The Reunion

If I could relive the past I would not have gone to my highschool reunion. I had no desire to go. The past was the past not my future. When Alison called and invited me I found myself saying yes. It was fun to see her, and find out how her life had developed. The gathering went pretty much as I had anticipated. I talked about politics and other classmates lifes. It was a polite affair. We went into the cafeteria to listen to the speaker. Then my heart stopped. There sat the boy who had broken my heart during my tenth grade year. I instantly felt the same attraction. I know it should have been one strike you're out. I should have accepted the fact that he did not feel the same way. When everyone left he stayed at his table. I got the idea that he wanted to talk with me, but disappeared for three minutes to the bathroom. When I came out he was gone. I usually would not have gone to the party,but I figured he would be there. I became a social butterfly greeting everybody who entered the house. I was hoping that he would walk in the door and I would greet him, but he did not enter. Some of my highschool friends were actually there. Alison and I went out into the backyard. I was talking about how I wanted a house with a yard like that one. I was even talking about having children playing in the backyard. I wa on cloud nine but he never showed up at the party. His friends were asking about him. Claire the girl in highschool who he had dated instead of me seemed confused that he wouldn't come. She had been one of the popular girls . She was now married with kids. Not looking for a husband. Guys in highschool always preferred the popular girls, or those who would give it up.

It was the last day of the class when he came in and was talking to his friend the teacher, about Claire. I felt the air sink out of my stomach. He had been the student teacher so he usually helped me with my work. I assumed that it was helping him pay his tuition, to assist in the class. It had never crossed my mind that he wouldn't like me. He spent most of the class talking with me. We had eraser fights, I had been having so much fun. I had never thought about the class ending. That day after the class emptied out I sat in the room and cried. It was my first real heartbreak. I was glad that it was the last day of class so I would never have to see him again. And I never did see again until the reunion.

But at the reunion my heart led me right back. All of a sudden I was talking and thinking about the suburban life with kids. Something I had never wanted before. I should have let my past experience with him warn me. I should have never looked up his phone number and called him a week later. But that night I talked to more people then I had my two years at that high school. I was so nervous but people just thought I was friendly.

I went home that night exhausted, and not really sure if I had had a good or bad time. Nobody seemed to notice anything odd about me. Of course they all wanted that suburbian dream as well, but I had never wanted it.