America 1982-Chapter 73 - 28: Return to the Country

"I can’t believe my subordinates didn’t organize a farewell ceremony outside the hotel," Dennis said, packing his bag with a sense of loss and speaking to Tommy beside him.

Outside the hotel, only a few scattered local black people were sizing them up, along with some American tourists attracted by the television program, incessantly snapping photos of these high school students who had appeared on their TV screens.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the airport, ready to board the plane and say goodbye to the country, that they saw a line of police officers, smartly uniformed and neatly marching, standing early on both sides of the aisle, which, for a rare occasion, was covered with a red carpet signifying the solemnity of the event.

This country, which had indulged their craziness and watched their willful Governor, Prime Minister Madoff, Minister of the Interior, Defense Minister, and various other officials, stood before the airplane, clad in their most solemn attire, looking seriously at the high school students preparing to return home.

The high school students looked at each other, and finally Governor Allen Louis slowly began to speak:

"Thank you, young leaders from the United States of America. The officials of my country and I are here not to bid you a superficial goodbye. We are here to earnestly tell you that we truly appreciate your presence because you granted our nation the opportunity to grow again. Yes, growth. To grow is to confront one’s incompetence and weakness, to ignore the phony praise, and to bind one’s shattered dignity time after time despite being mocked and humiliated until it becomes harder with each repair. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will not let down everything you have done for it. We will use this growth to be reborn."

"At the same time, we also hope that you, the former cabinet officials, will come and see this country again in your future leisure, to witness its changes. No matter when, you will always be the most honored guests of our country. Your names and this summer will be recorded in the history of Saint Vincent, as our most cherished memory with you. And we have decided to preserve this memory—Saint Vincent will not open such activities in the future. We want to strive like a true, vibrant nation that continuously works hard, rather than continue to seek attention through absurdities and role-playing. I don’t think you would want to see this country truly become a clown either."

"Perhaps twenty million dollars might be but a minor amount to you young people, who may be worth millions in the future, but it is the most important nutrient for the rebirth of this nation. We will build hospitals, schools, libraries, and cherish these hard-earned funds. Lastly, on behalf of the Governor of Saint Vincent and the newly appointed cabinet members, I thank the former cabinet for all you have done for this nation. Thank you," the seventy-year-old Governor said. After finishing, he bowed deeply to the high school students, together with the officials beside him.

"Darn, I forgot to prepare a speech," muttered David quietly, then turning to Tommy he said, "It’s up to you, Tommy, make us sound like something other than clowns, us who are no longer in office."

Hearing David’s words and seeing that the other high school students had no intention of speaking but were looking towards him, Tommy took a deep breath and stepped forward slightly:

"To us high school students, growth seems to come in many forms. Perhaps the comfort of a friend, perhaps a heartbreak, or maybe just figuring out how to get a bottle of whiskey with your mates and getting drunk like a fool—any of these can make you feel like you’ve grown afterward. But this summer camp has been different, at least for me. It made me realize that true growth is about self-awareness and introspection. With each decision I made, I kept reminding myself that I was not a real leader, just a clown who came here for the glory. Over and over, through repeated difficult and embarrassing self-reflection, I strengthened my heart, and I made myself and my peers understand that perhaps we are not the true leaders of a country. We may continue our mundane and rigid lives after returning home, but at least all of us are clear about one thing—we will not become clowns to fate for the rest of our lives."

"I’m delighted and honored to have learned what true growth is in Saint Vincent, and I would like me and my peers to offer our respects to this country and to all of you who accompanied us in our willful play."

One by one, the high school students, carrying their luggage, shook hands with Prime Minister Madoff and others, then boarded the plane. Tommy was last in line, and the Governor took his hand, cheerfully whispering with a childish tone, "Say hello to him for me."

"Who?" asked Tommy, puzzled.

The Governor winked, "Someone who will be just as thankful to you as I am."

...

Throughout the entire flight, Tommy Hawk couldn’t figure out who the Governor was referring to.

