Angels and Guardians Pt. 08

Ashley got to walk with her class for graduation as promised, and she received a large ovation from the crowd and a huge hug from Sister Kate when she went up for her diploma case. She smiled, but couldn't help feeling a bit hollow, knowing that her case would be empty. When she returned to her seat, she discreetly opened her case and gasped. Her diploma was framed inside. There was a folded letter with a Post-It note attached as well. The Post-It read: "Congratulations and happy Graduation, Ashley! Sister K." She put the case in her lap to applaud Joe's name and joined the crowd in whistling shrilly for him. She returned to opening the letter. Basically it said that after further review of her file, it was decided that none of her absences that fall were her fault, and since she did not miss a day that spring, the decision was overturned and she could receive her diploma on time. Sally was sitting next to her by virtue of name order and had been watching Ashley. She read most of the letter as Ashley was reading it and reached over to give her a hug when Ashley finished. Ashley looked up with misty eyes to Sister Kate on stage and mouthed "Thank you." Her principal smiled and answered with a nod.

While most of the graduates spent the rest of the evening with their parents at dinner, Ashley, Joe, Jill, Jasmine, Kim, Cindy, Doug, and Ashley's parents went to where Grad Night was to be held. Grad Night was a school-sponsored event that attempted to keep graduates from drinking and generally killing themselves at unsupervised parties. Usually, it included a magic performance, all-night bowling, comedians, and similar things. However, Ashley's rising recognition after her Ashley's Song was officially released as a single prompted the events committee to ask her to BE Grad Night. Before long, other schools heard about the event and asked to be included. One thing led to another, and Grad Night became a single event for all the area schools this year and was held at the Civic Center. The group met the other three from her band there and worked solidly for three hours to get everything ready. Kim disappeared for about half an hour and returned with McDonald's for everyone. Backstage, Ashley hurriedly downed the burger and fries when her mom came to check on her.

"Well, that answers that question," she said with a smile.

"What?" asked Ashley with her mouth half full.

"If you're nervous...I guess not."

"No...I'm excited. I've got a surprise for you when I get on stage."

"What's that?"

Ashley gulped what was in her mouth and grinned. "It's where a person suddenly gets some news, good or bad, without expecting it."

"Duh, Ashley. What's the surprise?"

"You'll see."

Cindy came in a little later to give them a ten-minute reminder. Ashley gathered her band and they formed a group hug while Ashley said a prayer aloud to ask for a good performance and a kind audience. With no fanfare, Ashley simply walked to the front of the stage in her cheer uniform and bowed graciously to the applause.

"I guess y'all know me, now that my song's out there!" She smiled at the hearty cheer.

"Well, some of you might have heard that I have to make up some time in order to graduate."

A general groan of disapproval rose up, and she laughed at it.

"Okay, okay...I know, right? But I have some good news...I just saved a heap of money by switching to..."

The crowd laughed.

"Just kidding folks! Anyway, the state board reversed themselves." She pulled her case from her waistband behind her and opened it to display the diploma. "I freaking GRADUATED Y'ALL!!"

The students went nuts in happiness for the graduate.

"I'm so happy I could just...well, I'll just show you."

She leaned down and handed the diploma to her mom in the front row. Then she walked to one side of the stage behind the curtain and emerged in a full sprint, doing a long tumbling sequence across the stage ending with a backflip while her band members played an upbeat rendition of "Pomp and Circumstance." The crowd ate it up and cheered madly.

"Oh my God, thank you so much!" she exclaimed into the microphone and waited for the cheers to die down. Joe brought out a stool and her guitar and handed the instrument to Ashley. She gave him a big hug and he whispered "congratulations" into her ear. Ashley responded with a kiss. As he walked off stage, she said into the microphone, "Thanks, sweetie...hey y'all, that's my fiancée, Joe!" Another round of cheers erupted as she held her hand up to display her ring.

"Okay, okay...so, you've heard Ashley's Song. Well, my first album 'Tales From My Life' will be hitting stores in two weeks. You're going to get a preview of it tonight. Also, I've put an advance copy in all of your gift bags, so don't forget that on your way out." She slung on her guitar and perched on the stool. "Okay, so here we go...this one is called 'The Rest of Me' and I wrote it while thinking of Joe."

She played the ballad solo and sang it masterfully, smiling at the cheering crowd when she finished. The next song was upbeat and she ditched her guitar at the side of the stage so that she could dance and sing unencumbered. Ashley covered the whole stage, dancing and singing to the crowd. Each song was well-received, and she mixed in some of her favorites from other artists. Twice she disappeared for a costume change to stay fresh and to better match the songs she performed.

About an hour and a half later, the crowd's question of how a new singer could have such an elaborate stage and lighting was answered when Joe came out and sat at the piano. Right behind him were the members of Tales of The Blind. Together, they played Ashley's Song in the original playful format that Joe had first come up with. Ashley directed her attention toward Joe, openly flirting with him by dancing around him, playing with his hair, and touching his neck and shoulders. The crowd went wild and Ashley thanked them with a deep bow, then introduced her friends in Tales of The Blind. Ashley's band and Joe remained on stage to perform with the popular group, and the concert lasted another two hours. When the last note was played, the graduates gave a resounding ovation. Ashley took Joe's hand, led him to the front of the stage and together they bowed their appreciation toward the crowd.

