"Mrs Macmillan?"
Standing in front of me was my High School Home Room teacher, albeit nearly 30 years older than when I had last seen her. She seemed a little shorter, a lot grayer, but undeniably this was Dorothy Macmillan. I'd had enough schoolboy fantasies about her all those years agoo that I couldn't be wrong ... could I?
The older woman turned to look at me, a query in her eyes as if to ask me why I was bothering her. Her gaze took in my wife, standing beside the shopping cart I was pushing, came back up to me and said, simply, "Yes?"
"Hi. I don't know if you remember me - it's Mike Smith. I had you for Home Room in 1981, do you remember"
Immediately that amused twinkle that used to keep schoolboys up at night appeared in her bright blue eyes. "Yes, Michael, I do remember you, quite well. Hello, I'm Dorothy Macmillan" she introduced herself to my wife, Jenny. "Obviously your manners are still a little wanting, eh Michael?"
Slightly embarrased, I introduced Jenny, and asked Mrs Macmillan if she'd like to have a coffee with us in the coffee shop there at the shopping mall, and she agreed. We each took our shopping to our cars, meeting there a few minutes later. Sitting down, the waitress came over, took our orders, and left us alone.
"So, Mike, have you become the big success that I always thought you would?"
Jenny just smiled as I told Mrs Macmillan that I was a moderately successful science fiction writer. A series of books over the previous few years had enabled us to move into this more upmarket suburb.
"Well, you were either going to be successful, or go to jail I guess" she said, laughing.
Jenny looked a little dumbfounded for a second, then joined laughing, asking Mrs Macmillan what she had meant.
"Oh, call me Dorothy dear. I think we're all old enough for first names don't you? All through school Mike here had some harebrained scheme or another happening. He was so busy thinking up some new plan that most of the time he never got his school work done, or skipped class while he was working on something 'more important'. I can't tell you the number of times he got switched for skipping class. Of course, in those days we were allowed to switch naughty boys!"
Throughout this I was going redder and redder, my wife's jar was dropping further and further, and Mrs Macmillan was looking happier and happier. It was obvious that I hadn't told Jenny everything about my past. I was feeling just like a schoolboy again, and not in a good way!
The arrival of the coffees provided a welcome break to the conversation, allowing me to try and change the direction this was going.
"So, Mrs Mac - ah ... Dorothy. Do you live local to here?"
"You always did ask silly questions. Of course I live locally - why would I come all the way out here to do my shopping if I didn't live here?"
"We just moved into Barnard Street," Jenny chimed in, "into an old house near the bottom of the hill."
"With the overgrown garden? That's the old Hamilton place. I used to play in that house as a child. Jane Hamilton was my best friend for many many years."
That opened up a long conversation on the history of the area, the people who had lived there, and the newer residents like ourselves, and lots of other local topics that lasted until long after the coffees were finished.
As we started getting up to leave,I turned to Mrs Macmillan. "perhaps we might see each other around again" I said.
"No doubt about it." she replied, that twinkle back in her eyes. "I live about five doors up from you"
That was the final straw - now I was dumbfounded.
Jenny smoothly interjected "Wonderful! You can come and have coffee more often, and tell me more about my wicked husband!" she laughed. And at that we broke up and headed to our cars. Sure enough, Mrs Macmillan drove into our street, with us behind her, and continued a short distance before turning into a driveway on the same side of the road as our house - we literally lived five doors apart!
That night, amid a house full of packing boxes and half-arranged furniture Jenny wanted to know more about Dorothy and my 'naughty' school years.
"So, was she serious - did she used to whip that butt of yours with a cane? How often?"