Senior Class Trip around the World
I couldn't believe that in a few short months, I would be graduating from Corona Valley High School. Being 18 and lacking vision on my immediate future and what I wanted to do after my senior year, well it didn't really phase me. I knew I could go to college. I certainly had the grades for it, but my parents didn't really have the money. I thought about getting a job in the area, but I didn't want to become like many of the locals around here...find work and never leave. I had thought about joining the military and still was considering it, but at the moment, I simply wanted to enjoy my last few months of school, my last upcoming track season, perhaps some fun with my friends this summer before we all split and went our separate ways....but at the moment, I didn't really have too much planned for my future nor a care in the world.
I was sitting in my boring business class and was totally discouraged at having to watch my teacher show many of my classmates how to simply balance a checkbook. But it is a day that I will never forget. As I was sitting there, the classroom door opened, and in walks this tanned and somewhat pretty Latino girl and directly behind her, the principal and then her mean-looking razor sharp dad. The principal handed Mr. Garret a file, and then slowly surveyed the room looking indiscriminately at each of us seniors with very discerning eyes. Then he spoke up with a loud and rough voice...
"This here is Maria Ruiz, she's a transfer student and a senior just like you chumps. Her dad here, Sergeant Ruiz just transferred into the army base. Now, I need you all to make her feel welcome." Her dad scanned the room and made direct eye contact with every male in the room, then abruptly turned and followed the principal out the door, looking back just once and staring at us.
I thought to myself "Wow, that introduction was a little unnerving."
Maria, stood by Mr. Garret's desk and then, Mr. G looked at the file, then spoke up.
"Who in here has taken Spanish for their foreign language?" I looked around and not one hand went up, and then slowly, I put my hand up.
Mr. Garret walked Maria over to my desk and introduced us and had her sit next to me.
A few minutes later, the class was back to normal...loud and noisy and a little out of control. I turned and said "Hola" to Maria and with a nice big smile, she looked at me and said "I can speak some English, too Daniel."
I laughed at what she said and at first, she wasn't too receptive, but then she started to laugh too. So, we started making small talk and before long, we were talking about things around the area, the school, where she came from, and a bunch of other questions to break the ice with each other. She wasn't your typical quiet girl like others. Maybe it was because she moved so often and got used to it.
Anyway, before the bell rang, I asked Mr. Garrett if I could leave five minutes early just to show Maria around the school and help her. Because I never got in trouble and had good grades, he gave me a hall pass and let me go. So, I walked Maria around and showed her where each of her classes were. I was in the Business class with her, lunch, a study hall, and get this...they put her in Spanish 2 with me. She had forgotten more about Spanish than our current Spanish teacher probably knew.
Now, I have to tell you, at this time, my school was anything but diverse and some even thought it would be funny to call Maria names and throw racial slurs at her, but I was raised different and that shit didn't fly with me. So after it happened a couple of times and Maria confided in me who was doing it, I stood up to the group of hicks and morons who looked down on all the outsiders who came to our school for an education. They didn't know it, but many of these kids had more of an education than they would ever have.
I walked up to the biggest of them and confronted Billy. I knew that if I took on the biggest one...the rats that followed him would stop after I was done with him. So, after a few shoves into the lockers, one hard punch that smashed and bloodied his nose, and my constant watchdog protection, things subsided for Maria and just like that, she was free and they all left her alone and went to someone else to pick on. They knew if they made trouble, they would face more retribution from me and I wasn't one that opted to run to the office.
By sticking up for Maria, really being her friend, and perhaps my ability to speak some Spanish to her, well, it helped to kindle a new relationship between us. So after a few weeks of spending a lot of time with her, walking her home from school, and helping her cross the language barrier with the homework she didn't understand, it just seemed natural to start dating her. So one afternoon, as I walked home with her home from school, I turned to her and blurted out my feeling.
"Maria, over the past month or so, I have really come to like you and I would like to date you." Then, right after I said my words, I took my senior class ring that I had wrapped in a small box, and I placed it in her delicate hand. She looked at me and then slowly opened the box and found my ring along with an elegant 14 carat gold necklace that I bought with some money I had saved.
"Ooh, it is pretty and what a lovely necklace." "Did you pick this out for me?"
But then, reality set in and she hung her head low and said..."Daniel, I love these things, and I do like you too, but I don't know if I can accept them and I am know I couldn't date you because my father, well...he would be very angry with me and he will not like you. He trusts no one."
I heard her words and before they could sink in...I blurted out "You know Maria, you are 18 and you are an adult and you should have the freedom to make choices in your life." I didn't say anything else.