A Night to Remember
By Wendy Ricci
It was a warm and sunny June evening. I had many emotions flowing through me as I dressed for the long awaited
hours ahead. I wasn’t sure if it was the hot summer air or the excitement and nervousness that had wrapped itself
around me like a blanket on a cold night. I headed outside and waited for my friend to arrive. I felt like my makeup
would melt off and my hands were clammy. My children played peacefully, not fully understanding why this night was
so important to me. They grasped some part of it, I mean; they were part of the whole unhappy marriage. They could
see I was much happier since the divorce. As I sat there waiting, I reflected back on the journey I had traveled that
led up to what was about to come. The divorce, the layoff from work, and the struggles of being a single mom
compiled into a year and a half. I had made it through and tonight began my new journey.
My friend arrived and my children and I piled into her car and set off. Before we headed to school, we had to stop
and pick up a dessert for the after party. We decided on mini cupcakes frosted in yellow and black graduation hats
and tassels, perfect for the occasion. Then we set off for our destination. Of course Diane wasn’t nervous at all. She
remained calm and cool, as always. My hands were still clammy and butterflies seemed to have taken residence in
my stomach. We arrived at the Pawtucket Transition to College Building and as my eyes widened from the enormous
abundance of cars in the lot, and my heart seemed to want to jump right out of my chest, my throat decided, “I don’t
feel like breathing right now.” My friend and my children must have seen some disorientation on my face because
they calmly stated, “You will be fine, you deserve this, we are so proud of you.” Their words did have some calming
affect and I was ready to go in.
Once inside I was greeted with a warm and much needed hug from my father and step-mother and once again I
heard the words, “We are so proud of you.” The delight in their eyes and the smiles that enveloped their entire faces
eased my nervousness. It meant the world to me having them there to share in my achievement. I had wanted to go
back to school for a long time and always talked about how I was going to, but I never had the confidence. Being in a
verbally abusive one-way street kind of marriage depleted me of any dreams or confidence I had and being called
stupid enough times; I started to believe it.
As my friend and I walked farther into the room, I got a glimpse of just how many people were actually there. Not only
were my fellow classmates from the evening program and their families there, but also the daytime students and
their families. Along with all the teachers, mentors, and representatives from Community College of Rhode Island,
the president of the Transition to College Program was also in attendance. I tried to remain relatively calm as we
made our way around the room congratulating classmates and embracing our teachers. I was surprised to find that I
was actually quite relaxed after speaking with my teachers.
Just then we were told to take our seats. The celebration of students was about to begin. A wave of nervousness
crept back in and the comfort of ease slowly diminished. I don’t know why I was so nervous, for we had been told that
a few people were going to speak and then the Transition to College Director would call our names one at a time
and we would walk to the podium to receive our certificate of completion. I was relieved that the teacher did not
mention that we would have to speak in front of the crowd of familiar and unfamiliar faces which, ultimately, would put
me over the edge and make me want to hide inside a turtle shell and be nonexistent praying that I would be
forgotten by the teachers and miss my turn completely. Now, with that thought in mind, I began thinking of all the
other things that could go wrong. I could trip walking up there, I could fall flat on my face, I could have something
hanging out of my nose, or my hair could look completely ridiculous. Jus!
t as my imagination headed into overdrive, I heard the director say, “After I call your name, you will come up and get
your certificate and speak for thirty seconds about your experience here at TTC.” What? I looked around the room,
there was no where to escape to. The butterflies that were residing in my stomach earlier in the evening had
returned but this time they brought the whole butterfly colony with them. My throat took another vacation, a blurry
haze covered my eyes, I felt lightheaded and dizzy, and my hands were ice cold yet clammy and sweating. I looked to
my friend sitting beside me in shock and complete fear and she calmly told me I would be fine and that I could do it.
Easy for her to say as she sat there smiling with ease and confidence.
I don’t remember any names that were called before mine, but when my name was called, I didn’t want to move. I
could already feel the intense heat scouring up into my face and turning it bright red. I tried to wipe the sweat off of
my hands but it didn’t work; it felt as though they were dripping and there would be a trail of sweat following me to
the podium. I had completely forgotten my fears of tripping or my hair being a mess as I took my place in front of all
the faces staring at me waiting to hear what I had to say. As I began to speak I could hear my voice and it didn’t
sound like mine. It was cracking and I felt as though I would cry. I thanked my teachers, my family, friends, and when
I acknowledged that I was doing all of this for my children and to better their future, I actually did start to cry. I ended
my speech by telling my children I loved them and then I was back in my seat, shaking.
It seemed as though before I knew it we were in Diane’s car heading back to my house. As we drove through the
warm air with the windows down and our hair blowing, I reflected on what I had just accomplished and what that
meant for me. Despite all the emotions, I realized I had officially completed the first step toward a rewarding future for
myself and my children. I had the confidence and strength to complete the Transition to College program as I sat
there with the proof clutched tightly in my hand. I was on my way; the next step was Community College of Rhode
Island in September. A new wave of emotions came over me, but this time I felt proud, confident, strong, and
determined. I turned to the back seat, looked at my kids and smiled.
By Wendy Ricci
It was a warm and sunny June evening. I had many emotions flowing through me as I dressed for the long awaited
hours ahead. I wasn’t sure if it was the hot summer air or the excitement and nervousness that had wrapped itself
around me like a blanket on a cold night. I headed outside and waited for my friend to arrive. I felt like my makeup
would melt off and my hands were clammy. My children played peacefully, not fully understanding why this night was
so important to me. They grasped some part of it, I mean; they were part of the whole unhappy marriage. They could
see I was much happier since the divorce. As I sat there waiting, I reflected back on the journey I had traveled that
led up to what was about to come. The divorce, the layoff from work, and the struggles of being a single mom
compiled into a year and a half. I had made it through and tonight began my new journey.
My friend arrived and my children and I piled into her car and set off. Before we headed to school, we had to stop
and pick up a dessert for the after party. We decided on mini cupcakes frosted in yellow and black graduation hats
and tassels, perfect for the occasion. Then we set off for our destination. Of course Diane wasn’t nervous at all. She
remained calm and cool, as always. My hands were still clammy and butterflies seemed to have taken residence in
my stomach. We arrived at the Pawtucket Transition to College Building and as my eyes widened from the enormous
abundance of cars in the lot, and my heart seemed to want to jump right out of my chest, my throat decided, “I don’t
feel like breathing right now.” My friend and my children must have seen some disorientation on my face because
they calmly stated, “You will be fine, you deserve this, we are so proud of you.” Their words did have some calming
affect and I was ready to go in.
Once inside I was greeted with a warm and much needed hug from my father and step-mother and once again I
heard the words, “We are so proud of you.” The delight in their eyes and the smiles that enveloped their entire faces
eased my nervousness. It meant the world to me having them there to share in my achievement. I had wanted to go
back to school for a long time and always talked about how I was going to, but I never had the confidence. Being in a
verbally abusive one-way street kind of marriage depleted me of any dreams or confidence I had and being called
stupid enough times; I started to believe it.
As my friend and I walked farther into the room, I got a glimpse of just how many people were actually there. Not only
were my fellow classmates from the evening program and their families there, but also the daytime students and
their families. Along with all the teachers, mentors, and representatives from Community College of Rhode Island,
the president of the Transition to College Program was also in attendance. I tried to remain relatively calm as we
made our way around the room congratulating classmates and embracing our teachers. I was surprised to find that I
was actually quite relaxed after speaking with my teachers.
Just then we were told to take our seats. The celebration of students was about to begin. A wave of nervousness
crept back in and the comfort of ease slowly diminished. I don’t know why I was so nervous, for we had been told that
a few people were going to speak and then the Transition to College Director would call our names one at a time
and we would walk to the podium to receive our certificate of completion. I was relieved that the teacher did not
mention that we would have to speak in front of the crowd of familiar and unfamiliar faces which, ultimately, would put
me over the edge and make me want to hide inside a turtle shell and be nonexistent praying that I would be
forgotten by the teachers and miss my turn completely. Now, with that thought in mind, I began thinking of all the
other things that could go wrong. I could trip walking up there, I could fall flat on my face, I could have something
hanging out of my nose, or my hair could look completely ridiculous. Jus!
t as my imagination headed into overdrive, I heard the director say, “After I call your name, you will come up and get
your certificate and speak for thirty seconds about your experience here at TTC.” What? I looked around the room,
there was no where to escape to. The butterflies that were residing in my stomach earlier in the evening had
returned but this time they brought the whole butterfly colony with them. My throat took another vacation, a blurry
haze covered my eyes, I felt lightheaded and dizzy, and my hands were ice cold yet clammy and sweating. I looked to
my friend sitting beside me in shock and complete fear and she calmly told me I would be fine and that I could do it.
Easy for her to say as she sat there smiling with ease and confidence.
I don’t remember any names that were called before mine, but when my name was called, I didn’t want to move. I
could already feel the intense heat scouring up into my face and turning it bright red. I tried to wipe the sweat off of
my hands but it didn’t work; it felt as though they were dripping and there would be a trail of sweat following me to
the podium. I had completely forgotten my fears of tripping or my hair being a mess as I took my place in front of all
the faces staring at me waiting to hear what I had to say. As I began to speak I could hear my voice and it didn’t
sound like mine. It was cracking and I felt as though I would cry. I thanked my teachers, my family, friends, and when
I acknowledged that I was doing all of this for my children and to better their future, I actually did start to cry. I ended
my speech by telling my children I loved them and then I was back in my seat, shaking.
It seemed as though before I knew it we were in Diane’s car heading back to my house. As we drove through the
warm air with the windows down and our hair blowing, I reflected on what I had just accomplished and what that
meant for me. Despite all the emotions, I realized I had officially completed the first step toward a rewarding future for
myself and my children. I had the confidence and strength to complete the Transition to College program as I sat
there with the proof clutched tightly in my hand. I was on my way; the next step was Community College of Rhode
Island in September. A new wave of emotions came over me, but this time I felt proud, confident, strong, and
determined. I turned to the back seat, looked at my kids and smiled.
New Hampshire Writers Essays
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