It wasn't too long before Beth's family caught up with them in the section of the WSA gym where the graduation ceremony took place. While most graduations would be on a weekend in order to avoid interrupting the school day, it had been figured to be "safe" enough get things set up and arranged for the ceremony that afternoon at four PM, and the ceremony had gone quite well from what Eliza could tell. And with Beth now graduated, many of the regulations that were in place with regard to their interactions didn't apply, and a good part of Eliza was more than willing take Beth some place private and let them both have a good time.
However, Eliza did have some other responsibilities as principal for the WSA High School and at the same time she wasn't going to deny Beth's family their right to be happy for her. And as Beth and Eliza had gone back and forth over what Beth's long term plans were, her family arrived to congratulate Beth. Beth was caught first by her father, who actually managed to lift her up a little as he brought her into a strong hug with toothy grin on his face.
"I'm so proud of you!" her father said happily, "you've graduated, you got into a college... sure we'll have to borrow a lot of money for it... but that's life and something to worry about later. Right now... I'm proud of you!"
"Daaaaaaaaad!" Beth protested, more out of embarrassment than anything else, but a small smile did cross her muzzle.
"You did wonderful, dear," Beth's mother said politely and rested a hand on Eliza's shoulder, "your father and I are just so happy for you. Both of you."
Eliza nodded to her bond-mate's mother and then more slowly to her father. While there might be some tension over the fact that Beth was a lesbian, Eliza did note that he did seem to accept it and had been friendly and respectful to her. In a sense that would be enough. Beth didn't get much time to recover, as almost as soon as her father released her from his hug, Killer added on of his own, though she did smile and hugged him back.
"So what are your plans for the summer?" Beth's mother asked to Eliza, "Now that you're free for the summer?"
"Beth is free," Eliza answered, "I still have the school year to finish with regard to making sure the under-classmen don't get into any trouble and so on. In that... I still need to come in for a few weeks."
"But after that, you're free, right?" Killer wondered.
"In a sense," Eliza answered with a nod, "There might be some things that will relate to making sure everything is prepared for when the Lyre School District and WSA are integrated again for the next school year... but most of that will be in planning and probably some meetings with the school board to make sure that we have the desks and chairs and so on."
There were some nods at that. The general acceptance of Beth and Eliza's relationship had often meant that Eliza Marigold was just as much a guest at the Jonson family home for dinner as Beth was over at Eliza's home for their own time and fun together. This often did mean that Eliza would share her thoughts and ideas on many of the issues that related WSA and its formation. At present the plan was that all students would be able to go together, Human or Animalian and WSA would have things to accommodate all students and they could all go to many of the same classes without having to worry about things. It would mean some expansion of the WSA buildings to provide comfort for the additional students that would come in, but Eliza had looked on that with some favor.
"But they will give you freedom for some fun and vacation, right?" Beth's mother asked, "as there are some things that we still need to work on..."
"Work on what, mother?" Beth asked with perked ears and wondering why her mother was speaking so directly to her bond-mate.
"Hopefully some happy surprises for you," Beth's mother said cryptically, as she had been working out with Eliza with ideas for wedding dresses and planning and coordinating for things, particularly with regard to the issues related to same sex marriage. The country had been making progress, but it wasn't legal in every state and might not be recognized in every state. Beth knew on the issues that related to same sex marriage, and that had her frustrated privately, especially as she knew she wanted to be with Eliza for the rest of her life, but that said, Beth didn't know about the plans between her mother and Eliza regarding the preparations for that. Of course, the words "happy surprises" only made Beth curious.
"But outside of long term plans, what do you plan to do for a vacation?" Killer asked, changing the subject.
"I actually hadn't thought on that," Eliza commented, "my salary as a principal... even a first year principal is better than I had as a teacher in the past, so we could afford more."
"Meh," Beth spoke, "While Maelewano and New Zerzura have some appeal... the former sounds too hot, and heard about some guy needing to go into Project Phoenix because of something he got as a result of a bug bite or something like that. And the later would be an issue as they'd have to abide by local laws..."
"And while Egypt is better that much of the rest of the Arab world... their tolerance for same sex couples is still limited," Eliza said slowly and with a sigh, "what about Mieni or the site in Brazil? If we go on a big trip... I could afford one for the summer."
"In all honesty..." Beth said slowly, "it doesn't have to be a big trip. I'd even settle for a camping trip up to Yellowstone or Yosemite if you were with me."
Eliza couldn't help but smile at that. She had been alone for many years, and while the Animalia Virus outbreak had brought her a new lease on life, especially after Beth came into her life, it didn't change on how lonely she'd actually been over the years in her private life. That sort of devotion to her from Beth really counted for a lot, and Eliza couldn't help but smile.
"There's actually a great deal of natural beauty in both those spots," Beth's father commented, "and that'd be something that we could all afford. Pitch some tents, share campfire stories, and s'mores."
"You and mom can have s'mores, dad," Beth answered, "Eliza, Killer, and I can't digest them..."
"Hot dogs are still good," Killer commented, "and a good thing they're not made out of dogs."
Beth shook her head with a chuckle and then looked to Beth who smiled back at her.
"And with the UFC-A having their first tournament this summer, maybe we could see some of the matches in person," Beth offered to Eliza, "It isn't pro wrestling... but it would be live and could be fun."
"That would be fun to watch," Eliza commented, "and could be something for while the district still has meetings they want me to attend..."
Beth nodded and smiled. They'd come from different worlds in many ways, but they'd both had a surprising amount of things in common that she'd never expected before. It was those things that made her more than happy to be with Eliza. In many ways she felt more comfortable with herself and her sexuality as a result of meeting her and learning where she and Eliza shared interests. In some ways it might seem odd, but Beth wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, and while her dad might not be the most openly accepting of things, he was coming around and that gave her hope for a happy future.
"So that'll be a date," Beth smiled, "and as for any camping trip... those plans may have to wait until all your summer meetings are through and when my dad and Killer can get time off their jobs."
Eliza slowly nodded and prepared to head out to talk with some of the other guests and potentially with any administrators that had come to see the graduation ceremony for WSA's Senior Class. However, she couldn't help but look over her shoulder to Beth and smiled.
"I'm proud of you, too," Eliza smiled to her bond-mate, "and perhaps this evening... I'll show you how much."