Beyond the Grave

Beyond the Grave

When a person passes away, nothing in his character changes away immediately. His unfulfilled desires are as strong as before. Depending on his degree of psychic development he will be able to get back to his usual surroundings and impress his friends/relatives with his presence.
Remy(not her real name), a secretary in the college of a government university was not given to hallucinations or emotional outbursts.
During the year this story happened, she was several months shy for early retirement. She was in charge of the graduating students of the college. From the time, a student’s name was included in the roster of candidates for graduation, she kept track of the student’s file, updated it and if necessary met with the student to coordinate with him for the graduation requirements.
She was very efficient in her duties that she had memorized the names by heart and had remembered the faces of the students to their smallest moles and warts. She considered the graduating students her “children”.
Tomas badly wanted to get the elusive white certificate. He had been in the university for more than six years. His batch had already graduated and had joined the gainfully employed and the unemployed. So when he was summoned by Remy to work closely with her in updating his files so that his name would be included in the final list of candidates for graduation, he was ecstatic.
He started coming to see Remy regularly. His last semester was mere completion of grades for some minor subjects.
He informed Remy (who became fond of him) of any problem that might prevent him from going up the stage for graduation.
He swore that nothing would stop him to march on graduation day.
That was the last day of the submission of the requirements for graduating students.
Remy was busy.
He saw Tomas came in white long-sleeved- dress shirt.
She teased him that it was not graduation yet.
Tomas merely smiled at her and submitted what were required for his graduation.
Remy simply stamped them Received. She had no time to talk to him. She got other students to attend to.
She hoped that she could get hold of him before the day ended.But he was gone. She felt unexplained sadness.
Tomas' classmates saw him seated on one of the concrete seats under a tree in the university campus. He was quiet but he smiled when his classmates made fun of his white shirt.
Like Remy, his classmates teased him too. That was the first time they saw him in white shirt and white pants.
He was comfy with colored loose-t shirt and blue jeans.
Remy asked the intern to hold the call from the Registrar’s office while she picked out a folder from her desk. She mused whether the call was about the files of the graduating students that she submitted yesterday. She wanted to be ready, although she was one hundred per cent sure that she did not miss anything. She checked the files several times before she personally handcarried it to the Registrar's office.
It was the Asst. Registrar.
While listening, she was mumbling, ” it was impossible.”
Then she said yes and put down the phone. After a few seconds, she sat down and broke down into tears.
Tomas died in his sleep two nights before. The family called to inform the university.
Remy swore that she saw him when he submitted his last requirements. The classmates swore that they saw him too.
On that commencement exercise, a vacant seat was reserved to a candidate. When his name was called, the graduating class stood up and gave him a round of applause.
Indeed, not even his death stopped him from graduating.
This is a true story. I knew Tomas when he was still alive.