Monday Musings about My Class Reunion…
Saturday night was my (mumbling year) high school class reunion. It was held at a lovely venue in the western suburbs of Chicago, with an open bar and appetizers. There was also a wedding reception at the same location. One of the bridesmaids asked me in the ladies room if I was there for the reunion. I said yes and she said, oh, is it your 20th? Ah, sweet, adorable, obviously alcohol-impaired young lady!
I dragged hubby along with me and he knows no one I went to school with because I met him after college, but he was a great sport. We had such fun talking to my friend Gloria and her hubby, David, who made the trip in from Florida. I swear Gloria looks just like she did in high school. Bitch. No, no, just kidding. She is just as lovely as ever and I’m sure it’s not her fault that she hasn’t aged a bit! Also talked with Terry and his wife, Jan, who came in from Iowa. I’ve known him since we were in sixth grade — about age 12 in the U.S. — and had seen them ten years ago at the last reunion I attended.
Then there was Al, another Terry, Mike, John and his wife Mary, Maureen and Ina and her husband, Gary. Ina is the only person I actually knew only from high school. We were in the same Russian class. Yes, I took Russian for four years in high school. I can’t say that I’ve ever used it since, but I’m always excited when I can read some of the alphabet, like on the Russian teams’ Olympic uniforms, haha.
There was a band who played just a little too loudly, but apparently it was a group of guys from high school who’ve gotten back together and are playing some local venues. They were actually quite good although not many people were dancing. We were too busy catching up on all those years apart. But my absolute favorite part of the evening was when someone told me she used to have her hair dyed platinum, like mine! Made my night 🙂
The Reunion, 11…
You can find earlier excerpts from The Reunion here
“Brian, I do understand, but Casey’s what, 18, 19? And she is going to be out from under her parents’ roofs pretty soon anyway. You won’t have a lot of say so when she’s away at school, especially what she’s doing at night or on the weekends. It sounds like you did a great job raising her and now you’ll have to trust her to make good choices.“
Whoops, she knew she’d really stepped into it when his smile thinned and his eyes narrowed. “And you know this from your vast experience with child rearing?”
###
“Wow, sorry, of course not. No kids here. I didn’t mean to overstep. I haven’t even seen you in years and here I am giving you advice on your teenager –“
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I just apologized for how I treated you years ago and I’m being an ass again. Of course you’ve got opinions about how teenaged girls act. You were one. Your ideas are probably worth more than mine.” He looked up at her and she could see the sadness in his eyes. “It seems like Casey’s gone from being Daddy’s little girl to this almost grown up overnight and I hate it. I mean, she used to care what I thought and talk to me about everything!”
“Oh, Brian, I’m sure she still cares. Maybe it’s different for girls, this breaking away from being someone’s child and learning to live on their own. I know it was like some huge declaration of independence for me. It’s why I wanted to go out of state to college – get as far away from the little town and my parents as I could. Otherwise, I’d always just be mom and dad’s little girl.”
He looked down at his dinner plate and struggled to regain his composure. Just thinking about the recent issues with Casey was enough to drive him crazy. And here at dinner with Jen was not the place. He should be focusing on her.
“Forget I said anything about it. I’m sure she’ll come around.” With an effort, he changed the subject. “So tell me what you did after you went away to school.”
And Jen proceeded to tell him about how his not taking her to prom was actually a good thing because it had served as a catalyst to get her to change her life, come out of her shell, take care of herself by eating better and exercising and caring about her appearance. And that led to a boyfriend and then another whom she married after graduation and lived with in the Chicago area. But the marriage only lasted four years and even though she dated now on and off, it seemed as though she’d not found anyone she wanted to keep seeing.
“So it’s just you and Jack now?” he asked, his eyes teasing.
“Oh, yeah, and he’s a sweetheart for sure. And the perfect speed, too. He’ll do walks around the block or the neighborhood, but then he’s more than happy to snooze next to me on the couch while we watch a movie. He’s a real snuggler.”
“A real snagger is more the word I was thinking,” Brian laughed. “I still can’t believe he stole my underwear while I was coming out of the shower.”
“He does love a good game of chase!” Jen laughed. And when she saw the glint in Brian’s eyes her breath caught. Apparently he wasn’t upset with her anymore.
