It was the summer of 2000, when they decided they were meant to be. Two lifelong friends, neighbors, best friends, and soon to be lovers. They were inseparable. It was Elizabeth Higgons graduation day. She was graduating from Grand Rapids Christian High School and Tyler Wells, her best friend, was now home from college. He had just graduated from GRCHS last year, but now he went to Michigan State University. Who knew that time would come this fast. She walked up the stage in the auditorium in her white cap and gown. She had the red cords around her neck along with her National Honors Society sash. She was given a gold medal for her spectacular academics. She had done it. She was the best of the best. She was the valedictorian and class president. She would be attending Michigan State next fall also. She had received a full ride scholarship, just like her parents had back in the day.
She gave her speech, but she was not able to finish it completely because her principal interrupted her. He handed her a gift in front of the whole auditorium. She opened it. It was a remote with a note on it that said, “Press play.” She pressed it. It was a video that was on the back screen behind her. She moved so everyone could see it and she was shocked to see her friends, all the teachers she had throughout all the years, close relatives, and even her dad.
She had not seen her dad since she was twelve. He had gone up to Canada for a fishing trip with a couple friends. This was a normal occurrence because it happened every year. One day they received a call. It was from out of the country, so her mother answered assuming her father was calling to say, “Hi.” As she answered the call, she let out a shriek and then started crying. She did not stop. It was one of the darkest days of Elizabeth’s life. She did not want to believe that her father was gone, nor did she want to believe the story they were told. The day he died, there had been a mass shooter. Her father was at the right place, at the wrong time.
The video began to play her father’s voice and it went a little something like this: “Hey Higgy, how’s my girl doing? I’m sure you and your mother look splendid today. I wanted to congratulate you on graduating. You did it baby girl. Your dreams are falling into place now. I am sorry I could not be there for you. Remember I will always be right there inside your heart. Do not worry about me. I am doing alright. Your mother and I made this video just in case something was to happen. You never know. Keep your head up, Hig. I am so dang proud of you. I will see you later, baby girl. I love you. Never forget that.”
Elizabeth began to cry, but as it ended she began to smile. She cleared her throat, stood tall, and let out a small laugh. She looked at her fellow grads. She gave them a smile that no one would ever forget. She said the following words to finish up her speech, “Thank you for everything guys. You all have been there for me throughout the years and I cannot be more thankful. You guys are the reason I am the way I am today. You all have had a great impact on me somehow, someway. I love you all and wish you the best out of your lives. Thank you.” She stepped down from the stand and her principal shook her hand and gave her the diploma she had worked so hard to receive. She walked down from the stage and everyone stood and clapped for her as she walked out of the auditorium. Everyone’s names began to get called off as Elizabeth walked out the doors.
As she walked out, Tyler was the first one she saw as she opened the doors. She ran up to him into his arms and he kissed her forehead. “Congrats, Hig!” he said as soon as she finally let go. “You looked beautiful up there and your speech was perfect.” Elizabeth began to tear up again because she heard him call her, “Hig” and the only other person that called her that was her father. She was still emotionally distraught from the video, even though the video made her so happy. She became silent and Tyler began to notice these tears were not tears of joy anymore. “What’s wrong?”
“He is gone and I miss him so much,” said Elizabeth. She wiped away her tears and smiled, “But you are here and it is like I can feel him around me too when you call me, ‘Hig’.”
“The only men you really need in your life!” He winked at her and began to laugh. People started to swarm the halls and lunchroom and they begin to come over to Elizabeth to give her congratulation on her speech. The first person to reach her was her mother. Her mother smiled at her and gave her a big hug. One thing Elizabeth noticed when her mother came over to her, were her red eyes. Red due to the fact she was crying from Elizabeth’s speech and probably from the video too.
“Liz, you are the best thing that has ever been brought into my life and the fact you are leaving this fall makes me so sad. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It will be so lonely without having someone in the house,” her mother began to cry again.
Elizabeth brought her mother into her arms. She felt so tall compared to her mother, but that was mainly due to the fact she was wearing heels. “Mommy, you still have Ty’s family and we have the farm! You have all your other friends too!” Elizabeth did not want her mother to leave that house because she had lived there for her whole life. She did not have much time to think of all the other things to say when all of her friends came up to her to get pictures.
That summer was one of the best summers of her life. Not only did she spend it with her mother, but also with Ty’s family. They took a vacation over to Holland, MI. The two houses they stayed in were next to each other and at night they wrote each other notes from the windows. This is where their love story began to unfold.
They were college sweethearts, but they had their differences throughout the years. In the end she ended up with him and he ended up with her. They were together forever and neither of them were against that.
One night, she came home to the apartment from work and there was a note on the refrigerator telling her to go up to the roof and to bring a jacket to stay warm. As she finally made her way up to the roof, she gasped as she opened the door. She saw a blanket laid down on the ground with two pillows, a small table set up with two candles and dinner. He had cooked her favorite: mashed potatoes and corn and on the grill were two perfectly cooked steaks. It was her birthday, her twenty-second birthday. It was also her last day at Michigan State. He was standing by the balcony where he had wrapped lights all around. He turned around when he heard the door open and smiled. She had walked over to her and gave him a kiss. She smiled, “What a lovely surprise, Ty! I don’t know what to say.”
“Do not say anything, sweet thing. Come over and eat before the food gets cold. I have some news for you,” but he hesitated as he said this because her face seemed to be telling an untold story, “what is wrong, Hig?”
“Nothing really, babe. I got a promotion today,” she began to trail off.
“Why the long face! That’s great!” He smiled, but she did not look at him. She looked away and into the city.
“I have to move up to Traverse if I take it. Ty, I do not want to go without you. You have a great job here and I do not want to take that away from you,” she finally looked at him, “We have so much going for us here.”
He laughed, “Hig, stop. Think about yourself for a moment. You have so much going for you right now! I am not letting you turn down this offer. It is a great thing to be offered a job when you just got done with college!” He put his arms around her and whispered, “you will always have me, but there is one thing I need to know,” he looked into her eyes and grabbed her hand and got down on his knees, “Hig, will you marry me?” He opened a box with a beautiful ring inside.
She gasped at the surprise and smiled, “YES, YES, YES!” Just like that. They were going to get married and have a family. “But your work, your life here...”
“It will be our life now, and I will see if I can get moved up to an office up there. Do not worry about that. Everything will work out. Now, can we please eat?” he pulled out her chair for her and pushed her in and brought that steak over to her. They enjoyed that dinner; not just because of the food, but the memories that came with everything that happened that night.
It seemed like the perfect love story and to Elizabeth and Tyler it was. They got married and Elizabeth did take the job. Tyler was able to move up to a smaller agency that was partnered with Auto-Owners Insurance. Throughout the years, they moved here and there, but they ended up settling down in Holland, MI. It brought back so many memories to this couple; they knew it was the right choice.