Beyond Forever
Paul Diaz
Chapter 3: Twenty Two years later
“Hey Chelsea you should look more lively, you are going to give a speech on our graduation today”
“Twenty Two years and I still cannot get a goodnight sleep, Emily where do we go after we graduate?”
“You are still worrying about that? You are so beautiful and intelligent Chelsea, its either you will marry a rich man or you will have a blossoming career, but I don’t get it, you still don’t have a boyfriend”
“Well aside from my problem sleeping, I know he is out there, Emily I think I am going to Ney York after we graduate, I don’t know why but something tells me I must go there”
Chelsea was said to be a gift from the gods, she was an only child, a miracle since her father was said to be impotent. Twenty two years ago her parents celebrated but her family was hounded by a scandal saying that she is not her father’s daughter, this prompted her father to lose his mind and on the process he killed his wife. Chelsea was adopted by a wealthy family but she did not want their wealth, she wanted to live alone and she used her intelligence to go through college.
Not far away a grand commotion was going on at a similar graduation ceremony.
“Mister Adler you well know that you are banned from the graduation ceremonies! Isnt it enough that we let you graduate already. Please vacate the premises now!” shouts a towering man in front.
“If Theodore wont be allowed in the ceremonies then we wont attend too!” and all the graduates stand in unison.
“Well mister Brown, the people have spoken!!! Hey guys, easy on the Theodore part, its Teddy, don’t make me sound like a genius!” says Theodore Adler, a twenty two year old prankster.
“Well then mister Adler, I have no choice, you shall be called first on stage and once you get to your seat you shall be guarded well. “
And the graduation ceremonies begin and the first name to be called was indeed Teddy’s name. Teddy goes on stage to receive his diploma, everyone was waiting for something to happen since Teddy was a well known prankster. He accidentally burned the stage in his High School graduation and nearly burned down several classrooms in college. The crowd was shocked to see Teddy well behaved as he walked to get his diploma, he bowed to the crowd and grabbed the microphone.
“Sir I know, but please let me address my classmates for one last time” he says and the faculty and security could not do anything at all to stop him.
“First and foremost I would like to say I am sorry for everything that I have done through all this years. I felt immense pain when I learned I was banned to attend the graduation but I knew that it was my fault and I do accept that. But listening to mister Brown a while ago I came to my senses, thank you sir for letting me attend in the end, even though I shall be baby sitted by guards afterwards its okay with me. Thank you all for enjoying the Teddy Adler show through all this years, its time for me to get serious with my life and I truly am sorry” and he bows once again to the crowd who all give him a standing ovation. Even the faculty members were moved and all stood up and clapped.
“Oh yeah before I forget I asked my mom to wrap a gift, for all the faculty and administration, Mom could you please bring over the gift, don’t worry you can open it later” he says and he reaches over as his mother hands his a box properly gift wrapped.
“OPEN IT! OPEN IT! OPEN IT!” the crowd suddenly shouts and Teddy looks at the administrators looking for permission to open it. “Sir Brown would you do the honors?” Teddy say but mister Brown smiles and gives him a gesture to open it.
“Okay then since you all want to see the contents of this box, wait let me see what is this wire doing here, I will just set this thing down ….” Teddy stops talking he strips the wrapper of the box and he brings out a lighter and ignites the wire. He jumps down from the stage and runs in the center aisle and shouts “EVERYONE THIS IS FOR YOU!!! ENJOY THE FINAL SHOW!!!!”
Everyone panicked and the administrators ran for their life thinking that it was a bomb. Several bangs are heard and everyone looked up in the sky, it was fireworks. Everyone clapped and rejoiced as they watched a marvelous display of fireworks. Teddy on the other hand was on the run again, he was chased by the security guards.
“Well mister Brown, it’s your fault, you let him in and this is what we get” says one administrator.
“Well, through all my years of teaching he is the only student that I probably will miss, even though he is a wild child, everybody likes him” says mister Brown.
Twenty two years ago Teddy was abandoned by his teen parents; they left him in an orphanage. He was adopted by a couple who turned out to be both drunkards. Teddy was beaten by his father every time he was drunk; he grew up in the most horrible conditions. If it was not for his athletic abilities he would have not stepped foot on high school or even college.
“Hey Teddy where are you going?”
“Mom I am leaving, I am going to New York” says Teddy.
“What the hell are you going to do in New York?” asks his mom.
“Mom, she is there, she is waiting for me, I just know it” he says.
“There you go again, that girl of your dreams, and what would you do if she does not exist?” his mother asks him.
“She does exist mom, I just know it, if she doesn’t then I don’t know, but I know she is there waiting for me” he says.
“For the first time I have never seen you talk this seriously, but I am sorry son I cannot give you any money” she says.
“Don’t worry about me mother I have saved enough from my part time job, here have half of it, just take care of yourself, and when you visit dad’s grave tell him that I forgive him, I will send you more money when I get a decent job mom so cheer up” and he hugs her tightly then he leaves.
“Find me...look hard, and don’t stop, I'll be waiting 'till then, Don’t sleep, and don’t eat 'till I'm back, back in your arms again, I don’t want to have to spend all my…”
“Teddy what song is that you are singing, and when did you start singin? Hurry up get in the car we have a long drive” say Mike, Teddy’s best friend since high school.
“I don’t know, I just heard it before and I liked it, oh well lets go Tonto! New York here we come, and whoever you are I am coming wait for me!!!!” Teddy shouts as they leave finally.
Not too distant away.
“…..forever without you. Just knowing that you’re out there somewhere too. So darling...please I'm begging you on bended knee...Find me...” Chelsea sings aloud.
“Chelsea you surprise me every day, now you are singing” says Emily.
“Find Me by David Gates well I just like the song, come on Emily the bus is leaving” says Chelsea as the two of them head towards New York together.
“I don’t know why I am tagging along but I feel that something marvelous will happen” says Emily.
“Yeah, something will happen, I feel it too, I just do hope he finds me” whispers Chelsea.
“What? Who is going to find you? This is really going to be interesting” Emily says as she fixes her seat.
“You will see….does he exist….if you do please find me” Chelsea whispers to herself as she takes a last look at her home town.