“Well, who doesn’t love a good game of chase?” he leaned forward and casually picked up one of her hands, running his fingers over hers. She was aware of how much larger and harder his fingers were, a little roughened from the carpentry work, obviously stronger than hers. Now that she thought about it, everything about him was larger and stronger than she remembered.
The Reunion, 10…
You can find earlier excerpts from The Reunion here
“So, can we see the rest of the place?” Jen was surprised at the excitement she felt in looking around at the inn. “I haven’t been in here except maybe once or twice when we were kids.”
Brian paused. “Well, maybe tomorrow or the next day if that’s okay. I want to give the floors time to dry really well before we walk on them. The plumber and electrician are coming in tomorrow, too, so maybe the day after and I’ll give you a personal tour?”
“Sure, that would be nice. I’d love to hear about how you decided to buy and run an inn in our old hometown.”
“Well, actually, I’d love to tell you. Why don’t we get dinner tonight and catch up?” Brian was proud of working in the invitation he’d been planning. Jen smiled, “Thanks, I’d like that. “
Jimmy and Pam stood off to the side with slight smiles on their faces, as though none of this was unexpected. Jim turned slightly and Jen thought she saw him wink at Pam. Uh, oh, was this part of the problem with Pam’s husband? She’d bet money that Pam didn’t even realize she was flirting with Jimmy, but if Kevin had seen that look… No, she was probably overreacting. When exactly would Pam and Jimmy ever see each other in this town?
“So, Pammie, we should probably get out of the guys’ way, don’t you think?” Jen wanted to hurry her sister out of the old inn before anything else could happen.
“Oh, of course, sorry. We didn’t mean to hold up all your work!” Pam was immediately apologetic and Jen felt stupid for saying anything. After hugs all around, Jen and Pam took their leave and Brian promised he’d be back at the house by six so he and Jen could get dinner.
Dinner out with Brian turned out to be a lot of fun. Jen had showered and dressed before Brian got home and he hurried to clean up so they were able to leave the house by 6:30. She had already fed and walked Jack and he curled up in his dog bed with a look over his shoulder that clearly admonished her for leaving him again. Jen patted his sweet head and promised quality doggy time later. With a wave of his plumy tail, Jack closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, his favorite evening activity anyway.
Brian had picked a little steak and seafood place for dinner that was about a 30 minute drive away, closer to the city. The hostess led them to their table, smiling sweetly at Brian as she seated them while managing to ignore Jen the entire time. Brian winced apologetically as the hostess walked away, but Jen just smiled and shook her head.
The food was heavenly. Jen had scallops, one of her favorites, grilled to perfection and served on a bed of wild rice and sautéed vegetables. She was glad to see that Brian liked his steak medium rare, because anything rarer than that would have left her nauseated. She liked an occasional piece of beef, too, but she preferred hers more than just warmed over lightly.
“So, Jen,” Brian started after clearing his throat, “I really feel like I should apologize once and for all about senior prom in high school. I was such a geeky idiot back then – yes, I get the irony – still a geek even now, but I like to think I wouldn’t be as big an idiot now. I’m afraid I was more worried about my lack of dancing and romancing skills than I was about hurting your feelings, and I’ve felt terrible about that.”
It was such a sweet apology and Jen couldn’t help but smile at him. “I was angry for a while, but believe me when I tell you I’ve gotten past it, Bri. I even had a boyfriend and a fiancée and an admittedly brief marriage, so you don’t need to spend another moment thinking about it. In fact, I’d really like to hear more about what’s been going on with you all these years.”
Those lovely hazel eyes of his brightened as he pulled out his phone. “Well, after I finished my degree, I got married, too,” he said, “and we have a teenaged daughter.”
At her gasp of surprise he looked a little confused then smiled again as understanding dawned. “Oh. No, not cheating on the wife. We’ve been divorced for a few years now. I wanted to move back to the small town and she wanted to move on to an even bigger city. Cities are just not for me, I’ve found. And when I heard that the old inn was for sale last year, it seemed like the perfect time to move back to Brim. This is my daughter, Casey.”