Epilogue

The next day Jasmine commented on Ashley's clever costume choices to hide her scar. Ashley said that it didn't feel right to her that she had to cover it up. So, she and Jasmine sat down and discussed some ideas Ashley had. While talking, Jasmine was doodling and one of her drawings struck Ashley. It was a seatbelt, but for the shoulder strap, Jasmine had written in feminine cursive letters 'Click it right' and for the lap strap she wrote 'So your buns sit tight.' Ashley asked if she could use it, and the two of them went straight for a tattoo parlor. The little drawing was etched just above the left edge of Ashley's scar and became her signature image. Most of her career, Ashley wore tummy-revealing outfits to get the message out about proper seatbelt use. She later used her fame and money to produce a couple of award winning candid public service commercials where she demonstrates how to correctly wear automotive safety belts. Of all the exciting music and entertainment awards she would receive, Ashley was most proud to receive recognition from the various government departments for her contribution to reduce safety belt-caused injuries.

Shortly after the wedding the summer before college, Jasmine confided in Joe and Ashley that a drunken one-night stand resulted in her becoming pregnant. Both of the newlyweds pledged to support Jasmine in any way possible. Every one in their clique was happy at the news of the upcoming addition. The elation of her delivery the following winter ended abruptly when Jasmine suffered a strange and sudden complication that took her life. Ashley asked Jasmine's overwhelmed parents if she and Joe could adopt the just-born Tyler. They agreed, as they were getting on in age and didn't feel comfortable with their ability to keep up with a new child.

Joe and Ashley proved to be capable parents, each creating time in their busy schedules to give Tyler all the love he ever wanted. Ashley used the insurance money from Joe's parents to buy a suite in downtown Tallahassee, allowing Joe to be near FSU. They both attended the school, but with reduced class loads. Ashley's budding music career influenced her decision to utilize FSU's correspondence program, while Joe attended physical classes.

When Joe and Ashley got settled into their routines in Tallahassee, Cindy asked Joe if she could be released to pursue a more fulfilling line of work. Joe pitched an idea he had shortly after his parents' death to her, and Cindy fell in love with it. With Joe funding the startup, Cindy started the Guardians for Angels Foundation. The charity's mission was to aid young females from high school through college. It offered protective services for girls who were exiting abusive relationships, counseling, scholarship and college application help, and housing assistance for college females looking to leave a bad roommate situation. Once Cindy's fund raising machine got moving, Guardians for Angels even offered their own scholarships. Cindy hired Kim away from Ashley's enterprise (with Ashley's permission) to help her start it up. It was odd for Cindy to have an assistant, but she enjoyed being in charge for a change. When Jill graduated law school, Cindy hired her to set up a new legal department to help ladies with those troubles. Doug decided against reenlisting, as it would have resulted in a transfer away from Cindy. She hired him to head up the protection team, and a year later they were married.

Kim's academic dive in the fall proved to be too much to climb back from. She clawed her way back to be able to graduate, but knew that she was not destined for college. With Joe's permission, she had moved into his late parents' room, but would still fool around with Ashley from time to time. Kim never touched Joe after his engagement to Ashley. In fact, even if Joe happened to walk in on Jill or Kim sharing their affection with Ashley, he would quietly leave the room, happy she was having fun. Even though she could play with Ashley occasionally with Joe's blessing, Kim still felt a bit like the third wheel. She felt better when Ashley asked her to help Cindy manage the rapidly filling schedule. When Joe and Ashley moved to Tallahassee, Kim stayed to live in Joe's house, keeping it maintained while working for Cindy. She also later moved to Tallahassee to work for Jill when she was recruited by the Department of Children and Families. Joe then gave Cindy and Doug his house as a wedding present.

Jill ended up being the only one in the group of friends to use her sports scholarship. She cheered at FSU for football and basketball her first two years. During her junior year, the Golden Girls offered a dance scholarship, and she joined that team. She loved to dance, and cheering wound up leaving her feeling empty, especially after the loss of Jasmine, as she didn't have her friends with her during practices or games. Ashley did join her for morning workouts to stay in shape for her concert performances, which Jill enjoyed. Jill performed well enough academically to get accepted into law school. As mentioned before, when she passed her bar exam Cindy hired her for the Foundation. Her work to lobby the state congress for laws that would allow 17 year olds to declare emancipation from abusive parents easier drew attention, and she was recruited to work for the state. To this day, she still performs pro bono work at Guardians for Angels.

Allison and Marybeth eventually broke up with their boyfriends and went to small colleges outside of Florida. Every once in a while, they would return to visit, but overall lead their own lives. Sally married her sweetheart during her second year at Auburn. She returned to her hometown after graduating, since her husband became a manager of a construction company there. Sally used her degree to find work, but the economy turned and she became a housewife for a while before Cindy tapped her to replace Kim. Eventually, her and Cindy became partners in running the Foundation.

Joe used some of his stock sale to follow his true passion and during the second year, he opened his first restaurant across from the university, specializing in comfort food meals. He gave away 10 free lunches every day to lucky students. The self-named restaurant was a popular spot for both students and university workers during lunch because of the low pricing and excellent food. Situated near the prestigious Sorority Row, it was a popular dating destination at dinnertime, as he served more elegant yet affordable dishes in an atmosphere that made patrons comfortable dressed in formal or casual wear alike. He gave his hand-picked staff every game Saturday off, but on "home" weekends, most could be found volunteering at Joe's parking spot near the stadium, cooking and serving free meals to students during tailgating. That parking row would be the most crowded on the occasions when Ashley would give a mini concert from her new truck's bed next to Joe's space, with Tyler dancing in Jill, Cindy, or Kim's arms.