I briefly saw Alexa this morning as we were lining up for the processional. She looked distracted and worried, not at all like her usual cheery self. She told me about the message she received from her grandparents.

She said that they gave her money, too. I wish I woke up to large deposits of money in my bank account. Maybe I’d let her buy me dinner the next time we went out.

She assured me that her parents would ignore her this weekend, but I couldn’t believe they would be that cold. She was their only child—at the very least, they would probably call.

The ceremony took forever. If my mom didn’t travel all the way here, I wouldn’t have walked. Anytime I’m in a public place with a lot of football fans, I feel uncomfortable.

Classmates that I didn’t know kept coming up and talking to me about my future. I didn’t really know how to answer them, and I especially didn’t want to discuss it with strangers.

I was always prepared to take pictures and sign autographs for the occasional Superfan. I didn’t want to be ungrateful for the support so many people gave me during my college career.

However, on a day like today, I just wanted to be alone with my mom and my girlfriend to be able to really soak in everything we’d accomplished in these past four years.

I tried to listen to the speakers, but they were so boring. They kept repeating the same clichés, like how we were all going so far in life because we attended this school. It sounded more like an advertisement for the university than advice. We were always told the name of our school was what would get us hired. I didn’t quite buy it.

I watched a kid a few seats down bury his head in his hands. There were actually people that would show up with a raging hangover to their own graduation. This kid could be a doctor, lawyer, or maybe even a future president.

The possibilities were endless for a Princeton grad – regardless of whether or not they took their education seriously.

I knew a lot of classmates who came from average backgrounds and worked really hard to attend an Ivy League school. It was crazy expensive to go here, and a lot of people relied on scholarships to get by. I was certainly one of them.

On the other hand, I knew a lot of people who went to this school because their parents did. If you’re from the right family and you have decent grades, you can get in. I even knew a few people who were clearly not qualified to come here, but someone must have pulled some strings for them.

I knew a kid who somehow managed to have his academic probation forgiven after pulling a 1.0 GPA. He dropped out the next semester, and last I heard, he was running a successful soft-core porn website. Oh, the places you’ll go…

I suppose it wasn’t fair of me to say that the rich kids didn’t deserve it. There were people like Alexa who came from money, but forged her own path. People like her would go far, and actually deserved to. People like Donny, who used their status and didn’t try would end up with an addiction to hookers and cocaine. If there were any justice in the world, that’s what would happen to them.

I chuckled to myself, imagining a balding Donny with a potbelly, attending alumni functions. It was bad, but I often took a sick pleasure in reuniting with people I didn’t like and seeing that life had not gone the way they wanted. I wondered if anyone felt that way about me.

I wished that Alexa was sitting closer, at least within poking distance. I wanted to comment on how much the president of the university looked like a walrus. I imagined making walrus sounds while Alexa shushed me. She would act all annoyed, but I knew she loved it.

She loved my weird sense of humor. One time in class, I was bored, so I wrote a love story about a fictional forbidden romance between our professor and the T.A. She had to cover her mouth, she was laughing so hard. She told me that I should be a writer if the whole football thing didn’t work out.

I thought about it. I would love to write about sports. I didn’t study journalism, but I knew a lot about sports. If the draft didn’t go well, maybe I’d apply to work on a sports blog website.

I wanted to play football for a living more than anything, though. I knew it was hard work, but it was my dream from such a young age.

The next speaker droned on and on about different metaphors for life that didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

For a Princeton graduation, they didn’t get very good speakers. I caught a glimpse of my mom in the stands, waving at me. I gave her a head nod to appease her. I saw her speaking excitedly with the strangers around her. I had a feeling she was telling them who her son was.

Finally, it was time to get our diplomas. Row by row, people started leaving their seats and lined up to go on stage. I was toward the back of the group, so I’d be waiting a while.

I saw Alexa walk down the aisle. She looked pretty miserable. My guess is that it was a combination of boredom and the realization that her parents didn’t care enough to show up. It made me feel sick.

I was angry at my girlfriend’s parents for the way they treated her, and I hadn’t even met them.

I watched her walk all the way up to the front of the line. Then, I saw something unexpected—she broke out into a wide smile.

Her parents were here somewhere. I scanned the crowd. There was no point of searching for them, because I didn’t know what they looked like. I tried to look for a middle-aged couple in expensive looking clothes.

I knew her dad was fairly handsome and her mom was a heavily-Botoxed former model. This could describe just about everyone in the auditorium.

I felt like I had a rock in my stomach. What did this mean for me? I wanted to spend the day with Alexa, but if her parents were around, she would probably ignore me. If my mom found out they were here, she would absolutely want to meet them. My mom didn’t quite understand that situation. I hardly did either.

Finally, it was my time to collect my diploma. I heard some cheers when my name was called and I tried to block them out. I made eye contact with my mom and I smiled up at her. She was bawling, per usual.

Shortly after I returned to my seat, the ceremony was over. I was no longer a student or a college football player. I was now an alumni; I still had to wait to see if I would become a has-been or if I’d go on to achieve my dream.

My mom found me outside of the auditorium, gave me a huge hug, and handed her camera over to a passerby to take about a hundred pictures. I saw Alexa in the crowd and waved her over.

