today i watched my little brother cross the stage at the DAR Washington Convention Center in a billowy kelly green gown with matching hat and tassel. he was noticeable even from a distance by the slight slump that makes his 6′ 2″s less intimidating and the sneakers. up close he’s more noticeable for his ski-length eyelashes and red mouth. he’s the last: last graduation i had scheduled for this spring, last of my siblings & first cousins to leave high skool.
somebody at swat said, a graduation’s not a graduation unless someone quotes robert frost. this ceremony didn’t disappoint. it stood out in other ways, though, from the others of my experience. families were so exuberant that the principal had to threaten them with expulsion from the room. kids kept inflating beach balls and volleying them around. ted kennedy spoke, and really well, before lumbering back to the senade. the wilson senior high skool choir kept ascending the stage to sing, gospel-style. one selection: “celebrate good times.” my mother whispered, do they do barmitzvahs?
afterwards my family celebrated by assembling on a table our combined bodyweight in food. ate it, too. since, at my little brother’s behest, we were at a steakhouse, i had less than most people, i managed to walk out of the restaurant on my own two feet. others had to be dragged on stretchers that smith & wollensky’s keeps stacked in the front for just that purpose. the plates were the size of computer monitors, the steaks the size of screens. all the drinks came automatically doubled. the slice of monster chocolate cake the graduate ordered was about three stories tall. he managed three bites and fainted (and this is a boy who can hold his chocolate).
ugh, i’m still full. in a way it’s a good thing. i’m still wearing the french red (p)leather skirt i debuted today, which, under normal circumstances, sits slightly too big on my hips. now it’s nice and snug.