Epilogue - To Be...

 “See you Lucas!” I gave a small wave behind me as I began walking home. The graduation ceremony had finally ended, and I was feeling a bit exhausted. Every step I took, my feet slightly dragged against the sidewalk. As I continued down the street, the voices of other students slowly faded into the background. Soon after, I was only able to hear the sounds of my footsteps, occasionally a car as it passed by.

The sun was beginning to set as I rounded the corner onto my street. I continued down the row of houses, greeting my neighbors whenever I ran into them. Feels like I’ve gotten more social. A quiet chuckle escaped my lips. After a few more minutes, I turned the corner once again, walking on the entryway towards my front door. With a bit of hassle, I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and opened the door. Then, I went through the usual: put my shoes on the shoe rack, walk to my bedroom, drop my backpack on the floor, take any unnecessary clothes off, and finally plop onto my bed. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief as my exhaustion melted away.

I opened my eyes a few minutes later. Well, it felt like a few minutes, but a few hours had passed according to my phone. Must’ve been more tired than I thought. There were hundreds of notifications from Mona, Lego, and Aito as they messaged on the group chat. I started scrolling through all of them, trying to catch up on what I missed.

Hey Lucas, could you send the photo?

Yeah! I wanna make it my wallpaper!

Too big.

It’ll be fine, I can just crop out everyone else.

Then just use a photo of yourself.

Mhm.

That’s no fun lol.

Their banter continued back and forth for a couple tens of messages. Then, Mona asked if we wanted to meet up tomorrow for an end-of-graduation dinner. Aito responded with a brief ‘Mhm’ while Lego gave a more teasing approval. A smile spread across my face as I thought, Sounds like fun. I texted ‘Sure’ in response.

Oh right, the photo. I opened my photos and sent the graduation ceremony one on the group chat. Seeing it again spread a warm, pleasant feeling throughout my body. We were all dressed in our caps and gowns. Mona looked like a perfect student as she smiled at the camera. Lego had his hands wrapped around Mona and I as he gave a wide, playful grin. Aito stood in front of me, giving a soft smile with a bit of sass. Meanwhile, I held the phone. My eyes were looking at the others, enjoying my time with them. A genuine smile danced on my face, both in the photo and now as I looked at it. After a few moments, I put my phone down and lied on the bed, this time planning to sleep. I can’t wait until tomorrow, I thought as my mind slowly drifted to sleep.

I wonder how I can be truly happy.

That is the thought that passed through my head almost a year ago. It is a simple thought; however, there is no clear answer to it. I can’t figure out whether it is based on facts or reason. I can’t figure out what conditions I need to meet to obtain it. I can’t even begin to define what true happiness means. In the end, though, it doesn’t matter. Why? Well, that’s simple. That’s because, right now…

I am truly happy.