Uncle Sid had never understood why he would leave without looking back after graduation. To Webster, it was obvious. He had prepared for that night. Prior to the ceremony, Mike had thrown the few belongings he owned into his old car. Farewells had all been said. In the last several days, he had spoken to the few individuals who mattered.

A girl he had known since grade school volunteered to return Webster’s robe and mortarboard leaving him free to simply drive away into the night. In their last conversation and looking deep into his eyes, Webster’s friend had given him a parting gift, too – his very first kiss on the lips. Then, stepping back, she had surprised him a second time. Reaching down for Webster’s hand, she placed it gently on her breast. “Remember me,” was all she said before turning and walking away. This sensation was permanently imprinted on his memory.

As he left Semmes, Alabama that night, Webster thought of his mother. He remembered wondering if she had felt the way he did, like she was shaking off something that no longer fit.

As a young teenager, Webster’s uncle had grudgingly taken him in after his mother caught a bus one night and was never seen again. Uncle Sid had shown Webster to a sparsely furnished bedroom and given him a list of chores that would be his responsibility. Meals were eaten without conversation. Feelings such as hugs, a friendly hand on a shoulder or tousled hair, were not a part of living in his uncle’s house. That being said, there was no reason for him to stay after he finished high school.

His grades had not been so good either and except for one teacher, no one seemed to care. Part time jobs, sometimes two or three at a time, had taken priority. The money he earned had allowed Webster to buy the clothes he needed and finally, the old Ford automobile. There had been little time for anything else.

Then it was all over … except for the leaving.

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