The summer of 2018 marked 10 years since I graduated from high school. I got a letter in the mail forwarded to me by my parents from my old school.
Dear Joseph,
Can you believe it's already been 10 years since we graduated from Emerson High School? We want to catch up with you and other classmates and find out what's been happening in your life since we parted. So please mark your calendar for Saturday, August 15th at 7.00 p.m. when we will hold our 10th reunion of the class of 2008.
We are making the reunion plans and will be in touch with you soon with all the details. We hope you can make it to the reunion. It'll be great to see you and reminisce about high school days!
Best regards,
C. Gainsbury,
Principal, Emerson High School.
I must admit the letter caught me a bit off guard. I never really liked the idea of these reunions or 'catch ups' but I hadn't seen any of my old friends in years and I had started to miss the way things were. Maybe that's just part of growing up. In any case, I decided I would go. It was more than likely going to be boring and uneventful but at least I might see a friendly face or two.
I got to my parents house late Friday night with a small bag for the weekend. My flight had been delayed, and sorting out a rental car took hours, so I was happy to just get indoors and take my shoes off. My feet were killing me. My parents were out of town on vacation so I had the house to myself. I went to bed early in my old room. Mom kept it exactly as I had it before I moved out. I can't say it didn't feel weird to sleep in my old bed, thinking about going back to school the next day. It wasn't quite nostalgia. It felt more like I had wandered into an episode of the Twilight Zone, as if the last 10 years never happened.
The next day, thanks to CATSA's delicate handling of my luggage, I had to iron my outfit for the night again. It wasn't anything too fancy, I wanted to keep it pretty casual: just blue slim fitting suit pants, and a sky blue shirt under a wine red wool jumper. I made my way to my old school at around 7.30, following the same route I had always taken what felt like a lifetime ago.
The school's parking lot was surprisingly busy, and there was a lot of activity around the old grounds. Seemed like I wouldn't be the only one who showed. I sat in my car, taking a moment to process the whole situation, watching the crowds and trying to see if I recognized any faces. The school itself had changed so much. There was an entirely new entrance and new classrooms that looked like they were just dropped in front of the school. Judging by the flow of people, it looked like the reunion was taking place in the sports hall, so I collected my thoughts, climbed out of my car and walked towards the hall.
'Disturbia' by Rihanna rattled off the walls through the PA system in the drafty sports hall. Daniel, who was always going to be the 'next great DJ' was stood behind his decks as if DJing at Coachella. Clearly hadn't changedβor done muchβin 10 years. I instantly recognized old faces regroup into their old high school cliques. Eyes scanned the room. As soon as a group spied a face, arms shot in the air, girls screamed, and bros bro-hugged. I stood around blankly for a moment, and went to get a drink. Lunch Ladies handed out plastic cups of room temperature, non-alcoholic punch from behind a desk. I shuffled forward in line for my unappetising cup when I heard a voice that I couldn't place call my name.
'Joe? Joe Rodwell?' I turned towards the voice and saw the beaming face of my French teacher, Ms Kelly. I returned her bright smile with my own. She was new to teaching when I was in High School. You can imagine how a teenage boy would feel having a 20 something speak French to you 4 days a week. And she hadn't changed a day. Her light brown hair, with the same blonde highlights, was straightened and shoulder length. Her little button nose still wiggled when she smiled that same smile that drove me crazy. She always wore these loose fitting, black suit pants that would flaunt her big, round ass. I always had to sit cross legged in her class, and had to try and cover my boner when I left her room. But now she wore a blue and black striped dress that hugged her curves. And, my God, I felt like I was 16 again.
'Ms Kelly? How are you?' I gave her a polite kiss on the cheek as we briefly embraced.
'I'm good! And, please, I'm not your teacher anymore, you can call me Alicia. How are you? You look great!' I was fully under the spell of my boyish crush all over again. I felt dumb.
'Thank you. Yeah, I'm fine. You look amazing.' Amazing? Too much? Stupid, Joe.
'Et, comment est ton franΓ§ais?' Her cheek rose with a playful smirk as she raised an eyebrow.
'Oui, c'est pas mal', I said, feeling proud that I didn't fail her test.
'Good job! It wasn't a complete waste of time then', she laughed.