“Brian, she’s just beautiful!” And she was, all long blond hair and big light eyes and that tall, thin coltish look that Brian had growing up. “It’s hard to put my finger on it, but she definitely takes after you, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, thankfully she’s got Sherry’s good looks, but she kind of has my build, I guess, although I’m not sure she’d be pleased to hear that. Right now we’re not on the best of terms. I put my foot down about her traveling this summer with a group of kids. She starts college in the fall and that’s a big enough step without backpacking around the country with friends.”
“Mm-hmm, that must be difficult, but –” Jen began.
He looked pained. “Her mother thinks it’s just fine for her to be alone for a month with a bunch of guys and girls I hardly know, not even sure where they’re going to be exactly or what they’ll be doing. I’m not so old that I don’t remember what it was like to be a teenaged boy! And just being safe nowadays. I mean, the stories in the news…” He shuddered.
“But she’d be traveling with several other teenagers in a group?” I’m a little confused as to why he’s totally freaking out.
“Sure, but three girls and three guys, I can just see there won’t be a lot of good judgment going on there. I mean, her boyfriend is a pretty good kid, but he’s heading off to school in Michigan in the fall anyway. And Sherry says she knows these other kids, but really? How well can she know them?”
“Brian, I do understand, but Casey’s what, 18, 19? And she is going to be out from under her parents’ roofs pretty soon anyway. You won’t have a lot of say so when she’s away at school, especially what she’s doing at night or on the weekends. It sounds like you did a great job raising her and now you’ll have to trust her to make good choices.“
Whoops, she knew she’d really stepped into it when his smile thinned and his eyes narrowed. “And you know this from your vast experience with child rearing?”
The Reunion, 8…
You can find earlier excerpts from The Reunion here
Parking in front of the Bluebell Café on Third Street at about 9:35, Jen saw her pretty, blond sister already sitting in a booth by the window, drinking a steaming cup of coffee. Rushing inside, she forgot just how annoyed she’d been with Pam and hurried to give her a hug and kiss.
“Jen, my gosh, you look so glamorous!” Pam’s eyes went wide. “I love the hair and you look like you’ve been doing Pilates or something!”
“Pammie, don’t be silly, who does Pilates? But I do still try to do yoga when I can and walking Jack every morning and night helps a lot. But I’ll never truly be rid of these hips!” Jen studied her sister’s face and thought Pam was looking awfully tired.
“Well, I think you look great. I’m so glad you came out this week. Kevin is out of town again on business so it’s just me running the kids to their weekend lessons and getting ‘em off to school in the mornings.” Pam stopped talking and winced at the serious look on her sister’s face.
“You really are mad about Brian being at the house? Mom called a few weeks ago and said Mrs. Walsh had asked her about him staying there while he’s got some project going on. And then he called me and said he needed to stay at least a month until his place would be ready and I told him sure, Mom had said it was fine and he insisted on paying and –“
“Well, jeez, Pammie, I don’t care what Mom and Dad do with the house. It is theirs, after all. But why didn’t you just tell me he was going to be there at the same time as me? A little heads up would have been nice!”
“I was afraid you’d change your mind about coming out at all. You know you could always stay with us, but it’s hard with the kids and our dogs and little Jack not being used to ‘em – so I just figured you would stay away again. And I miss seeing my big sis!”
“Aww, honey, I miss you, too, and seeing Kevin and the kids. But like you said, it’s hard with Jack and your two dogs. Jack’s not used to all the wide open spaces and he gets pretty territorial around other dogs. You’d think he wouldn’t, as little as he is, but what can I say?”
The waitress came by just then with coffee for Jen and a refill for Pam and they put their orders in for a good, old-fashioned home cooked breakfast. Jen looked around and realized that it was kind of nice being home again, especially when she remembered her Claritin.
So they ate their breakfast and talked, then paid and walked around the little downtown area, talking some more. Jen was waiting for Pam to say something about her life, her marriage, the kids, anything that would explain the exhausted look on her face, but she said nothing. Pam pointed out the old Fairview Inn to Jen and said that was where Brian was working, and that was his big black pick up truck in the parking lot.
“Well, he said he was going to be working there today. I guess he got an early start, because he was long gone before I got up and Jack never barked. Is he some kind of handyman or carpenter or something?”
Pam looked slightly amused at that. “No, Jen, he’s a builder. I think he got his degree in architecture. I thought you knew that. I’m not sure, but I think he said he was fixing up the Inn and planning to reopen it again as an even site or something. There’s been all kinds of meetings going on down at City Hall with the Zoning Committee because of some changes he wants to make.”
