The Graduates
Gus cleared his throat a couple of times and then started telling his story. “My parents were rather intelligent but not highly educated people. They both came from families that worked and toiled their whole lives just to barely make ends meet. My parents never had the opportunity to rise above their families’ meager social class and when the Great Depression hit, our family was hit hard. So, education was a luxury neither family could invest in. It was a proud moment for both of my parents when I was able to stay in school and graduate.” He paused a moment, seemingly lost in reflection. “To celebrate, my parents threw a party in our small coal camp town. The likes of which had not been seen in that area. Everyone was invited. Even him,” he narrowed his eyes down the hall in the direction of Marty’s room. “And his family. It was the polite thing to do, my mom said.”
Calvin nodded. Graduation day? This had to be the cause of the great Marty and Gus rift. Then he tried to picture the two 90-year-olds as teenagers and failed. His mind kept reverting their faces to the worn and wrinkled faces he knew. Later on, he would let himself giggle about the images his mind kept conjuring up.
“I tried to talk my dad out of throwing the party but, what can I say? He was a proud papa.” Gus’s face relaxed to a near smile. “My parents were well liked and everyone showed up. Of course, he came with his girlfriend’s family. Oh boy, that girlfriend of his.” He drifted off in thought for a moment. “Her dad was a mining official so a bit higher paygrade than the rest of the miners in town. He never acted like it though. His wife, however, never fit in with the other miners’ wives. A bit uppity. Which meant their daughter, Marty’s girlfriend, was a real piece of work.”
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