Both Dum-Dum and Charlie were growing like weeds. Dum-Dum was a bit of an odd looking mutt. She looked sort of like a small boxer, at least in shape and form, with bow legs and a barrel chest, and both parents had been short haired, but her head and face looked like her beagle mother, although a bit wrinkly. She was putting on about a pound or two a week all through the spring, but then leveled out at around 35 pounds. Charlie didn't grow that fast, but he seemed to take after his mother's family, with the blond hair of his uncles and a stocky build. He sure didn't look like any Buckman I'd ever met!
During May, a date occurred that I was simply dreading. Suzie was graduating from the University of Delaware, with both her Bachelor's in Nursing and her Registered Nurse credentials. I had missed it the first time around, but I couldn't say that I was too busy now. In fact, Suzie really wanted me to come, and Marilyn was pushing for me to go.
Hamilton had loomed over the graduation on the first time through, with his failure to finish college. I had felt unbelievable pressure to succeed from my parents, to graduate, to marry, to have children, and to be successful. In later years, after talking to Suzie, she had told me the same had occurred with her. I remember how I felt so incredibly relieved when she graduated from college, simply so she could carry the burden of the family name along with me.
Now, things were even worse. My much greater success and independence had driven my brother over the edge, along with Mom, and Suzie found the pressures intolerable. She already had a job lined up at Johns Hopkins, and an apartment, and didn't plan on moving back home.
We argued several times in the weeks leading up to the graduation. "This is simply a lousy idea, honey.", I told Marilyn. "There is no good reason for me to go, or you for that matter, and many good reasons not to. Suzie will understand. We can take her to dinner or have her out to the house."
Marilyn looked at me in a manner to scare me! "Your sister loves you dearly and has specifically invited you to be there. You are going to her graduation. If you die along the way, I am to drag your corpse to the show! You will be there!"
"This is you and Suzie trying to get me and my family back together, and it won't work. Why can't you just accept this?"
"Because we love you and we know it kills you to be apart from them. Your father wants to talk to you, and you want to talk to him, I know you do!", she answered, in a pleading wail.
"It doesn't matter! None of this matters! This isn't about me or my dad, or even my mom. This is about Hamilton, and not one blessed thing the two of you cook up will change the fact that my brother is a raving lunatic, at least as far as I'm involved. This simply won't work."
We argued some more and she stomped away. We had several such arguments in the days leading up to the graduation, and I wasn't winning any of them. Finally the day of the graduation came. We left at the crack of dawn in my car, with Charlie bundled into his car seat in the back. Dum-Dum we locked into the laundry room, with water and some Puppy Chow. It takes about an hour-and-a-half to get to Newark from our house, no matter whether you drive down to the Beltway and around the city to I-95, or cut across northern Baltimore County to pick up 95 directly. Both Charlie and Marilyn slept on the way. I was simply praying for a massive car crash to delay us for eight or nine hours.
Graduation was being held in the college stadium, which is certainly big enough, but made me wonder what would happen if it rained. Delaware is a fair sized state school, much larger than RPI, and would probably be graduating about 4,000 students. If everybody had four guests, and I knew that was probably low, there were probably going to be at least 16,000 in the throng. Joy!
I was right. The place was a zoo. The stadium only holds about 20,000 people, and it was full. Thankfully the weather held off and was nice. I had on a lightweight suit and Marilyn was wearing a very pretty dress, and even Charlie had on a new outfit. We sat there through the ceremony, couldn't see where Suzie was, never heard her name being called, and waited until we could escape. Marilyn had a much better opinion of it all then I did. Afterwards we were to meet Suzie at one of the numbered side gates, so as soon as everybody got up, we headed down to the gate.
We maneuvered down to the designated gate, which was near where we sat, and waited for my sister to show. I couldn't see any sign of my family, so maybe they were the ones in the car crash. I could always hope.
I looked over at Marilyn and thought she looked good. I thought the same about myself and Charlie. I felt like an idiot worrying about how we looked in front of people who weren't expecting us and didn't want to see us. Objectively, I was probably about as good looking and healthy as I had ever been in my life, either lives. I was staying fit, about 185 or so, and since I had gotten out of the service I had let my hair grow out. It wasn't long, but it showed some of my natural waviness, and I had trimmed my mustache and goatee earlier in the week. I was still my natural dirty blond shade, and I hadn't started graying yet. I was in a good suit, a muted light charcoal plaid, and I had my good black and brass cane. Marilyn looked just as good. She was still going to the gym with me most mornings, even if she grumbled and complained about it, and was far more toned and in shape than in our previous life. Today she was wearing a very nice blue print knee length dress, along with medium heel open toed pumps. Even Charlie had on a nice clean blue and yellow outfit, along with a little 'Blue Hen' sunhat on, all of which had been a Christmas present from Suzie. (The school colors are blue and yellow, and the school mascot and teams are the Blue Hens.)
After about five minutes we heard a squeal and Suzie came running towards us, her gown flapping in the breeze, and one hand up and holding her mortarboard on her head. "You made it!"
She looked more than cute, she looked beautiful. She had really blossomed as she grew up, and was very much the image of her mother, although she smiled a lot more. As soon as she got closer she waved at Charlie. "Charlie! Remember me? I'm your Aunt Suzie!"
Charlie's face lit up, and it was obvious he did remember her. He babbled out, "Aun' Soo! Aun' Soo!", and struggled to get out of his stroller. Marilyn set him loose and he toddled over to Suzie, who laughed and picked him up.
"Well aren't you a big boy!"
"Aun' Soo! Aun' Soo!" Both Marilyn and I smiled at this. Not all of my family was fucked up. Charlie reached up and began grabbing for Suzie's tassel, which fascinated him. Eventually she simply took her mortarboard off her head and put it on his, and he crowed with laughter. "Aun' Soo!"
"Oh my God!", I heard from the side, in a very familiar voice. I turned away from my sister and my son, to face my mother. She was standing there on the walkway, as people moved around her, a look of disbelief on her face, her mouth open and her eyes wide. She was still as tall and as slim and as coldly beautiful as ever. Following behind her, on her right side was my father, also with a startled look on his face, and on her left side was Hamilton, with a much less accepting look. It was more like sheer hatred on his part.
"Hello, Mother, Father." I said. Around me I could feel the temperature dropping. Marilyn inched closer to my side, and then went behind me and took Charlie from Suzie.
"You're not supposed to be here!", hissed Hamilton.