“I can’t believe it’s the end of the semester, already,” I say, staring off the side of Alpha Phi’s porch.
Across the leafy buds of trees and flowers in Bowman Park the lights of Julian glow yellow against a dark sky. Beyond Julian, the 8:00 p.m. sun has already sunk below the horizon line of the nature park, but its last rays dye the sky plum—a futile attempt to gain an extra few minutes of light. The plum fades to navy, and then to the black night that envelopes us.
“I know,” Nancy says. “It went by fast.”
A quick wind whips up the porch, and I tuck the blanket a little tighter around my legs. Although it’s May, and the days have warmed enough that a light jacket will suffice, the nights remain chilly. The first second semester of our senior year at DePauw University is almost over, and we want to enjoy our favorite swing as much as we can. We rock back and forth in silence for a minute, listening to the scuff of Nancy’s shoes on the concrete as she propels us.
At the beginning of this semester I sat on this very swing with my three roommates and prepared to christen our senior quad with a photo.
“Wait, are we crossing our legs, or not?” Katie asked. She held up her hands and made sure the camera didn’t flash until her question was answered.
I looked at Kate, who was wearing a dress similar to mine, and said, “Cross our legs.”
“At the ankle or the knee?” Katie asked.
“Ankle,” Christine said, laughing from the other end of the swing.
With matching ankles crossed the four of us faced forward and smiled for the camera. It was 6:35 p.m. and the sun above Julian was bright in our eyes. The lawn of Bowman Park emitted puffs of dust as Frisbee players stomped across its surface. The summer drought had left it parched, but the leaves on the trees were a vivid green, and house mom planted bright red flowers in the pots on the porch. Our first formal chapter of the semester was set to begin in twenty-five minutes—we had plenty of time for more poses.
“Let’s do a cheesy family photo,” Kate said.
Christine and Kate circled to the back of the swing and placed their hands on Katie’s and my shoulder. I imagined Seventh Heaven and put on a grin, cocking my head to the side. I heard the digital beep of the camera as it captured the moment before we all went inside to prepare for chapter.
“What are you doing after graduation?” I ask Nancy.
“Going to grad school in Saint Louis,” she says. “What about you?”
“Well, at first I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to go back home and get a job there,” I say, “but now I don’t think I want to do that.” I trail off and let my eyes wander.
The American flag on the corner in front of the Union building snaps like laundry in the wind. A line of cars passes underneath it, going East on Hanna Street.
“Do you want to go in soon?” Nancy asks. “It’s not quite warm enough for shorts.”
“Yeah, same here.”
We pick up our blanket and leave the swing rocking from the disturbance of our departure. Soon the chains that attach it to the roof will hang empty, swaying and clicking together with nothing to hold them taut while all the students leave for the summer. Nancy holds her F.O.B. to the keypad, and I push open Alpha Phi’s big green door, closing it against the wind and the night. In a few weeks we’ll close it forever when we set off into the world with graduation caps in hand.