Reunion with My Old School Friends After 35 Years—Now I Never Want to See Them Again

Not long ago, I was invited to a school reunion. To be honest, I really didnt want to go, and now Ill tell you why.

After finishing secondary school, I moved to another city, so attending these reunions has always felt awkward and inconvenient. I kept up with some former classmates through social media, but I wasnt particularly interested in the details of their lives.

After meeting with my old classmates, I left feeling rather downhearted. I decided it would be the first and last time Id go. People stay the same in your memory as they were back in school, but in reality, everything changes.

Take Hannah, for example. She was my first love. When I saw a grey-haired woman with missing teeth trying to flirt with me, I felt my heart sink. She had never married; apparently, she could never make up her mind. Now, nobody seems the least bit interested in her, and to be honest, her presence only inspires discomfort.

My old school mate, Ben, the lad I used to share a desk with, was another shock. He looked decades older like a proper elderly man. And when I saw his wife, I was completely taken aback. If she was once the local star, now shes become something monstrous, both in appearance and temperament. Ben even needs permission from his wife just to pop to the loo.

Truthfully, it wasnt really a reunion, more of a cheap and unpleasant booze-up. I felt embarrassed to be in such company. All the gossiping in the bathrooms, the cigarettes Id rather not see them again, just to keep something good alive in my memory.

Rate article
Add a comment

;-) :| :x :twisted: :smile: :shock: :sad: :roll: :razz: :oops: :o :mrgreen: :lol: :idea: :grin: :evil: :cry: :cool: :arrow: :???: :?: :!:

Reunion with My Old School Friends After 35 Years—Now I Never Want to See Them Again
Zhenya and His Wife Ulyana Could Never Find Peace Together… True, They Did Manage to Have a Child. That Was the Easy Part. Of Course, His Wife Was Never His Equal—He Came from an Educated, Refined Family with a University Degree, While She Was Just a Girl Who’d Finished Technical College. But Back Then, in Their Youth, Love—Or Perhaps Just Passion—Bridged All Their Differences. Perhaps That Was a Mistake. Now, Today, They Were Getting Divorced. Zhenya Was the Only One Who Regretted It—Mostly Because Their Son Would Stay with Ulyana, and Judging by Her Mood, She Wasn’t Likely to Let Him See Little Kieran Often. Sure Enough, She Immediately Moved Away to Her Mother’s in Another County and Didn’t Bother Leaving an Address. The Days that Followed Were Drab and Lonely for Zhenya, Who Was Used to Racing Home after Work to Where He Was Needed. Six Months Passed with No Word from His Ex-wife or Son—Until One Night, a Woman from Social Services Telephoned, Calmly Telling Him That Ulyana Had Died Suddenly and He Needed to Come Collect His Son. On Arrival, Zhenya Learned His Son Wasn’t in Foster Care. Ulyana’s Mother Had Died Years Ago, So She’d Left Their Boy with His Elderly Great-grandmother, Having Fallen into a Life of Hard Living, Which Led to Her Death from Alcohol Poisoning. Now It Was up to Zhenya to Raise Kieran—Something That Filled Him with Quiet Joy—but First He’d Have to Take His Son from His Great-grandmother. Though Happy to See His Father, the Boy Clung Desperately to His Frail Elderly Nan, Shouting, “Gran, Don’t Let Them Take Me!” The Scene Broke Zhenya’s Heart. The Old Woman Didn’t Say a Word but Seemed Unwilling to Let Her Great-grandson Go. Unsure, Zhenya Took Time to Think, Smoking Outside While His Thoughts Whirled. Returning, He Saw Little Kieran Asleep with His Head in His Great-grandmother’s Lap, She Gently Stroking His Hair and Humming Softly. He Decided to Wait Until Morning to Make a Decision, Remembering the Old Saying: Morning Is Wiser Than Evening. By Dawn, He Told Gran to Pack Her Things—She and the Boy Would Come Home with Him. Gran Would Stay for a Bit, He Figured, to Help the Boy Adjust—And Eventually, When Kieran Bonded with His Dad, She’d Quietly Slip Away. But Things Didn’t Go as Planned. Zhenya Himself Grew More Attached Than His Son, To Her Kindness, Her Morning Pancakes, Her Fascinating Life Stories, and Her Gentle Hands Tucking Them Both in at Night. He Simply Could Not Let Her Go—It Would Have Been a Crime Against Both His Son and Himself. And So Their Irreplaceable Gran Remained Part of Their Home Until Her Last Day…