notify her that Hassan had been killed that day in a horrific car crash. Mae was paralyzed at first, unable to speak or ask questions as silent tears rolled onto her cheeks. The details her student was imparting were too gruesome to imagine. Hassan had been joy-riding in a convertible sport’s car with friends. He had been in the passenger seat and following Ms. Mae’s advice to be extra cautious, he had his seat belt on while the other three young men did not. The car had been speeding and was unable to stop when a semi truck had stalled across the narrow road. The convertible sport’s car had slid under the semi truck in what is known as an “underride” and the three young men who did not have their seat belts on were able to duck down low and survived with only minor injuries. Poor Hassan, on the other hand, who was strapped in his seat by his seatbelt was struck in the head and decapitated instantly. His premonition had come true in the most horrific way, and Ms. Mae now wondered if her advice to be more cautious had been the cause of his death. What had she done?

Those memories had rushed through her head as she stood staring at Hassan’s older brother and his father. Mae descended from the stage along with everyone else and immediately headed to the contemplative pair. Mae had met Hassan’s older brother a few times at parent-teacher conferences, so when he saw her approach, he immediately held out his hand and shook hers warmly saying, Ms. Mae, “How are you?” Mae felt a lump in her throat and struggled to answer, but she shook his hand, nodded her head, and whispered chokingly, “I’m well thank you. How about you and your family?” Hassan’s dad was then introduced to her and she repeated her deepest condolences expressed the year before and asked why they were there. She stated, “This will be difficult for you.”. Hassan’s brother explained that they needed to be there to watch Hassan’s classmates receive their diplomas on stage and imagine how things might have been if not for that dreadful accident.

The night was nostalgic, but it was also beautiful. The valedictorian read her acceptance speech in which she quoted lines from a poem called “A Journey's End, A Journey's Start”. The lines went:

“The bell has rung, the final class is done,

A chapter closes, with setting sun.

Like leaves that fall in autumn's soft decay,

We stand at thresholds, on a different way.

This end, a death to what we used to know,

The comfort of the paths where we did go.

But do not mourn, nor let your spirits weep,

For in this ending, promises we keep.”

Her speech was then followed by the calling of the graduates' names in alphabetical order. As the graduates took the stage one by one to receive their diplomas, they kept their promise to Hassan and held those diplomas up above their heads in salute and said, “This is for you Hassan, my brother and friend!”