I better get to writing about what happened after the reunion before it becomes a distant memory. It’s already kind of a faraway memory now that a few days of work have passed. Go back an entry to read about my 30th High School Reunion and then come back here…
So. After I shut down the Football Captain and prevented him from coming up to my hotel room, I went to the courtyard by the pool to have a smoke (I’d brought cigs so the old crew could smoke like old times) and to think about what had just transpired. It was such a surreal feeling, going back to high school and I needed to gather my thoughts.
Trouble was, I was drunk. And I needed to go to bed. I’m guessing it was 3:30 or 4am at that point. And I was the planner of the brunch the next morning. How did I get roped into that?
But I went back up to my room and somehow got ready for bed and tucked myself in for a nice sleep. I could barely sleep. How is it possible I’d had that much fun? It was like I’d made up for years of mediocrity in one fell swoop, I guess that’s how.
Anyway, woke pretty early for having stayed out so late. Sent the brunch announcement out on the FB page and started texting my friends telling them that they HAD to meet me for brunch because I NEEDED to talk to them (still, like we were back in high school…only we could TEXT this time…total time warp!)!
Met for brunch and the only peeps who made it were the old crew: the Comedian, the Tart, and the Chubby-but-Pretty. A few words about each:
The Comedian: This was the one who always kept me laughing and she still does. I haven’t belly laughed that hard in YEARS and years. I don’t even know how to describe it, but she is hands-down the funniest person I know and I love her dearly. She has this way of taking just about any situation and turning it into something hilarious and OH did we have a lot to catch up on. But we kept finding ourselves back in the middle of high school, telling the same old stories! How did we even remember the old things we laughed about? Some of it actually horrific…like the time I was nearly raped in my living room (VERY long story I’d actually nearly forgotten) and she saved me! What bittersweet, scary, hilarious and fun memories all mixed up.
The Tart: I hate to say it, but she was the tag-along to The Comedian and me. Then and now. She has a way of horning in on our fun, yet she was a central figure in my memories and during this trip. She was a slut to the nth degree in high school and had this way about her that I didn’t quite understand. It was something that men instinctively flocked to, and it wasn’t necessarily the way she dressed, though that had something to do with it. It was more the air around her. She oozed sex and it made me somewhat uncomfortable yet so curious back then. I wanted to know her secret, but then again I didn’t. I will never forget the day my dad told me he thought she was “gorgeous”. UGGGHHH NO, Dad, NOOOO! Anyway, she took the most pictures at the reunion and posted the most. It was great to see her, but still about as much fun as it was in high school. Like, weirdly fun.
The Chubby-but-Pretty: I know. Horrible description, but I bet you can picture it, can’t you? Absolutely a gorgeous woman, but just heavy. She was always a sweet girl in high school and she is to this day…but now she owns a spa in the same town and I’m assuming is doing very well. She was sometimes in the peripheral of my HS days and sometimes shining in the spotlight, but always a source of joy and light. She and I stayed after brunch and had a wonderful, buzzed heart-to-heart for over an hour and I felt closer to her than I certainly did back in high school.
So those three showed up, along with a couple of husbands and a couple of grown children who let us laugh and gossip and drink and take selfies. They were such patient families. We cut up about the night before and I definitely kissed and told about Football Captain (they’d all suspected from the photos that were posted on FB the night before…we looked like we had chemistry FOR SURE!), and then did some more belly laughing and gossiping about everyone!
And all too soon it was time for them to go. The C-b-P and I stayed for over an hour afterwards and just talked and talked. She told me about her company and her marriage that had been over 17 years ago and how life had been treating her. It was nice to sort of get serious for a brief moment. She also told me about some places she liked to go hiking in the foothills of the mountains.
We bid our goodbyes and I went back to the hotel to take a nap and then get ready to go for a hike in the hills.
Um. Yeah. People…it’s been like 20 years since I’ve been in the mountains. I was OUT of hiking shape. I lasted as far as the first overlook and then I got worried because I hadn’t brought any water (in the middle of a heatwave) and I thought I might have a heart attack or something. The real problem was that I was hungover!
So what did I do? Went back to the hotel, showered and went to a divey pizza place in a cute little old house! Yeah, I wanted to check out more cool spots, and really there is not a lack of them in this town. I was very impressed with the vibe of the things around town. Maybe I’m just a snobby bitch, but I really thought that not much would impress me after 20 years and I was wrong. I was pleasantly surprised with the places I found.
Of course I couldn’t eat a whole pizza. In fact, I could barely get three pieces down, so I packed up the pizza to go thinking I might want a midnight snack or something later, but I went back to my hotel and turned on the tube and drifted off to sleep.
Next morning was Monday and it was basically my travel day back home. I took my time getting ready to go and packing and checking out. Went to a cool coffee spot for breakfast, took some photos, wrote most of the previous entry and then made my way to the airport (or landing strip, more like it).
Getting home was long and tiring. I took the prop-plane puddle jumper back to Charlotte (sat next to a GORGEOUS pilot who’d spent the weekend in the area with his wife and we talked and talked all the way to Charlotte and I wished to God that I could meet a single man like him), spent an annoying layover in Charlotte where the concourses and gates were switched and switched, long flight back to [my city], caught the train home to downtown and FELL into bed.
And Tuesday came and it was back to the craziness that is my work. All in all, it was a WONDERFUL weekend and I’d needed it desperately. Now it’s Friday and I’m simply exhausted. I was supposed to do a happy hour with a long lost friend tonight, but I haven’t heard from him and he’s probably thinking the same thing about me. But I think I’m going to go home and just ease my way into the weekend. Tomorrow is brunch club and I’m sure there will be more stuff to discuss!
Happy to be home,
GS
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