Grand Finale...

The arm of the clock pointed to seven sharp. The evening looked gloomy that day with grey clouds decorating the azure sky. He was comfortably sitting at home, all dressed up in black and white. He donned his father’s black Versace suit and checked himself in the mirror before he headed for the evening ball. With shoes polished and outfit neat and clean, he was certain that he looked proper for the formal occasion. To him, this event was meant to mark the end of his legacy so that the future generation can take over his position and reach out to greater heights. He felt it was time to let his juniors shine like stars lighting up the night.

He arrived fifteen minutes ahead of scheduled time. He met his friends who were in the same boat as he was. Smartly dressed with ties, dark colours on their clothes were the haute couture for the evening. The ladies were splendid in black. Elegance if he could call it. Teenagers were transformed into young adults just by looking at their dress code. This was what he had always dreamed of, seeing people around him grow up to be fine-looking ladies and gentlemen. He waited for the invitation to proceed to the hall where the main event was about to begin. As he waited, he noticed the girl who he had asked to dance with earlier on. Should opportunity arrive; he would gladly take her hand and bring her to the dance floor. He decided to wait for the right time for the moment to come in his way.

Later, together with his friends, he walked into the chilling hall where everyone was patiently waiting. The candles placed on the hall front brought about a serene ambience. As they walked further, other guests stood up and applauded for their arrival. Roaring applause and cheers filled the room, lifting everybody’s spirits high. He sat by the dining table reserved for him and his fellow merry young men and women. The guests of honour came shortly were warmly welcomed by the audience. One of them made the first speech of the evening. She featured the history of peer support leaders of temasek secondary school and thanking every single one of the graduating students for their selfless contribution to the school. Such was her speech, accompanied by words of encouragement and praises because this evening was meant for them.

The event started off with a formal dining. The buffet styled dinner was perfect for the occasion. Food served was simply mouth watering and the taste, simply heavenly. He grabbed some food and returned to his seat. He proposed a toast at the dining table after which they began to nimble on the dinner. They discussed about the future peer support leaders, the farewell party and of course, the food. Then, the emcees made a sudden announcement after most of the guests had finished their food. It was time to reveal the best dressed male and female icon for the evening. He was startled. Four names were called out, two from each gender. They were paired up to dance together with more than forty pairs of eyes watching intently on their every move. His name was called out. His partner was not the girl he had asked earlier. He stepped up to the challenge anyway, not wanting to spoil the mood. He was determined to overcome the two left feet he had. His partner was a professional dancer. To him this was tough considering that she had experience while he had none.

He took her hand and made his way to the centre of the hall with spotlight shining over them. He placed his hand around her waist while the other holding her hand. Her arm was resting on his shoulder and with this they were ready to dance. The soft music started to play, gradually amplified so that the whole hall could enjoy this mini performance. Stunning cheers could be heard across the hall as they made their first dance steps. As the dance progressed, she began to take the liberty to lead; after all she was a natural dancer. All he could do was to follow her lead and made sure that he made no mistake. Though being raw and inexperienced, he got everything under control. Cheers lasted for a few minutes, ending only when the dance was over. Then, the guest cheered on again. This was his first dance with a girl with an audience around to see them sway and spin. Being the centre of attention, the pressure was piling up. How glad he truly was when the dance was finally over without any mishap. However, deep inside, he felt regretful that he had missed his only opportunity to dance with the girl he would like to dance with. All for the sake that his dance partner would not lose face in front of so many if he refused to perform with her. He gave up his desire so that everyone could remain jubilant even though he had waited for this chance, and when it came it slipped right through his fingers. Coincidental one might say but he knew everything happened for a reason.

The solemn ceremony began soon after. It was a memoir, a presentation displaying pictures dated years back. This was followed by the chairman’s speech. She spoke spontaneously. She described that peer support leaders are a big group, making a family out of different people with different talents to achieve a purpose. She only hoped that the legacy she had made will be passed on to the future, promising leaders and that this committed family members will forever be one, undivided regardless of differences. She cried after delivering her speech because her wonderful and fulfilling journey as a peer support leader had to come to an end. So did every graduating students and him. Her speech made him moved in a way, making him realize that he had to go no matter how much he wanted to stay close to his second family, to his committee, to his ever-smiling, supportive juniors who believed in him and to the people he regarded as more than just friends. This is a reality that every senior faced, young or old; that the final test of a leader is that he left behind in his juniors, the conviction and the will to carry on with or without him.

The ceremony of lighting the candles soon started. It symbolized the passing of authority to the next generation. The whole audience quietened down. Next up was the presentation of a token of appreciation for every graduating peer support leader. Name by name was called. His name was then called. He rose from the comfort of his chair and an abrupt, thunderous cheer was showered upon him till he received the certificate of appreciation from one of the guests of honour. Never had he imagined that he would receive such heartwarming response. All he could do was raise his hand in the air, a sign of thanking them. Pride was all he held on to as the certificate was handed to him. When he first walked into the school hall for the first time, he had never thought that his last year spent in this school would involve being recognized by the school for the effort he put into this leadership group. This would always be a significant and touching experience for him throughout his whole life. This was his grand finale.

Soon after, the newly elected chairman made his speech in three different languages, English, Malay and Chinese. This was a very entertaining segment for the audience because he was not able to speak Chinese. Nevertheless, plucking up the courage, striving to give his best, he managed to capture everyone’s attention. The audience was extremely delighted when he ended his undoubtedly, unique yet entertaining speech.

The aftermath was all about wild and crazy photo taking session. It was fun. His aim was to share those photos he took with the ones in the pictures. This way, he gave them a part of himself and they gave a part of themselves to him. It was the invisible network of companionship which could only be felt with heart. The joy of youth being teenagers should be spent in this way. This was the part and parcel of growing up one should not miss because once he missed it, he would never experience another. This was the grand finale he had ever wanted, to walk in with a good name and to walk out, leaving behind a good name and footprints in others’ lives. And for girl he had missed the chance to dance with, it would only be fair if one day, they could have eyes on them, dancing in the moonlight, just like in this ceremony so that he could make it up to her as well as keep his word.

This story is based on a real account. The author wants to thank the peer support leaders who certainly had changed his life in a more positive light. He hopes that through this story, every peer support leader will experience such heartwarming feeling when he or she finally graduates from the school as a peer support leader, lifting the school reputation soaring. All the best for the future of Temasek Secondary Peer Support Leaders!

Special thanks to:
Adam, Erni, Shamsydar, Izzati, Nuriman, Florence, Jovita, Ryan, Abishek, Anavil, Michele, Anand, Ruo Ning, Anthony, Aleem, Nikita, Xinyi, Huiwen jr & James.

Not forgetting:
Mr Oh, Ms Lee, Mdm Wan, AV crew, Sec 2 PSL, Sec 3 PSL, Sec 4 PSL, Sec 5 PSL, Shuyu, Firdaus, Caroline, Cheryl, Eric, Wen Bin, Michelle & Marcus for making this event a meaningful one for the author.

This story was inspired by “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden.