Okay, I'll talk about the reunion now.
High school reunion. Well, I guess I had fun. I'm not sure fun is the right way to describe it. I thought it was freaky.
First, I discovered something: I was Popular in high school! Not UberPopular (snobby), but Popular. I always knew I was well-liked, or, in other words, popular with a lowercase p, but I didn't know I was Popular with a capital P. So many people remembered me and wanted to talk to me! It was very nice. I had to be honest with Tom, though, and told him that if I'd had any clue that Mike M. would go out with me in HS, I'd probably be married to him by now. Weeelll, you know what I mean.
Not that I'm *sure* Mike would have dated me in HS. But we talked quite a bit at the reunion and he went on to basically tell me he used to drive by my house all the time in HS, and that he still thinks of me every time he drives past it--I take that as a sign that he liked me. His pregnant wife scowled at me the whole time he and I talked. She tried to engage Tom in mutual scowling, but he was too busy eating 7-layer dip to play that little game with her. Yes, if I'da had any clue...I'da loved to have dated him.
I also saw my friend Leo. Leo and I have nice chemistry and were friends, but AGAIN I had no clue until several years ago that he crushed on me in HS. If he'd had the nuts to ask me out prior to my moving to Oklahoma, I would have dated him. I was in BR, he was in NO, but he waited until I was in OK to make his move (in his defense, he didn't realize I was serious about moving). So I saw him there. I wanted to flirt with him a little but couldn't because that would have been gauche, with my hubby standing next to me and all. I messenged with Leo the other day; he accused me of getting married. Accused. Ah, oh well.
Then there was John, the preppy, well-bred guy in HS, who is now a gray-complected, smelly heroin addict. He didn't stay long, probably because nobody wanted to talk to him.
Girls? Yes, I saw a lot of them. My girlfriends have all (well, except two) turned out very successful. Doctors, physical therapists, lawyers, engineers, teachers. I was so glad I could say "Professor" and not "Waitress at Red Lobster" when they asked me what I do now. Plus, these girls are still all very attractive and slim--except for the girl who was *never* slim--she's the same. Most of these girls have only in the past 2-3 years gotten married, and although some of them have kids, you wouldn't know it by their physiques, hairstyles, and clothing choices. I saw nothing matronly.
I didn't talk to the UberPopulars. The snobs. There's only about 12 of them--male and female--and I never did get on well with them, and didn't feel like trying at the reunion. I have no idea what they're up to now, but I did see several boob jobs amongst their camp, and a few pounds packed on here and there. I also got the impression that many of them are still single.
I saw Wes, who was my friend long ago. Very cute Popular boy our freshman and sophomore years. He and I went out a few times as friends and I swear he was going to kiss me once but chickened out. You see, I was popular because I was a little bit "bad." You know, a little bit alterna--but he was very preppy. It took a brave boy to ask me out, apparently. I only really realize all this looking back at it. Anyway. He was in a bad car wreck our sophomore year. Sad story. I don't feel like telling that story, so phooey on you. Let's just say that his head was basically shattered. Anyway, he was there at the reunion, we spoke a little, and he got out of his wheelchair and dragged me to the dance floor. He is surprisingly strong. After a little while he asked me if I was married and I said yes. He wanted to meet Tom, and told Tom that he was very disappointed that I am married. Poor Wes. If only he could speak more quickly and loudly! People can't always tell what he's saying or how he means it. He was teasing Tom, but if you didn't know Wes you might not be able to tell. So. Enough said about that.
I also saw Chris, who was my boyfriend when I was a freshman and he was a junior. He was in a bad car wreck that year, and nearly died--his brain swelled, and lungs collapsed, and I seem to remember that his back was broken and his organs tried to shut down on him. Funeral arrangements--literally--were being made. But he wasn't ready to die, I guess, because, well, he didn't. After a few years of healing and physical therapy, he came back to school when I was a junior, and he was still a junior. He is okay, physically--a little awkward, but he had been atheltic and determined and really made strides in his physical therapy. But he never got far in his speech therapy. It is very, very difficult to understand him. I am confident that this deficiency is not for lack of trying. He just can't regain his speech--physically. It's all there, happening in his head, and you can see how frustrated he gets. He's an angry man, now. That's widely reported. He's angry that he can't speak. I talked with him briefly, but it was stressful and hard. He was in good enough spirits the night of the reunion, but, well. But.
And last but not least, every senior class has a guy who grows up to be The Weeping Drunk. Yep. Ours is Brandon M. Brandon has become known, since graduation, for emailing people in the middle of the night drunk, then emailing apologies in the morning. When I saw him, he hugged me, introduced me to his wife (who he is miserable with), then showed me his beer coozy as soon as she walked away. He brought it to the reunion himself, and had a can of beer in it. I don't know where he got a *can* of beer, as they weren't serving canned beer at the reunion. The coozy said, "The only time my wife stops talking is when her mother starts." He announced that he has become white trash (he announces this in every weepy email he sends, too) and explained to me that he lives in the past. That he spends all the time he can revisiting memories and escaping to the past. He asked me about several events from our past together in HS and I couldn't remember any of them but tried to fake like I did because it seemed so important to him. Frankly, I didn't even realize that he and I *were* friends in HS until he started emailing me in the dead of the night several years later. Poor guy. He married and had kids too young, and hates his life. Still lives in his hometown. Sad. He is on his way to Willie Lohmanism as the years go by. I think that next time he emails me drunk in the middle of the night, I'll try to respond to him intelligently instead of comically.
So, that was it. Tom and I only stayed and hour and a half. At that point, I felt it was best to get the hell outa there before anything bad/scary/uncomfortable happened. Bizarre evening. I'm glad I went, though.