“You’re kidding, right? Who even knew Brim had a Zoning Committee?”
“Well, I guess if you’d see fit to come back here a little more often, you’d know how up and coming we’re getting to be,” Pam smiled. The college getting bigger has created a lot more jobs around here and it looks like things may pick up a little.”
“So, little sister, what’s going on with you? You look great, but maybe a little tired. Are the kids running you ragged?”
Pam looked a little uncomfortable and scuffed her toe against the concrete sidewalk. “Not exactly. Kevin and I have been having some problems. For awhile now, I guess, if I’m being honest.”
The Reunion (6)…
You can find earlier excerpts from The Reunion here.
Well, that barely there kiss had caught her by surprise. When did Brian Walsh get to be such a hottie, with moves even? Obviously he’d gotten over his shyness and reluctance around females! Jen shut her bedroom door gently after surreptitiously peeking out to watch him ascend the stairs. From the looks of it, he had a pretty great ass under that towel. He might actually have turned out to be a nice guy. He’d been flirting, she decided, and kind of hoped it wasn’t just so she’d let him stay. She smiled as she thought about future possibilities with them sharing a house and sent Pam a text, asking her to meet for breakfast in the morning.
Hey, Pammie, can you do breakfast in the morning?
Is 9:30 okay?
Sure, perfect. Where’s a good place to meet?
How about Bluebell’s, that little diner on 3rd Street? Do you remember from last time you were out?
Oh, of course. Seems we have some surprises to talk about!
Ahh, so you saw Brian?
He scared the shit out of me, Pammie! You’ve got some ‘splaining to do, girl!
LOL, tomorrow!
Well, tomorrow she would talk it out with Pam and see what was really going on. Tonight she was dead tired from the drive and now that her heartbeat had slowed down to normal, she hoped she’d fall asleep easily. Jack had settled down on his little dog bed and curled his fluffy tail under him, the signal that he was out for the count. And all in all, it felt good knowing she wasn’t alone in the house.
***
The next morning Brian crept down the stairs at 6 a.m. with his blueprints in hand. He needed to get over to the Inn early, before the others got there, and he didn’t want to risk waking Jen or having her little dog hear him and start barking. She’d looked pretty beat last night and he wondered how far she’d driven.
It was true that Jen had looked great. He thought back to all the times their families had gotten together for barbecues and picnics over the years. He and Jen and Pam had played together as little kids, teased each other in junior high and then had somewhat stilted conversations as teens as their interests changed and they drifted apart. None of that had prepared him for this new, improved version of Jen Meyer.
She’d been rounder in high school and kind of shy, but she’d always been friendly to him, at least until the whole prom fiasco. Boy, had his mom been pissed at him about that. He winced to himself, remembering how furious she’d been when she found out he’d gone into work and called the date off at the last minute. Of course, she thought it probably reflected badly on her and how she’d raised him, something he hadn’t really considered back then.
He figured he’d ask Jen to dinner and try to explain about what an idiot he’d been back then and apologize once and for all. He wondered if she was here for the reunion, which wasn’t until next weekend, or some other reason. Or maybe just to visit, although he thought her sister was her only family still in Brim.
He maneuvered his pickup around her little car, amused at the way she’d parked almost off the driveway, like she’d been in a huge hurry to get out of the car and into the house. He drove slowly through the neighborhood, figuring he’d grab a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich at the BP gas station just a mile or so away, off the main highway. Hopefully they still had decent enough coffee because he sure could use a big old cup. Or two.
Seeing Jen in pajamas, all flustered when caught by surprise, had played havoc with his sleep last night. She’d tried to hide it, but all that jiggling and bouncing as she’d jumped up from her exercise mat had made it clear she wasn’t wearing a bra under her little shirt. Luckily, she still had those great curves. Her cheeks had turned pink and her mouth had opened in surprise when he told her he had no intention of leaving. She looked so adorable that he couldn’t resist leaning in for a taste of that mouth and thankfully she hadn’t slapped his face. He smiled ruefully and reminded himself that he was 38-year-old man with a daughter of his own and not a teenaged boy with raging hormones. But, damn, she sure looked good.
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