She backs away from the mirror to double-check her final touch-up. Granted she is no make-up artist and has no patience for it, she truly thinks she has done quite the job with the neutral look. Not too plain for the occasion, yet not too much for it either. Finally satisfy with her work, she tosses the used Q-tip into the trash and flick off the bathroom light.
She hums a soft tune to herself as she walks over to the bed. All laid out on top are her dress, gown, and accessories. She picks up the short, white, cotton silk dress and slips it on over her white slip. The dress stops an inch above her knees but does a decent job of conserving the rest of her figure. Next on are the simple silver earrings and necklace. Finally, she slips into the black gown. She has just finish zipping up the front of the gown when she hears a knock outside her bedroom door.
"I'm almost ready," she says as she sits down on a stool to slip on a pair of nude heels. "I'll be out in two minutes."
Once she is in her heels, the last thing she needs to put on is her cap. She walks into the bathroom one more time to adjust the cap on her head. She gently secure it in place with some bobby pins. Giving herself one final look over in the bathroom, she decides she is ready.
She grabs her phone off her desk on her way out the door. Her family is waiting in the living room with smiles and cameras ready.
"Ready?" her family asks.
She can only nod. A part of her is ready while the other part is not. Excitement and nervousness swim together in the pit of her heart. She feels both proud and sad. Proud that all she had worked so hard for has finally dwindle down to this moment. Proud that she had came so far with so much to live for when she really started the journey with so little to go on. At the same time, she is sad that all her efforts will be recognized in this one moment. Sad that this moment will signify the end of her long journey and the beginning of a new one.
A while later, she is sitting in a crowd of students just like her. Students who have shed many tears of stress, lost many nights of sleep, and exerted much efforts over the past few years for this one moment. The moment that will announce to thousands of witnesses these students have become adults. Leaders who will take over the responsibilities of yesterday's generation and prepare a future for tomorrow's generation. To all these waiting students, this one moment is both exhilarating and frightening. At times, time seems to be moving very slowly. At other times, time seems to be moving too quickly. No matter how hard each student tries to grasp onto the moment, to stall their youth for just a little longer, the moment continues to slip through their fingers.
At last, the moment has arrive.
One moment, she is waiting in the crowd with her colleagues. The next moment, she is walking up the aisle toward the stage. Then, she hears her name called and she is walking across the stage in front of a sea of people. Finally, she is at the edge and she sees she is on the big screen.
Wave. Smile. Pose.
Thoughts run through her mind as she struggles to live in the moment while trying to capture it. One thought rings the loudest of all: This is my moment.
© N. Hli 2016 All rights reserved.
[Date written: December 2016]
