Hubby had his 20 year high school reunion this past weekend. It was the strangest event I've ever attended.
Most everyone met at a downtown club on Friday night called 8.0. This was supposed to be the relaxed reunion before the formal reunion the next night (in other words, for those who didn't find it necessary to fork out $40/person for the real reunion).
At first, Hubster was over it. He had no interest in seeing people he hadn't seen since the 10-year reunion. He figured if they were really friends, they'd already be a part of our life.
Then Friday night rolled around. Old high school buddies were blowing his phone up with texts. At 5:30, he called me to say he really wanted to go. Fine by me. I've been busting my butt prepping our house to sell and an adult beverage along with adult conversation sounded appealing.
My MIL saved the day to watch the girls for us. She has a cousin visting and dumped her to watch her grandgirls till midnight. Now that's love!
Let me just say that I have NEVER seen my husband so nervous. He's not a nervous kind of guy! But he was a wreck Friday night. Too much beer gut? Would everyone notice his hair is thinning? He even picked out an outfit similar to what he might've worn in '89. I had to intervene on that one, of course.
After dinner, we went to 8.0. Hubby was worried (again, such unusual behaviour!) that we were the first ones there. He saw a friend named Paul. So, we were the second ones there. Former classmates started trickling in soon after.
Watching this 20 year reunion was just like a Ben Stiller type movie. People greeting one another with a total question mark on their face as to who's hand they were shaking. There were obvious comparisons of who looked different, fatter, better, weirder, balder than the last reunion. The women didn't even hide their contempt for some and surprise at others. Guys cursed one another in a jovial manner but there was a hint of true disdain sometimes.
And hardly any spouses of classmates were there. Isn't that STRANGE? My hubby had insisted I go. Why wouldn't a spouse want to see a glimpse of their loved ones' past? Shoot, I've already heard all the stories from the group of friends from HS that are a part of our lives. Numerous times. And yes, the stories get more exaggerated with each telling.
The hilarious and highlight of the evening was when we ran into "Jill". Hubby dated her most of high school and then dumped her in a not-so-gentle manner when he realized there were other fish in the sea. At the 10 year reunion, Jill still hadn't gotten over it. This time she tried harder.
There was idle chatter about who worked where, lived where, how many kids, are the folks still living here, etc. Then silence. Both Jill and Hubby were trying to not bail out rudely but neither had anything to say. So you could hear the crickets chirping. Really. We were outside on the club patio.
Finally, a friend who's a real-life friend showed up and, oh, the relief on my husband's face! I cracked up. Inside, of course. We said our polite goodbyes to Jill and bolted.
As the evening went on and the drinks were increasingly consumed, there was more laughter and less awkwardness. I was kind of suprised at how little reminiscing there was. Perhaps because 20 years later, high school's impact on who we are has diminished? Maybe because everyone has taken such vastly different paths in life? Some cling to the high school years, for sure. And there were definitely those who were on the prowl for a hook-up. Ew.
In all, I have to say that attending my husband's 20 year reunion has confirmed that I will not be attending mine. Sorry, former classmates! You'll just have to choose another Most Popular 20 Years Later.