The itinerary at Lincoln High School was much more tedious than Saint Vincent, filled with the usual summer camp activities such as visits, trial classes, and university professor lectures. Soon the high school students realized the dreariness of reality. Compared to the tedious curriculum at that moment, the life they had previously in Saint Vincent seemed almost dreamlike.

For instance, Gavin Rad, a professor from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, delivered a keynote speech on "Innovation in Successful Societies" during a summer summit. If it weren’t for the fact that their parents needed to add another line to their resumes, these high school students would have already been swayed by Dennis to find out how to watch adult movies for free using the school’s television system.

Even though Gavin Rad was as straightforward as possible, even citing their experiences in Saint Vincent to explain public sector reform, urban management, and issues of decentralization, these topics were clearly too obscure for high school students. When they held office, they never considered the issues Professor Rad spoke of; their main reasons for taking on those tasks were purely out of high school enthusiasm and passion.

The four-day session at Lincoln High School’s summer camp finally ended, and the ten members of the CSLS committee bid farewell to the other campers before looking at each other.

"CSLS is about to welcome a new batch of knuckleheads to take over, right?" Kevin was the first to speak up, smiling at Tommy, "Just like you found us in the first batch, picking us out of the blue."

Tommy, with a cigarette in his mouth, watched the bus growing more distant, "I’ve already applied to the school, for the second session and other subsequent summer activities, to be taken over by someone else. I’ve gotten everything I wanted, and although CSLS will continue to exist, a student committee like ours probably won’t emerge again, just like the simulated life in Saint Vincent, which won’t recur."

"It’s such a pity those high school students won’t get to experience the best summer camp activities," Katherine said with a hint of regret, but her face bloomed into a smile.

Tommy looked at Katherine, "Your expression of regret doesn’t seem quite obvious, Your Majesty."

"How could I boast about my uniqueness if everyone got to experience it?" Katherine said proudly, "I participated, and they can only envy for a lifetime. That thought delights me even more."

"Buddy, you and Stephen are now applying for film studies, and I guarantee there isn’t a top school that would reject you, the co-producer of Nickelodeon’s hottest program. That’s an authentic credential," David Schafer exhaled gloomily, "Thinking about returning to Georgia and continuing my life as a pauper just makes me want to go back to Saint Vincent—the casinos, offshore banks, weed... There were countless opportunities to make money there, but in the end, I can only continue having my black classmates help me steal books from the library."

Stephen lit a cigarette, "I’m glad to have spent this pleasant summer with all of you, even though most of the time I acted like a fool, playing the personal nanny to Frank."

Everyone laughed at his comment, for even though Frank had excellent wrestling skills, he lacked self-care abilities, completely the opposite of Steve, who had lived in boarding schools since he was a child. Steve had been coaching Frank on how to take care of himself in daily life during this time.

"I feel like one of us will surely become a writer in the future, someone will go into the film arts, and then this summer will be fully documented and turned into a movie." Tommy Hawk said, looking at the others,

"Before that day arrives, we all need to live happily, fall in love, get married, have children, and then when they reach our current age, let them re-enact this summer on the silver screen while we sit below, holding popcorn and laughing loudly at their performance."

Everyone laughed at this statement, and Chris nodded, "That’s a great idea, and it would be even better if the premiere were in Saint Vincent."

"I have a question," Dennis raised his hand, drawing everyone’s attention, "What if Katherine married me, I mean, how would that work? It would feel odd having our two kids playing us in a love scene."

Katherine turned away, saying with distaste, "Do you think I would marry you? I’d marry Pam Marvell before I married you, at least Pam knows how to help with the wiring during a blackout."

"Katherine, I have Carly, and she’ll be coming to Lincoln High School next year," Pam said to Katherine, earnestly, "I understand your desire to date a standout guy, but I won’t have much time to give you."

Katherine made a vomiting gesture, and everyone burst out laughing.

"How about we do one last naughty thing?" After the laughter, Zoey looked at the group, "Let’s get a tiny tattoo, a pattern that’s unique to the ten of us, to commemorate the one-of-a-kind CSLS, to commemorate a summer unlike any other."

The ten high school students looked at each other and walked out of Lincoln High School, into the summer sunlight.