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I probably never would have considered it if I hadn’t chosen an English degree. I could get a job that focused on sitting at home and typing away on my laptop, and that was something I could easily do in a car.

I was excited.

I wasthrilled.Thrilled to be getting away from my hometown and leaving with my best friend and the love of my life.

I looked out over the crowd, and I saw him in the front row, in a beautifully pressed suit that he’d gotten made specifically for my graduation because his other had been ruined in the crash.

He didn’t need the crutches anymore. He was standing and clapping and smiling, just like the rest of them, but he was all that I could focus on.

As I walked down the stage, he walked up to me and wrapped me in an embrace. He took my hand, and I squeezed his once, gently, and we began walking away, down toward the parking lot where my car was parked with all our things.

There was a reception and a gathering after the ceremony, but I didn’t care.

I wanted to leave. I wanted to be free with him, with no responsibilities, and I wanted my small-town life to end.

I wanted my new life, a better life, with him.

All I had to do was step on the gas.

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