As my sleeveless sheath dress continued to stick to my body, I grumbled to myself about the season's early heat wave and tried to fan myself for what must have been the hundredth time. "How could it be this warm after sundown?" I thought. "Why am I sweating so much? And, of all the things to wear to my middle school reunion, why did I pick this dress?"
Ah yes, my trusty black sheath that showed just the right amount of shoulder and knee. It was the one dress that hid a multitude of sins and made me at least look like I'd committed many others.
Not that I'd had any time to commit any with my new job downtown demanding all my attention. At least with my dress, and my title of Press Secretary of the prestigious Sheargane Theatre, I had some success to fortify me against those smug bitches and bastards I'd have to face tonight. "Then again," I thought, "Why should I?" Except for seeing who went and got fat, pregnant, married, divorced or bankrupt, I had not one good reason to even go to the reunion.
Just as I was about to turn around, a familiar scent beckoned to me like the crispness of the first evening breeze. At first, I doubted my senses, but the fragrance returned again, and more intensely. Spurred on by an unseen force, my legs surged forward until I reached the Town Square across the street from my school...and there they were, waiting to greet me. After all this time, my only true friends, the cherry blossom trees were still there in all their springtime glory.
When I was little, I would bring home enough blossoms to fill a Hefty bag and dump them all over my bed. Then, wearing nothing but my underclothes, I'd spend the afternoon throwing them up in the air and letting them fall on my face, my arms, my whole body. For my finale, I'd wrap myself in my blankets and squeeze the blossoms close to me so they got in my hair, their intoxicating fragrance burrowing up to my nose over and over.
Seeing the blossoms made those distant memories much more vivid, and even more welcome. "All mine for the taking," I thought impishly. Then, aloud, I said, "Why not?" The sweat that covered my body was forgotten as I crossed the street. Walking up to the biggest tree, I took hold of a branch hanging over the sidewalk, leaned in close to the buds and breathed deeply.
Ah! The glorious ambrosia those blossoms offered was still there! My inner child was doing a thousand cartwheels. "Take some of them home! Take them ALL home! Let's BURY the mattress!" Forgetting I was probably being stared at by passing traffic, I buried my face in a huge bunch, letting the petals tickle my cheeks. Laughter floated all around me, urging me with rebellious desire to spring into whatever memory I would enjoy reliving at that very moment, and stay forever.
That's when I realized I wasn't the one laughing.
I turned around and found myself staring face to blossom-covered face at my old schoolmate and all-time biggest regret, Sean Vincent. After all those hours we spent in chorus together, you'd figure one of us would have been brave enough to make a move! But it was not to be. To my dismay, he hadn't changed much. His cute-as-hell caramel-tanned face had only gotten cuter. He still tilted his head so his hazel eyes caught the light just enough to make them dance whenever he spoke. To make matters worse, his once lean arms and legs had grown some well-placed muscle tone. Even through his casual attire, I could see there was a man in the place of my quiet chorus boy, which meant anyone at the reunion who was still single would be all over him like a cheap suit. "Not a prayer in getting close to him tonight," I thought grimly.
So why was he still looking at me?
"Beautiful sightβ¦and the flowers are nice, too." He grinned with a lot more cocksureness than he showed in my junior chorus days. Extending his hand, he looked at me and asked the fatal question: "I know you from somewhere, don't I?"
"Guilty as charged," I replied, letting him take my hand in a surprisingly firm grip.
"Anna! Anna Weston! I thought it was you! Man, it's been a long time! I still remember standing behind you in chorus practice."
"Do you remember 'My Heart is Home', our most infamous song?"