On graduation day, Harker's smile looked more forced and strained than usual.
Samson nudged him with his elbow. "Are you gonna take a dump, Harker? You gotta keep it in! This is your big moment."
"I ain't gonna poo, Sam." Harker said between clenched teeth as he and his family continued to pose for the cameras. freeweb novel.co m
Samuel tried patting his shoulder, though he could only reach his elbow. "You're a Summa Cum Laude, Harker. The highest Latin honors, and your paper on chameleons is going to even be nominated at a high science society in London. So cheer up."
"I know, Sammy." He tried to shoo his little brothers away after that long and tedious photo session. "You boys run along, it's Dad's and Chloe's turn."
There could only be three people at a time as a policy, so they had to divide up their family. As soon as Howard Jones rolled his wheelchair towards him with his son holding his diploma and honor certificate, he bursted into tears.
"I'm so proud of you, son…. Sob…" He said.
Harker chuckled nervously, handing him a handkerchief. "Don't cry, Dad! Your eyes are going to look puffy in the picture!"
Chloe sighed. "It always does in every picture of you graduating from kindergarten to high school. You'd have to accept that dad is pretty sentimental when it comes to occasions like this."
The three of them posed for the official photographer, when someone suddenly called out.
"Hey, excuse me! I have a camera here and I'd like to take a photo of the whole Jones family, please." Roland said, holding a polaroid in hand.
"Nice! Thought you won't make it in time, Roland!" Samson excitedly went back and made finger guns with a wink.
Samuel adjusted his glasses. "It's a relief since we would rather have a picture of the whole family on an occasion such as this."
Roland smiled behind the small handheld camera. "Sorry, I had to get my own diploma and certificate first. Then I got barraged by a bunch of old guys congratulating me and giving fake compliments left and right."
Harker made a thumbs up mark on the 5th picture. "The only Summa Cum Laude of Stoker Law School for the past 20 years. No wonder you'd get old men heckling you for it." freewebnov(e)l
"Hah, yes. Probably jealous that their sons and daughters didn't." Roland said.
"Your father must be very proud of you, Roland." Howard Jones said with a bright smile.
Roland's hands lowered a bit, but he steadied it again. "Yes….. I suppose he does."
Harker didn't see Mr. Faust at all during the ceremony, and especially not during Roland's time on stage. It had always been this way. Either it was his secretary or a representative that will be attending his own son's graduation on his behalf.
The photo op was finished and the final ceremonies as well. Harker was pretty relieved that he didn't have to give a speech as one of the few Summa Cum Laudes because Lila took it upon herself to be the one to give the speech as the youngest Summa Cum Laude in the history of Stoker and possibly America itself.
Harker can't help but be a little proud of that girl. She's been like a little sister to him too, along with Maeve and Sarasvati being close friends as well.
Roland's speech was one of the best though. He really has a way with words, and it stirred a different kind of response from the rest of the others before him.
"Though I'm appreciative of all this celebration for my achievement, I would rather appreciate it more if we pursue an environment where we treat everyone's efforts as important. Combined efforts are what truly shapes our society. When a speck of dust collects, it becomes the earth we have today. Small atoms make up our organs, our very bodies, and the entire universe itself."
"What I'm getting at is this…. Small things do matter on a large scale. What seems futile can accumulate into something much, much more. If only we could join hands in pushing through that boulder going uphill."
He went on to promote the idea of altruism, of giving help to others without the search of something in return. The idea of sacrifice.
"Martyrdom may be regarded as just a foolish suicide to others. And that is true, only because we believed it to be. We are the ones that put meaning to things, that create meaning itself. Let us change the meaning of the world to us in order to change the world itself. Let us believe in the power of making choices that moves not just ourselves, but mankind."
Everyone clapped once the speech ended, and Harker was probably the loudest in cheering. He then heard a voice behind him say:
"Pretty inspiring speech he got there. Real tear-jerker."
He realized it was Professor Seward. She sounded pretty sarcastic, but she always does. So Harker could never be sure if she was being genuine or not.
"Congratulations, Jones." She held out her hand. "I'm not really surprised. I already expected this coming from a mile away, you and Lila being the Summa Cum Laudes. It's been 6 years since our last one, the grading standards here are actually pretty high."
"Thanks, Prof." Harker gave her a firm handshake. "Not as impressive as my buddy up there, though. Two whole decades and he got it."
Professor Seward wore a wide smile. "Yeah, your boyfriend sure is something."
Harker just rolled his eyes at this. He was already used to remarks of people calling them boyfriends just because of how supportive they were of each other. He thought she was being sarcastic again.
"You going to the afterparty?" She asked him. "There's going to be Kahlua, I heard. Coffee and alcohol are my two greatest loves, and I'm ready to die from coffee liqueur intoxication tonight."
"Can't, Prof. I'll be having dinner with the fam instead. My best bud and I will also have to discuss a few things we'll be doing this vacay."
"Ahh, yeah, I get it." She patted his shoulder. "Just don't forget to wear condoms and get all the prep and testing out of the way. I mean, I'm not one to stereotype and I don't believe in diseases specifically hitting a group of people. But better safe than sorry. Even I do it for STDs."
Ok, Harker thought this was going too far for a joke. He pushed her hand away.
"That's not really funny, Prof."
She shrugged. "Geez Louise, I was just trying to be a responsible adult for once. But yeah, none of my business. Have a good one with your family and your boyfriend."
Harker's eye twitched as she left. What's her problem...…
Realization then hits him. and it's all coming back to him now. Back in that club with a secret underground Victorian pub. Once he got to Mina, they had been separated and he thought Professor Seward just went home afterwards but…..
Did she hear something weird that made her think he was gay?
"Ah, geez." He rubbed his nose bridge. "Can't be helped, at least she's not hitting on me anymore. This could be a silver lining."
What matters now was finding Victoria during vacation. He and Roland booked a trip to Jamestown first thing tomorrow to look for Professor Seward's sister.
However, there was a change of plans.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