Page 122 of Through Quick and Quinn
Hey Geoffrey,
I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things in my life.
One time when I was bike riding home from work, I caught the sunset. Made me stop in my tracks. There were so many hues of pink, orange, and yellow, and from my vantage point, there weren’t any obstacles. No telephone poles or wires in the way. No large buildings. Just the beautiful sunset.
I also remember the time we went for a long walk at the park. In the center is the man-made pond, so there are usually ducks and geese everywhere. And lots of poop too. One time, we saw two ducks, snuggled up together in the shade of a huge oak tree. The female had her head nuzzled into her partner’s colorful feathers, and they seemed as content as could be. Another sight that made me stop in my tracks.
But I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as Quinn. Never, not in all my years.
Last night was Prom. When I arrived at her house and her parents invited me in, Quinn came walking down the stairs in this simple but elegant red gown. Her hair was done up all nice and she was wearing a little make-up. No joke, Geoffrey, she took my breath away. I always thought that was a stupid expression, but now I get it. I never thought I’d use the word “exquisite” in my life, but yo, I really don’t know how to put into words how gorgeous she looked. Don’t get me wrong. I always think she looks beautiful. Even when we’re sweating in the garden and she has dirt on her face. But last night? Wow.
We took some photos at her house, and then headed to mine to do the same. All four of our parents were gushing over us, and I think I even saw tears in Dad’s eyes. Prom is all about it being fun for us, but I didn’t realize how special a night it is for the parents, too. I’m glad Quinn and I didn’t rob our folks of it.
Prom itself was pretty fun. I mean, neither one of us loves crowds and all that, but we had a good time. People kept coming up to us to say hi, fist bump, and say something about Seek or the protest or whatever. It’s weird that we went from invisible to some bizarre form of iconic. That sounds arrogant as hell and I don’t mean it that way. I’m just saying that Seek, and the principles behind it, meant a lot to a lot of people. Anyway, we had some good conversations and later laughed about how ironic it is that we made some “friends” in the last month of school. She reminded me of what she told me once, way back when. That she didn’t expect to meet “her people” in high school. She gave me a kiss and said she was so happy that she met “her person” instead.
We made it to the dance floor a few times, agreeing in advance not to care how stupid we would look, but all the fast songs turned into some crazy mosh pit thing. Like we were at a rock concert or something? It was hilarious to watch, but neither one of us had any desire to get in there. We did dance to a few slow songs, but that just ended up being a long swaying hug with a lot of kisses snuck in. I must have told her a million times last night how beautiful she is and how much I love her. I never thought I’d be such a goob but I can’t help it.
When we got to her house and I walked her to the front door, we chatted about how much fun we had. She ended the night with a sweet little kiss, and then forehead to forehead she told me how happy being with me makes her.
I know exactly how she feels.
It’s a little scary, though. What if I can’t be happy without her? I don’t even want to think about it.
Love you, bud.
-Deck
Quick:
A Misty Good-Bye
The hardest part of the last day of high school was saying good-bye to Mr. Erickson. He impacted my life in so many ways, and the closer I got to leaving, the more I realized what a force he was for me. Never mind that he was the link for Quinn and me, but his ideals and passions were inspiring. If it weren’t for him and REED, my entire high school experience would have been different. And those last two years of high school shaped me. I was lifted out of a dark place in more ways than one, and when I boiled it down, I knew it all started with him.
Quinn and I didn’t even discuss meeting at Mr. E’s room after school that day. We instinctively knew that there was no other place to be. He was expecting us. I was never as observant as Quinn, but even I could tell that he was waiting for us to walk through that door one last time.
He updated us on Seek, mentioning that the issue became a district-wide one. As it turned out, there were as many parents fighting for the forum to stay open as there were filing complaints against it. The district was hosting administrative and parent meetings that summer, and Mr. E promised to keep us updated and to do his best to keep it alive, although he admitted that he thought the students would find a new way to share digs if Seek got pulled. “Nothing can stop it,” he claimed with a smug grin. Quinn and I both agreed with him, and the three of us were all smiles when we thought of the potential that the next year could bring.
“I hope you know that you are both an inspiration to so many. You reached more people than you realize and more deeply than you think. It’s amazing, Quick and Quinn. You should feel proud of yourselves,” he said, his voice revealing that the statement was laced with emotion.