High school reunion. Well, I guess I had fun. I'm not sure fun is the right way to describe it. I thought it was freaky.
First, I discovered something: I was Popular in high school! Not UberPopular (snobby), but Popular. I always knew I was well-liked, or, in other words, popular with a lowercase p, but I didn't know I was Popular with a capital P. So many people remembered me and wanted to talk to me! It was very nice. I had to be honest with Tom, though, and told him that if I'd had any clue that Mike M. would go out with me in HS, I'd probably be married to him by now. Weeelll, you know what I mean.
Not that I'm *sure* Mike would have dated me in HS. But we talked quite a bit at the reunion and he went on to basically tell me he used to drive by my house all the time in HS, and that he still thinks of me every time he drives past it--I take that as a sign that he liked me. His pregnant wife scowled at me the whole time he and I talked. She tried to engage Tom in mutual scowling, but he was too busy eating 7-layer dip to play that little game with her. Yes, if I'da had any clue...I'da loved to have dated him.
I also saw my friend Leo. Leo and I have nice chemistry and were friends, but AGAIN I had no clue until several years ago that he crushed on me in HS. If he'd had the nuts to ask me out prior to my moving to Oklahoma, I would have dated him. I was in BR, he was in NO, but he waited until I was in OK to make his move (in his defense, he didn't realize I was serious about moving). So I saw him there. I wanted to flirt with him a little but couldn't because that would have been gauche, with my hubby standing next to me and all. I messenged with Leo the other day; he accused me of getting married. Accused. Ah, oh well.
Then there was John, the preppy, well-bred guy in HS, who is now a gray-complected, smelly heroin addict. He didn't stay long, probably because nobody wanted to talk to him.
Girls? Yes, I saw a lot of them. My girlfriends have all (well, except two) turned out very successful. Doctors, physical therapists, lawyers, engineers, teachers. I was so glad I could say "Professor" and not "Waitress at Red Lobster" when they asked me what I do now. Plus, these girls are still all very attractive and slim--except for the girl who was *never* slim--she's the same. Most of these girls have only in the past 2-3 years gotten married, and although some of them have kids, you wouldn't know it by their physiques, hairstyles, and clothing choices. I saw nothing matronly.
I didn't talk to the UberPopulars. The snobs. There's only about 12 of them--male and female--and I never did get on well with them, and didn't feel like trying at the reunion. I have no idea what they're up to now, but I did see several boob jobs amongst their camp, and a few pounds packed on here and there. I also got the impression that many of them are still single.
I saw Wes, who was my friend long ago. Very cute Popular boy our freshman and sophomore years. He and I went out a few times as friends and I swear he was going to kiss me once but chickened out. You see, I was popular because I was a little bit "bad." You know, a little bit alterna--but he was very preppy. It took a brave boy to ask me out, apparently. I only really realize all this looking back at it. Anyway. He was in a bad car wreck our sophomore year. Sad story. I don't feel like telling that story, so phooey on you. Let's just say that his head was basically shattered. Anyway, he was there at the reunion, we spoke a little, and he got out of his wheelchair and dragged me to the dance floor. He is surprisingly strong. After a little while he asked me if I was married and I said yes. He wanted to meet Tom, and told Tom that he was very disappointed that I am married. Poor Wes. If only he could speak more quickly and loudly! People can't always tell what he's saying or how he means it. He was teasing Tom, but if you didn't know Wes you might not be able to tell. So. Enough said about that.
I also saw Chris, who was my boyfriend when I was a freshman and he was a junior. He was in a bad car wreck that year, and nearly died--his brain swelled, and lungs collapsed, and I seem to remember that his back was broken and his organs tried to shut down on him. Funeral arrangements--literally--were being made. But he wasn't ready to die, I guess, because, well, he didn't. After a few years of healing and physical therapy, he came back to school when I was a junior, and he was still a junior. He is okay, physically--a little awkward, but he had been atheltic and determined and really made strides in his physical therapy. But he never got far in his speech therapy. It is very, very difficult to understand him. I am confident that this deficiency is not for lack of trying. He just can't regain his speech--physically. It's all there, happening in his head, and you can see how frustrated he gets. He's an angry man, now. That's widely reported. He's angry that he can't speak. I talked with him briefly, but it was stressful and hard. He was in good enough spirits the night of the reunion, but, well. But.
And last but not least, every senior class has a guy who grows up to be The Weeping Drunk. Yep. Ours is Brandon M. Brandon has become known, since graduation, for emailing people in the middle of the night drunk, then emailing apologies in the morning. When I saw him, he hugged me, introduced me to his wife (who he is miserable with), then showed me his beer coozy as soon as she walked away. He brought it to the reunion himself, and had a can of beer in it. I don't know where he got a *can* of beer, as they weren't serving canned beer at the reunion. The coozy said, "The only time my wife stops talking is when her mother starts." He announced that he has become white trash (he announces this in every weepy email he sends, too) and explained to me that he lives in the past. That he spends all the time he can revisiting memories and escaping to the past. He asked me about several events from our past together in HS and I couldn't remember any of them but tried to fake like I did because it seemed so important to him. Frankly, I didn't even realize that he and I *were* friends in HS until he started emailing me in the dead of the night several years later. Poor guy. He married and had kids too young, and hates his life. Still lives in his hometown. Sad. He is on his way to Willie Lohmanism as the years go by. I think that next time he emails me drunk in the middle of the night, I'll try to respond to him intelligently instead of comically.
So, that was it. Tom and I only stayed and hour and a half. At that point, I felt it was best to get the hell outa there before anything bad/scary/uncomfortable happened. Bizarre evening. I'm glad I went, though.
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