Page 34 of Since the Day We Wished

The principal paused for a moment, glancing up from his desk. “Can it wait? I’m in a meeting right now.”

“The deadline for the forms is tomorrow, sir.”

Principal Kennedy groaned and stood up. “Sorry about this...I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” Luke said.

As the principal walked out and closed the door, Luke turned to his son. “Jeremiah, do you think you can try to show a little interest?”

Jeremiah started examining his fingernails. “Maybe I don’t wanna go to school anymore at all. Maybe I’ll drop out.”

Luke took a deep breath. “Drop out? And do what?”

He threw his hands up. “Whatever, I don’t know. You never cared about my life before, or Mom. Why do you care so much now?”

Luke felt a pain in his chest at Jeremiah’s words, but he didn’t let on how hurt he was. “Think about what your mother would’ve wanted for you. Do you think she would’ve wanted you to drop out and not finish high school? She had high hopes for you to go to a good college. What do you think she’d say now?”

Jeremiah looked at Luke, glaring at him. Luke knew he was mad, but Jeremiah stayed mute and looked back down at the floor. The uncomfortable silence between them was finally broken a minute later when Principal Kennedy returned to his desk.

“A thousand apologies for that interruption,” he said. “We’re preparing to enter the National History Bee again for the upcoming year. Last year and the year before, two of our students placed in the spring competition. We’re hoping this year we can finally bring home a championship to Hadley Cove.”

Luke smiled politely as Jeremiah continued to stare at the floor. Principal Kennedy picked up the transcripts and began flipping through them again.

“Now hold on here. It says in your freshman and sophomore year you took part in several history bee championships. You were the Illinois State History Bee champion, and the second runner-up at the National History Bee two years ago. Why didn’t you say so?”

Jeremiah looked away and shrugged. Luke reached over, placing a hand on Jeremiah’s wrist. “Principal Kennedy is asking you a question.”

Jeremiah snatched his wrist out of Luke’s grasp. “I guess it slipped my mind.”

“You shouldn’t be so modest, Jeremiah,” Principal Kennedy said. “A streak like yours is quite impressive...better than anything we’ve seen from any of our students over the years.”

Luke sat frozen, his heart heavy with regret. How could he have missed so much of his son’s life, consumed by work? The realization struck him that his pursuit of unchecked ambition led him to neglect the things that were truly important. Faintly, he recalled receiving texts from Kate about Jeremiah’s competitions while on business trips, but he had never bothered to inquire further about them.

As the weight of his mistakes hit him, he understood why Jeremiah resented him. He had never shown interest in his son’s life and had missed out on so much during his pivotal years. Luke didn’t think he had been that terrible of a father, but now more than ever, it was clear he had been blind to his own shortcomings.

Luke looked at Jeremiah, a silent apology in his eyes. He wanted to wash away all the mistakes he had made. He wanted to tell him he was sorry for everything. But they were still in a meeting with the principal and had to find the words to convince him to allow Jeremiah to start his senior year.

Principal Kennedy turned back to his computer and began typing. “I did a quick Google search for your name, Jeremiah, and I’m finding all the competitions you’ve participated in over the years. It’s quite impressive.”

Luke felt a surge of pride for his son. “He is, isn’t he?”

The principal nodded and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll tell you what, Jeremiah and Mr. Grayson. I’m impressed by your achievements, and I understand the impact a death can have on a student’s coursework. Here’s what I propose: I’ll pass you to your senior year on the condition that for the first semester you’ll be on probation to see how things go. It would also be nice for you to join the school’s history club. They sure could use your help.”

Luke’s heart leapt at the offer. “Thank you, Principal Kennedy. We really appreciate it.”

Jeremiah, however, remained quiet and looked down at his hands. Luke knew his son was still upset with him, and he couldn’t blame him. But this was a start, a chance to make things right.

Principal Kennedy stood up and extended his hand to Luke, who shook it firmly. Then he turned to Jeremiah. Luke nudged him in the side, prompting him to shake the principal’s hand.

“Thank you so much, Principal Kennedy. We look forward to registering for classes later in the week.”

Jeremiah was the first out of the office. Luke hurried to catch up, struggling to match his son’s quick pace.

“Jeremiah, this is great news,” he said, trying to hide his excitement. “I had no idea about your achievements in history. I’m sorry I missed all those competitions. Your mother sent me the information, but I was always away on business trips.”

Jeremiah sighed and gave him the cold shoulder as they reached the main entry doors. Luke wanted to keep praising his son but sensed now was not the time. It seemed like the last thing Jeremiah wanted was to be around him.

Luke and Jeremiah drove home in an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the occasional sounds of cars passing by. When they arrived, Jeremiah headed straight upstairs and slammed his bedroom door shut. Meanwhile, Luke walked into his office and sat down at the desk. He opened his laptop and logged in to his wife’s digital scrapbook, labeledKate’s Mementos and Memories, which she had put together before falling sick.

---