Chapter 11 - The College Acceptance
By mid-January, the academic horizon cleared entirely for Sage.
Her community college transcripts, bolstered by a flawless 3.95 GPA and glowing recommendations from her professors, were officially submitted to the state university’s upper-division transfer program. On a brisk Tuesday afternoon, Sage burst through our front house door, dropping her backpack onto the entryway floor with a resounding thud.
She was waving a thick, official envelope bearing the university’s crimson-and-gold crest.
"Mom! Dad!" she shouted, her voice echoing with pure, unadulterated joy.
Sterling hurried out of the kitchen with a dish towel in his hand, and I stepped out from the home office as Sage tore open the envelope with trembling fingers. She scanned the first paragraph, her eyes widening.
"Accepted!" she shrieked, jumping up and down. "Full junior-year standing! And... and a Provost Transfer Scholarship covering half my tuition!"
Sterling roared with laughter, scooping her up in a massive bear hug and spinning her around the living room while Sage laughed through happy tears.
I stood back, watching them, my chest aching with a fierce, overwhelming pride. My father’s spirit lived on right here in this room—not in frozen bank accounts or emerald wool blazers, but in the resilient, hardworking spirit of his granddaughter.
"Look at you, kiddo!" Sterling beamed, setting her back on her feet. "From community college honor roll straight to university scholars! Your grandfather would be bursting out of his skin right now."
"I couldn't have done it without you guys," Sage said, her voice softening as she looked between us. "Especially when everyone else told us we were taking the 'simpler, less ambitious path.'"
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"The path of integrity is never simple, sweetie," I said, walking over and pulling her into a tight embrace. "But it’s always the right one."
That evening, we celebrated with homemade pizza and a slice of leftover apple pie. For the first time in years, our family history felt like something we were writing ourselves, line by honest line.
