Chapter 54

“I can’t believe we need a graduation assembly before the party.”

Charlie and I were at the hostel laundry pressing our uniforms with hot irons, the pleats on my skirt were razor-sharp as requested by Miss Diana. She came to the hostel two nights after the conclusion of exams to announce the date for the graduation, not that we didn’t know already but her services as matron to the girls required her to give us the information we already knew about. The graduation ceremony for Edwin and Co. is done in two phases. First, the announcement of the achievements of the graduating students, the announcement of the new perfects, the head boy and girl speech, the principal’s speech and Mr. Edwin’s speech, followed by the presentation of certificates to the graduates. For this, all parents were invited but the after-party was strictly for the students.

“We never had a graduation assembly at Lake George. I can barely even remember what graduation was like back then but I do remember the booze, t