October 22, 2009

 

I was such a nerd in high school. Fame and popularity seemed to elude me, and my circle of friends was somewhat limited.

 

About every five or ten years since graduation my classmates get together for another reunion.  Last Saturday night was our 40^th, so I was anticipating the first appearance of wheel chairs and oxygen bottles. 

 

I’ve been to every one of these events over the years, but each time I have felt a bit more distanced from the other attendees.  My memory gets pretty bad with people I only see once or twice a decade.  Thank goodness my best friend Larry was there last Saturday.  As I found out thru the night, it always helps to have a second opinion when it comes to recognizing a long lost classmate and greeting them by their correct name.

 

This year our reunion was booked in Oroville at the Gold Country Casino show room, which was located out the back door from the “fancy” building and in the original tent-type structure they started up in some years ago.  It was a huge giant black windowless room with a massive stage bordered by two large screens and lots of floor space that the dinner tables were set up in.  I was sure the reunion committee had been gypped, since we originally were supposed to have use of the fancy new conference room with the wall of windows facing the setting sun over the hills. 

 

Turns out we had the perfect place to meet, because our group was so large.  And was I in for a shock!  This would be the best attended reunion we have ever had.  Four decades of growing maturity really challenged my ability to recognize anyone.  Who were all these strangers, and who did the Reunion Committee send all those invitations to?  Thank goodness for name tags, but I spent a lot of time staring at chests just to insure I didn’t flub a name. 

 

The food was great, and was served buffet style.  That meant people had to mingle and socialize while in line, thus more chest staring. 

 

Door prizes were given away, with some being pretty snazzy.  Because of the tremendous turnout, that old phrase “odds of winning dependent on total entries” had never worked against me so much as that night.

 

In retrospect, something about a 40^th reunion gathering made this event DIFFERENT from all the others.  I had a great time talking with people I had not seen in, well, four decades.  Maybe it was because memories fade over time.  For example, it was good to see Wesley again but I certainly don't remember him decking me back in 8th grade.  He says I deserved it, but can't remember why now.  The whole night seemed to go like that with me.

 

On the other side of the social spectrum was the complete breakdown of old high school cliques.  This became a tremendous advantage to me, for I freely mingled with others who eons before wouldn't have allowed me within tens of feet of their proximity.

 

There were no wheel chairs or oxygen bottles present this year, but projected on the twin screens overhead was a video taken by someone with a camera from a previous gathering.  It looked like individuals were being asked questions and perhaps giving predictions about the future.  I didn’t instantly recognize where the video was shot, and in fact didn’t pay much attention to it at all – until MY FACE showed up on the screens.  Look there, up in the sky!  There was a low murmur from people in the group standing near me.  A shaggy haired mopped-top version of me was boring some poor interviewer to death with ceaseless talk.  My hair might be just a bit shorter today, but I guess some traits just don’t change over time.

 

I have no idea what I was babbling about, but the soundless interview seemed to go on forever. 

 

After all the class pictures were taken and food consumed, Greg Scott (our “Singing Mortician”) DJ’d the evening away with dance music.  What a party that was, and what a great OHS reunion!  Congrats to the Reunion Committee for a wonderful party!  I can hardly wait for the next gathering, but next time I’ll be ready by studying our yearbook pictures before attending.

 

Oh, and what’s that about our “Singing Mortician”?  Well, everyone has their own story to tell, but Greg will have to tell us about himself sometime.

 

 

SCR