“Congrats,” I said, giving her a big hug.

“Meet me at my dorm in about an hour and a half,” she said cryptically. Her eyes kept darting around like she was looking, or hiding, from someone. Before I could ask any follow up questions, she was gone. She looked worried.

I assumed she was about to have a very serious conversation with her parents.

I took my mom out for lunch after the ceremony. She could tell I had something on my mind. My mom and Alexa always knew when something was up.

“You’ve hardly touched your food,” she observed. “You’ve usually finished eating and ordered seconds by now.”

“Alexa’s parents are here,” I answered.

“That’s great news!” my mom exclaimed. “I bet she’s so pleased.”

“We’ll see. I think I might have to meet them.”

“Don’t you want to?”

I hesitated. “Not particularly. I mean, under the right circumstances, yes. I don’t want them to hate me.”

“No one could hate you,” my mom said. “Any parent should feel lucky that you’re around to take care of their little girl. I feel lucky that Alexa’s here to take care of you.”

“They tried to force her to marry a family friend with lots of money. I don’t think they’re going to be pleased with someone like me.”

“You’re about to be a professional football player. You can make just as much money as some fancy lawyer.”

“We won’t know that for a few more days,” I said.

My mom changed the subject to the draft. She had to go back home after our lunch so she could get back to work. She couldn’t afford to take any more time off to go with me to the draft.

She asked me about a million questions about the draft. I assured her that I had a suit, I knew how to iron my clothes, and that I would make sure to smile while on camera. She worried about me missing flights and getting lost. Typical mom stuff.

After we ate, I took her back to the hotel to get her things, and then dropped her off at the airport.

“No matter what happens, you’ll be home next week, right?”

“Right,” I confirmed. “Make sure the fridge is stocked,” I teased, with a big smile.

“Don’t worry about meeting Alexa’s parents. If they’re reasonable people, they’ll love you. If they’re not, you two will be better off without them.”

“Thanks, mom,” I said. I felt a lot better.

I was going to stop for ice cream when I got a text from Alexa:

Can you come now? They want to meet you.

I froze. I thought I had more time before I faced impending doom. This moment could potentially make or break our relationship. She always said that she didn’t need her parents’ approval, but I knew that wasn’t completely true.

I raced to her building and ran up the stairs. This was it. There was no turning back now.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Alexa answered it. Her face was white.

Her parents were standing in the kitchen. Her dad was smiling. Her mom looked pissed.

“Mom, Dad,” she said. “This is Martin.”

“Hello,” I squeaked out, shaking their hands.

“It’s nice to meet you, Martin,” her dad said. “My name is Craig, and this is Judith.” He pointed at his wife. She sniffed, the fact that she didn’t extend her hand to shake mine didn’t go unnoticed.

“I hear you’re a top prospect in the league,” he continued. “I’m a big fan of the game. Alexa’s even been to some games with me, haven’t you, Lex?”

“That was a long time ago,” Alexa smiled. “I remember the box we sat in had fancy chairs and had a lot of good food.”

“I suppose you’ll probably be very busy this summer,” Craig said to me.

“Maybe, it depends how things go in a few days,” I responded.

“Well, if you get the chance, you two are more than welcome to spend a week or two with us at the summer home. We’d be happy to have you. I know some guys at the club that would be happy to have a pro football player around.”

I smiled. That must have meant that Alexa was no longer banished from all family functions.

“That’s a very generous offer,” I said, taken aback. “I would love to.”

Alexa looked relieved. I felt a little better, too. I didn’t know if her dad was just trying to save face, but he seemed pretty nice.

“Are your folks here this weekend?” he asked.

“My mom was here for a few days, but I just dropped her off at the airport before I came here.” I prayed that he wouldn’t ask any more questions. I didn’t want to have to explain why my dad wasn’t here.

Alexa sensed this and changed the subject. “So, have you taken the boat out yet this year?”

Before he could answer, her mom spoke up. “Excuse me, I’m going to use the powder room.”

When she closed the door behind her, Alexa’s father sighed.

“I have to apologize for my wife,” he said to me. “She can be quite difficult sometimes. She has her preconceived notions as to who she thought Alexa should date. I just want you to know that I’m fine with any man who will treat my daughter well.”

I looked over at Alexa. Her eyes were open wide. I could tell that her dad didn’t state his approval very frequently.

“I want to apologize to you too, dear,” he said to his daughter. “We haven’t handled things very well lately. I want you to know that I am always willing to support you financially.” He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Take this card for emergencies. I know you want to be independent, but it’s here just in case.”

She hugged her dad, tears misting in her eyes.

Alexa’s mom emerged, looking slightly calmer.

“Craig, I think it’s about time we were leaving,” she said.

“It was so nice to meet you, Martin,” he said. “I hope we’ll see the two of you very soon.”

I shook his hand again, Alexa hugged her parents, and then they were gone. The second the door shut behind them. We both let out a huge sigh of relief.

“We made it,” she said, giving me a celebratory kiss. I wasn’t sure if she was talking about the college graduation, or meeting her parents. Either way, it was a successful day for the both of us.