What We Once Were | ✔

30 | Joseph

Graduation was coming too soon, the year seemed like it had gone by in seconds leaving me wondering: what happened? Graduation was in a week, a week more and no more high school, no more easy passes, and certainly no more teachers. I knew what I would do after graduation, I mean, I had my scholarship to LSU, August wanted to be an art teacher, Heather wanted to go to mechanics school believe it or not, just like her dad. We all had our futures planned but we didn't have our hopes planned, yeah we knew what we wanted but we weren't in control with what would happen in the future. Since school was coming to an end, graduation so close, the teachers told everyone to use the last week of school to turn in missing homework and finish finals. As you could guess, since August told Mr. Richard her feelings I've been wanting to talk to him. I shoved the last of the papers into a trash can cleaning out my locker.

"Man, you really don't clean?" Heather asked beside me, she smirked at the amount of junk in it.

I chuckled, "as much as I clean my room."

"Then it's junk yard," she replied, I shut my empty locker for the last time carrying the trashcan to Mr. Richard's class, I was one of last to finish. The whole class ignored the movie he played, they messed around on their phones.

"Not really," I smirked, I put the trashcan by his desk.

He looked up at me, "done?"

I nodded walking to the back, August was hunched over reading her book before graduation, personal goal of hers that made me laugh sometimes.

"August," I said, "you won't finish, that book is like 600 pages."

Without looking up, she chuckled, "667 pages, Joseph."

"Joseph, if you can ask me on a date I'm sure she could finish that book." Heather said beside me.

"Yeah, yeah!" I muttered, she always brought that up at times like this.

It's been five months since we began dating, everything seemed to of fallen in place, our roles just started feeling right and now we're graduating, our lives are being thrown into another role that will take us time to set into just to feel normal but I was okay with that, I wasn't alone in it.

"Man, aren't you guys happy that spring is here?" Heather said, "winter was brutal."

"It was pretty though, I mean, in New York-'' August said closing her book "-we never saw winter like this."

"The snow gray there?" Heather asked.

"Only when it touched the ground, the park was pretty and all but August and I lived in the middle of the city so our view was buildings." I said, part of me missed New York but that's only because it was our home, where we grew up, you'll always miss your home.

"Before I would absolutely love to go there, maybe live but now it seems so....dark." Heather whispered dark with deep voice as if it were an old horror movie.

"We're just exaggerating, Heather." I replied, the bell rang signaling the end of class, all of us quickly gathered our things heading for the door.

I slowed behind, I've been meaning to talk to him but I've never found the time. Heather looked at me, she smiled tugging August along with her, August sent me a look that said don't beat him up.

"Uh...Mr. Richard?"

He looked up, a bit surprised to see me. "What do you need, Joseph?"

I glanced at the door, everyone left leaving the door shut behind them, I let out my breath that I was holding looking to him I cleared my throat.

"So you're dating, August?" I asked bluntly, I began to realize that Heather was rubbing off on me.

He coughed, he glanced at the door to see if anyone was listening but no one was, he ran his hand through his hair trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Well, I guess but....." He sighed, he pulled his glasses off looking to me, "I won't be touching her, or even thinking about her until she's done with her education."

My eyes widened in surprise, "what?"

He nodded, "the night August told me, we talked about, I don't want to distract her while she's trying to achieve what she wants."

Apart of me was relieved that Mr. Richard was considering August's life, not just jumping to what he wants.

"That's good, I mean," I chuckled, "thanks for that."

He smiled, "but, I also promised I wouldn't fall in love with anyone else, I mean, I couldn't."

"I know," I said, "but why do you say that?"

Mr. Richard frowned, "I prayed about it to be sure, to know that it was okay."

I was suprised, I wasn't sure if he was Christian like August and I had become recently, I began to to study the bible, listen to preachers. One said that if both spouses don't follow God, that if only one does, the marriege would fail. Wait, why am I thinking about marriege?

"Wait," I said slowly "you don't mean.....your gonna marry her?"

Mr. Richard's face brightened red, he rubbed his neck looking out the window to the trees, they were filled with lush green leaves signaling winter was over.

"I do but that won't be for a few years," he smiled, "I want August to focus on her education, Joseph."

I wasn't angry, I was happy that he was a follower of God, that he cared more about how August would live, how she would feel instead of pushing bad things on her. I stood, the worry that I held in my heart was now gone knowing that this was in fact what God had planned for August and I when we moved here nine months ago.

"Thanks." I said walking to the door, I smiled to myself, he really was a good guy.

"For what?"

"For being the one that God chose for her." I replied walking out, I found August and Heather standing by my locker.

"Joseph!" August called, "what did you talk about? Did you threaten him?"

I laughed leaning against the cold metal, "don't worry, I didn't beat him up."

"I was worried you would," Heather laughed stringing her hand into mine.

"No, I just talked." I said, "and trust me, he definitely is the one."

August blushed, "I know, I prayed about it....."

"And?" Heather asked.

"He's the one, Heather." She smiled, her hair twisted into a braid hanging down her shoulder, her skin was so much brighter then it was months ago, she was a better person now, even before dad died.

"Heather is, too." I said pecking her cheek, "I prayed about it, too."

"Well, we all know what God wants us to do." August said with a smile.

I nodded in agreement, I know we're growing deeper in Faith, I know we're going to make mistakes, fall even but I didn't care, I knew God would take care of me.

I trusted him entirely.