Graduation Gift

Graduation Gift by Sue Baughman 6/27/25 (1070 Words)

Franklin D. Roosevelt High School’s Gymnasium was dressed in it’s finest for the year’s Home Coming Dance and Class Reunion. The same streamers and banners from 1975 used once a year were only slightly frayed by 2025. The disco balls and fog machines slightly newer. Still worked fine for the reunions.

As always, the theme was “Surfing.” Paper waves were pinned to the walls, paper palm trees dotted the stage. Gold and blue banners announced that the classes to be honored were the “fives and tens,” and with that, nearly the entire town would be turning out for the party.

Nowhere near the beach, Franklin High served a rural inland farming community of a ten square mile grid on the map, yet it’s classrooms were small and poorly attended even now.Most of the old pioneering families had either died out or pulled up stakes and moved to the Big City for work or better schools or whatever.

Still, a few grads would make the trip to their home town and their alma mater and the two motels in town would be booked solid for a week.

At the steps of the Gym, three gals, lifelong friends met for the celebration. All three wore their former cheerleading costumes from twenty five years ago. Louise Wilson, Catherine Campbell and Louise Wilson had been the star cheer team in the county.

“Hey, we still fit into these things!” yelled Louise, flipping her long dark hair and throwing out a kick. She didn’t mention that she’d made a few modifications to her outfit to make it work with the curves she’d developed since high school.

“Whoo hoo!” said Catherine, known as Catty Cat in her high school days.

“Go Cougars!” said Helen.

Louise gave her friends a hug. “Twenty five years! Wow!.”

“Some things never change,” she said. “Same decs they’ve used for the past fifty reunions.”

“At least the music will be good,” Catty said.

“Our boys are the best.”Their sons, all born within days of each other twenty four years ago were life long friends. They had a seventies cover band and were very popular. They played most of the dances at the high school.

The girls turned towards the gym’s big double doors which were framed with the blue and white streamers that had seen better days.

Eleanor Pike stood guard at the door as she had for the past many reunions. She didn’t miss a beat as she handed out name tags, plastic leis and hats that announced what year the students were from. She smiled as she presented the three girls caps with a “25” emblazoned on the fronts.

“God, she must be eighty years old,” Catty whispered to Helen.

Louise nodded. “She’s still principal. She looks pretty good for her age.”

Eleanor smiled broadly at the trio. “Welcome back, girls,” she said. “Your sons are playin’ their hearts out in there.”

They all three embraced her. “Good turn out this year?” Catty asked.

“No more than usual,” Eleanor said. “People are too busy to attend their smaller reunions I guess.”

Louise nodded. Times were tough, people were working.

“I have a surprise for you girls,” Eleanor said. “Jack’s here,” her eyes twinkled. “I know he sparked all three of you.”

The former cheerleaders gave each other a look. Eleanor’s son Jack had been quite something back in high school. Musician, quarterback, a heartbreaker with his dark curly hair and green eyes. He’d joined the military the day after graduation, and no one had seen him since. All the girls had been crazy about him.

“What’s he been up to?” Louise asked.

Eleanor shrugged. “Navy, traveled the world. Never married.”

“Kids?” Cattie asked.

“No, and I always wanted to be a Grandma.”

“It’s not too late, Miz Eleanor,” Helen said.

Eleanor shook her head.“Hope never dies…”

The former cheer team dance-stepped their way into the gym as if they were still on the squad. “Wonder if he’ll recognize us,” Cattie said.

“How many hundreds of hours did we spend working out in this very building?” Helen said. “Yeah, Cattie groaned. “Polishing routines that we made up ourselves.”

“Or stole from other schools,” Louise laughed.

“Look, over there,” Cattie pointed towards the elevated dias where the band was rocking out Surfin’ Safari surrounded by fake surf boards and other beachy props.

“Our boys almost look like brothers,” Louise said.

“Oh, it’s just that they dress alike when they perform,” Cattie chimed in.

“It’s just a coincidence that they all have dark curly hair, green eyes,” said Louise.

“Yeah, it’s just an illusion,” said Helen.

The girls saw that now there was a fourth member of the band. And sure enough, there was--

“There’s Jack!” said Catty Cat. “Still a dream-boat to me,” she added.

He was dressed in a surfer shirt and khakis and he wore a Hawaiian lei which set off his dark tan and green eyes.

He played an electric guitar along with the boys. His deep baritone voice blended with the band perfectly.

“He could have been those boy’s father,” Helen said.

“Holey Moley, he looks just like my Benny,” Louise said.

“My God, my Dan is a carbon copy,” Cattie said.

Helen grabbed a chair for support. “He’s the spittin’ image of my Chuck.”

They all sat now, speechless.

“How can this be?”

“Remember graduation night, 2000?”

“He asked for a last kiss since he was leavin’ for San Diego the next day.”

“He got mor’n a kiss from me,” Louise said.

“Me too, Cattie said.

“Me three,” said Helen.

“Why didn’t we notice this before?”

“I wondered where my Benny got his musical talent” Louise said.

“We were so stupid. We never thought that our guys weren’t the dads…”

When the band took a break, Jack climbed off the stage and zeroed in on the three girls.

“Hey Jack,” all three stood and hugged him.

“So good to see you girls,” he flashed a brilliant smile. “I want you to meet Alan, my partner.”

A fit handsome guy came up and shyly shook each of their hands.

“Oh, Jack. How wonderful to see you…” Cattie gushed.

“Jack, we have to get together and catch up!” Louise added.

“And Jack, we need to talk,” added Helen.

“Well,” Louise said, “I think we should let Eleanor know that she may get her wish.”

“Better late than never…”