My brothers and I, and our spouses, returned a week early to my hometown for our respective (my 50th) high school reunions and informal get-togethers with friends and our 97-year-old mother who still lives independently in our childhood home.
It caused weird things to click…and it seems we return to old patterns and memories…which can be both good and bad.
When my brother Jerry mentioned that John had asked about me at one of his functions, I was secretly flattered because John was a heartthrob back then. And curious...because I didn’t recall any conversations, merely a smile as we passed in the school hallway.
So it was a surprise when John appeared at the door of my reunion party. I felt conspicuous as helpful fingers pointed in my direction. I glanced about, sure they were pointing to someone else, and then found him standing in front of me. He stared admiringly. John still had beautiful eyes – now set in a slightly wrinkled face – gray hair, and a thicker body. He looked pretty good even with the intervening 50 years.
When he reminisced about the good old days, I paid careful attention, as he recalled a night we sat in his car in front of my house making out. I gasped an inward breath as a popular busybody behind us turned, said “what?” and leaned in for the rest of the story. Yeah, me too, I thought. Was this a cruel joke? Does he have Alzheimer’s? Is it a fantasy? I was mesmerized with his tale and never objected. We all laughed together afterward at John’s bravery. Both my brothers were jocks and had a fierce reputation of overprotectiveness, and my father was an intimidating hulk — to my despair.
As John continued embellishing, my husband walked over with his camera, asking us all to smile as he aimed. This is what spouses do at reunions. They should be given awards for diligently being ignored but looking amused, interested, and following up with photos they never appear in.
Gleefully I asked John to repeat his absurd tale. My husband listened, grinned (36 years of marriage) and chuckled knowingly. I was heady with the virtual experience of having made out with John in high school and the biggest blabbermouth in town repeating it. It’s funny and amazing how different our perceptions of the past are. Mine was that I’d dated a lot — though never getting serious (I was a real goody-two-shoes) — and had lots of friends.
Mom was still up when my brothers and I arrived back home. As we sat in the living room, remarking about how various people had changed, I mentioned John. My oldest brother, Harry piped up, shaking his head, “He’s weird. He told me this story about you guys making out in front of our house and me knocking on your window. But I was in college then, long gone. I told him it didn’t happen. Must have been my brother.” Jerry glanced up and shook his head as well. “Never happened,” he said.
“Didn’t happen is right,” mom said. “We always waited up with the porch light on, and your dad would have been out there glaring within minutes.” And if Jerry had discovered us, I thought, John would have…let’s say, suffered…on the football field during the next practice session.”
“But why such a crazy story?” I blurted.
“A boy thing”…Harry mumbled.
“Wishful thinking,” mom contributed.
Yet John had seemed sure that it happened… and so excited to recall it. Well, he’s the lucky one, I thought. His memories make him happy…and who cares that it’s fantasy? It’s one of those tricks of the mind that gives pleasure while we can still appreciate it. Who knows, in a few more years even the illusions may fade. Come to think of it, if I sparked such an invention in John’s mind after all this time I must have really been something.
SueAnn Carpenter has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines. She loves to travel. And to relax, she paints portraits of pets and captures her travels in paintings. She has a new website, www.petwatercolorist.com.