I did the reunion, I did -- I did

Three little maids from school are we!

I did it. I went to the reunion/anniversary thing. I won’t go so far as to say it was the best decision I ever made, but I will say it was a nice decision to have made. It was kind of a pleasure, in a weird and nostalgic way. But, it one respect it was a tiny bit depressing.

The depressing part revolved around, where did the time go? The passage of time becomes infinitely apparent when we redo something we did a long time earlier. It’s a quirk of our recall that enables us to revisit our former elementary school, for example, and find it as familiar as if we had only been there a week earlier. We are cast back to an earlier time.

This reunion cast me (and others) back to an earlier time and, despite the fact we were a little more wrinkled, bloodied, and maybe bowed, we were where we were. I even had middle-aged men and women calling me ‘Mr. Lidster’ during the evening because, at one time, those were our roles. I quickly corrected them and told them a simple ‘sir’ would do.

What was good for me was seeing students who I hadn’t run into for decades, some not since they graduated. A lot of them looked remarkably good and the intervening years or botox have been remarkably kind.

Considering I had last seen some of the girls when they were 17 or 18, they are now fine looking middle aged women. One I was chatting with was so unchanged and so unlined and so, yes, ‘hot’ looking that I am convinced she has either ‘done’ something, or has found the elixir of youth.

So, I ended up getting lots of girl hugs. I like girl hugs best, mainly because I am a heterosexual boy and lots of flattering comments about how much they cherished me as a teacher. Some of them even sounded like they meant it.

I saw a few old fellow teachers, too. Unfortunately, some of my favorite colleagues from those days have already shuffled off this mortal coil. Those that remain are pretty much the same and with their ponderous tones reminded me of how happy I was to have changed trades. I didn’t feel that way about all of them, as I suggested in the earlier blog, but former colleagues whom I cherished I have kept in touch with in any case.

The gathering was good also in the sense that one’s predispositions about some people can be found to be erroneous.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” said a rather distinguished looking middle aged man approaching me at one point during the evening. “You were the one teacher I hoped would turn up because you were always my favorite teacher.”

I looked at his nametag and the name jumped out at me. My God, I thought, you were one of my least favorite students when I started in the business. You were surly and attitudinal, had a punkish bearing and a sneer on your face, and I thought you were a complete asshole, despite the fact you got pretty good grades.

I thought those things, though I demurred from expressing them, thank God.

Anyway, we engaged in conversation in which he told me he had gone on with one of the major Canadian air carriers after graduation, and was later in management of a couple successor airlines. He was also with Holiday Inns for a time and was manager of one of two of that chain’s big hostelries in both Vancouver and Montreal.

The conversation was a good object lesson in not judging a kid by his or her manner, because you might end up pleasantly surprised. It was likely his slight edge that enabled him to do well in the business world.

All in all, the reunion experience was agreeable and I am glad I went. On the other hand, now that I’ve done it, I’m in no rush to do another ever-ever.

For the next one I must go back to my original condition for reunion attendance and that was driving up in a chauffeured Bentley and striding in with Gwynneth Paltrow under one arm and Scarlett Johansson under the other. Adolescent, I know, but it is my fantasy, after all. And since that will never happen, I needn’t concern myself.