School reunions are usually boring affairs; instead of reuniting classmates they tend to polarize people, those interested in attending and those who shun the anticipated boredom, the true friends who would stay in touch regardless of an event versus those who were happy to move on with their lives, never looking back. In the fifteen years since graduation I was happy to get away from the vast majority of my classmates, choosing an out of state university and then a job in another state to complete the separation. I have moved on, changed, grown, and felt a relief to be rid of the baggage of unpleasant roots.
With all of that being said, I am not sure why I felt it important to go back for the fifteen year celebration but there was something prompting me to return. Maybe it was just the desire, perhaps the need, to see certain people one last time to confirm my feelings about them, or to gloat about my personal growth and the changes in my life that this growth has fostered. However, it would be an opportunity to see one person in particular, someone who was an old friend who crept into my subconscious several years ago and who would not leave. It was a complicated friendship back in school and one of those bits of an unfinished story that begged for closure. This night of reunion would allow me to turn the page, confirming my decisions of fifteen years past so it was an event that was necessary for me to attend.
I flew into town the day of the reunion and had arranged a nice room in the hotel where the festivities were to be held. I did not wish to travel around the city and hoped to stay for as short a time as possible, so I booked my flight home the following afternoon. My plan was a simple one: fly in, see some people, stay overnight, a half-day at leisure the following day and then back to the real world. Regardless of my feelings I needed some closure and if this was the price for peace of mind, so be it.
After checking in at the hotel I took a shower and relaxed with a drink from the mini-bar. As I got dressed I could not help thinking about my old friend, Matt Grisham, the someone who had been on my mind and I wondered what seeing him after all these years would be like. He and I had been close, sharing similar interests and quite a few classes, but our friendship did not last much beyond the end of school. We had summer jobs at the same country club after graduation but when I left for university in the fall we lost touch. I had heard that he stayed in town, attending a community college before switching to a local school to finish his degree, and then he remained in the city and the story, as I knew it, ended. Maybe I would see him to find out more but, in reality, none of it mattered since I had my life and I am sure that he had his. The complication in all of this came into being because I cared for him more than I would for a friend but I never made my feelings known. We had our separate personas and worked diligently to preserve the façade shown to other friends and family so I kept everything inside, never knowing how things would have gone if I had been honest with him or even how he would react once I was. I made up my mind that tonight would be the night I would tell him everything and let the chips fall where they may. Closure once and for all.
I decided on a light gray suit with pink shirt and color matching tie. It was a sharp combination that was made to impress. Staying with the color choice I also wore a pink camisole, pink lace panties, and a pink garter belt and stockings. It was a dynamite ensemble and it made me feel beautiful and sexy when I put it on. They say that you wear lingerie for someone else but in my case I wore it for myself simply because I loved the way it felt against my skin when I moved. I had come a long way in fifteen years and I was happy with my choices and the life that I had created for myself.
Entering the ballroom of the hotel was like stepping back in time. I saw classmates and teachers scattered around, some groups making obviously nervous small talk and others genuinely laughing with each other and having fun. I would have fit into one of the former groups rather than the latter if I was inclined to mingle but since I had no real desire to see most of these people I wandered aimlessly, saying hello to this one and that one, never staying much longer than to exchange simple pleasantries. I was not that interested in their lives and did not wish to share mine with people who could care less about me other than for gossip at a later date so I drifted around with a glass of wine in my hand for effect. Music played and people danced but it was becoming a non-event in my book. I walked out onto the terrace for some air, disappointed that I had not seen Matt and stood by the railing staring at the skyline and the night sky. Suddenly I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and heard a familiar voice. "I was hoping that you would come tonight" said Matt. "It has been a long time and I was wondering how you were doing."
