The photograph itself is dark, almost a bit hazy, but the day of my high school graduation had been a scorcher. You can see it in the faces of the parents as they watch my friend Justin march down the isle to receive his diploma.
He always was an easygoing sort of kid, my friend Justin, and you can really get that feel for him in this picture. His head is turned just in time to catch the photographer, the tassel on his cap swaying with the motion, and his smile is the trade mark crooked grin he used to charm my classmates with. There's a happiness about him, in the tilt of his head and the quirk of his brow that would suggest, as one could readily guess, that he's proud to be there. That he's finally made it.
I don't care what the reality is, but to be effective, the writing can't end on that note--you give us every subtle hint that there will be an ironic snapper in the close, and then do not deliver!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah I knew I needed a bit more but couldn't wrestle a better ending out. Justin may well be disapointed; he'd have liked a quip at the end too!
ReplyDelete