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Maya found me there ten minutes later and immediately recognized the look of devastation on my face. “They are buying her a Rolls-Royce while telling me to take the bus to my own Harvard level graduation,” I whispered.
Maya put her arm around my shoulder and told me that they did not deserve to be there anyway. “We are your real family now, and we will be cheering louder than anyone when you walk across that stage,” she promised.
I decided that I would indeed take the bus to my graduation ceremony just as my father had so cruelly suggested. There was a certain sense of poetic justice to the idea that I wanted to embrace.
I would arrive by public transportation to receive my prestigious diploma and return to my office as a billionaire CEO. Two days before the ceremony, I received an urgent email from the office of the Dean of the business school.
Concerned that there might be some kind of issue with my graduation status, I went to his office immediately. “Miss Casey, thank you for coming in on such short notice during this busy week,” Dean Lawrence greeted me warmly.
He then explained that he had recently received a call from a major business publication regarding a feature story. “You have been named as the youngest self made female billionaire in the technology sector,” he said with a wide smile.
He asked for my permission to briefly recognize this incredible accomplishment during the graduation ceremony. I initially wanted to decline the offer because I valued my privacy, but then I thought about my parents.
I knew they would likely be in the audience now because Kaylee would want to see the spectacle of the event. “That would be acceptable, Dean,” I said after a moment of careful consideration.
Graduation day arrived with a clear blue sky and a gentle breeze that moved through the trees on campus. I stood in front of my mirror and carefully adjusted my cap while smoothing the fabric of my graduation robe.
I kept my original plan and boarded the city bus to travel to the university grounds that morning. The bus was nearly empty, and I sat by the window watching the familiar city streets pass by while reflecting on my journey.
When I finally arrived at the ceremony site, the transformation of the campus was truly stunning to behold. Rows of white chairs lined the grass, and bright banners hung from every historic building in sight.
I scanned the growing crowd of families and eventually spotted my parents standing near the registration area. They looked exactly as they always had, yet I felt like a completely different person as I approached them.
“I see you decided to show up after all,” I said while standing before them. My mother turned with a practiced social smile and leaned in for a brief and cold embrace.
“The traffic was better than we expected, so we decided to make the trip,” my father said without mentioning the Rolls-Royce. Kaylee was standing there looking incredibly bored as she scrolled through her phone with a distant expression.
Our awkward reunion was cut short by the announcement for graduates to begin the processional line. The ceremony began with all of the traditional music and speeches that I had expected to hear.