“Well, Mr. Erickson, we feel the exact same way about you. You are the one who inspired us and showed us the way. Thank you. Thank you for supporting us and guiding us for the last two years. We owe Seek & Speak’s success to you.” Quinn’s voice started to quiver, and then sure enough, she burst into tears and gave him a huge bear hug. He was startled at first, but then returned the hug. There was definitely a mutual respect and regard between Mr. E and the two of us.
“Not only that, Mr. E, but we owe our friendship to you. And to be honest, I would have been lost forever without it.” I glanced at Quinn, and then sure enough, I got choked up and had to fight off the tears. He sensed it, and understood. He extended a hand, but I went in for a bear hug of my own.
We had a misty good-bye and vowed to keep him updated on our lives. Quinn and I were silent as we walked out of his room and down the hall. It was when we walked by the quad on our way out that I knew there was no stopping the breakdown that was about to occur. I quietly walked to the grass, sat down where I first did two years before, and let the tears fall. Quinn didn’t say a thing. She just sat next to me and rubbed my back. She got it. She knew that the quad was full of so many special memories, from fits of laughter to tin foil hats, but even more so, that quad was where I found myself. Where I pushed myself to try and to discover, to release and to love.
And I walked off that campus knowing exactly that. The quad was where I first learned how to love. And not just Quinn, but myself, too.
Quinn:
My Majestic
Quick and I were invited to a few graduation parties during that final week of school, and although the ones we attended were quite lovely, the most joyous was the celebration of our own. Of course my parents and I graciously accepted the invitation to the small gathering at the Williams’ house, but I had a case of the jitters leading up to the event. It was the first time all six of us would spend an extended amount of time together, and I secretly prayed it would be the first of many.
We walked into their home to see the place completely adorned in our school colors of blue and white. Helium-filled balloons with dangling strings of curls covered the entire ceiling, two-toned twisted streamers dolloped from wall to wall, and enlargements of our senior photographs under a large sign that read, “Congratulations, Quick and Quinn!” Upon entry, I was immediately touched by the magnitude of thoughtfulness that Quick’s parents clearly poured into making the evening as special as possible.
The thoughtfulness went much beyond the decorations. In addition to the delicious foods from our favorite places, Quick and his mother supplemented the spread with edibles straight from our amateur garden. My favorite was the caprese salad, mainly because both the tomatoes and the basil were grown with love in the backyard. Moreover, the display of sliced stacks of crimson tomato, fresh mozzarella cheese, and crisp, fragrant basil in the shape of a Q was such a nice touch. I drank too much hibiscus tea throughout the evening, but nothing was as stunning or delectable as the cakes. One in my honor and the other in his, the small eight-inch cakes were personalized by favorite flavors, mine being lemon and his chocolate. Our names were piped by what must have been the hand of an expert calligrapher, and the graduation caps that were artistically drawn to rest upon our initial letters were both literally and figuratively the icing on the cakes. I was astonished by the consideration given to every aspect of the beautiful buffet.
The detailed planning of the celebration was evidenced even further after the six of us devoured our slices of cake, when Mr. Williams announced that both sets of parents came prepared to share short speeches. As we sat around their dining room table, Quick and I held hands as we gratefully listened to the words of wisdom that our parents wanted to impart to us as we stepped from childhood into adulthood. My parents spoke of embracing inevitable change, of finding the growth and beauty in new and uncomfortable situations, and of stretching boundaries to avoid stagnancy and regret. My mom and dad bounced back and forth in their delivery so perfectly that I knew they practiced it, and every word spoken oozed with support of my upcoming path. Quick’s parents then demonstrated their love and pride through their messages of nurturing encouragement. They mentioned the importance of self-discovery through experience and that not only was it time to discover who we were and what mattered to us, but also what we were made of. They emboldened us to remember that moments of failure are treasures from which to learn, that failures are simply attempts at things not yet mastered, but that we could never fail at being true to ourselves. I soaked in every second, honing in on each word and focused on each message, and I know Quick did as well. Tears were shed and hugs were shared by all, and mine were exacerbated by gratitude when my mom revealed that she had set up her camera and recorded the entire thing. I knew I would watch that video innumerable times in the years to come.
