Funny Guy Friday ... Thirty Years Later...

    Cheryl and I attended our thirty-year reunion this past weekend---at least I attended my thirty year reunion while Cheryl will only admit to ten of those thirty years. I could have sworn we graduated at the same time. Anyway, we started our weekend on Friday night with a social at a local pub.
    The event started at 5 p.m. which seemed a bit early to me, but apparently not many of my former classmates have jobs so the 5 o'clock start time was no problem. I had to coach Matthew's baseball game that evening, so we did not make it to the bar until about 10 p.m.---but many were still there. In fact, it was clear that many had been there for a while. They may or may not remember seeing me after so many years.
    At one point on Friday evening, I looked across the bar and I saw the father of one of the guys that I had played baseball with from the time I was ten years old. He was perhaps the best player in the area back in high school.
    As I approached, I realized it was not his father, but it was him. I only knew it was him because he was shorter than his father. He came to the event and was sitting with another teammate, a guy that I always appreciated because he always got the most out of his talents. He was one of the last guys to make our team that year, but I recall that he was a starter by the end of the season.
    We spoke for about a half-hour and although two of us played a bit in college--- the one actually had a great college career---it was clear that our State Championship high school team was the best athletic experience that each of us ever had. Now, I will admit that I was, how shall I say this, "the last one of the three to arrive at the pub," but their sentiments seemed sincere.
    That night, we saw a lot of people that we had not seen for a long time, but many others had either left before we arrived or had never come at all. There was still another night to catch up with those folks.
    Saturday night was the night of the reunion so Cheryl and I decided to get something new to wear. We started our shopping on Saturday afternoon---sure, we had several months to prepare for this reunion, but we have other things going on in our lives. Besides, we both still look pretty good after all these years, so even if we did not find anything, we would have still been presentable.
    Oh, but we did find some fine clothes for the big night! Cheryl found a beautiful plum dress, a sweater, and some smoking hot shoes. I purchased some slacks and a tie that matched her outfit. Now we were set, both looking better than ever---you know, in case we happen to run into some people we had not seen in a while. But what were the chances of that happening?
    The reunion was a blast. We saw people that we had lost contact with, and caught up with others that we had not seen as often as we would have liked. One thing was clear, people were more excited to see Cheryl than they were to see me. I would get the Hey, how have you been? and then Cheryl would walk up and get the Oh my gosh, Cheryl, you look so great, it is so great to see you! HUG HUG KISS KISS! Whatever!
    I will admit that I told a friend the next day that if they had a Mount Rushmore for the pretty women at the reunion, Cheryl would have made the cut. I wish when I was in high school, I had the knowledge that no matter what happened at that party that night, I was going to be leaving with one of the prettiest girls in the room. Think of the anxiety that would have been averted.
    I also found people's reaction to the fact that I am a lawyer very interesting. It was one of  two responses. First, they would look around and tell me that I was going to get a lot of business tonight as a result of the open bar. Second, they would look at me and say, "Really? Like a real lawyer? Like a stand-up-in-front-of-a-judge-and-talk kind of lawyer?"  I assured them that that is what I do, and people had a hard time digesting that. I suppose I never said much in High School.
    Early in the evening, another finalist in my Mount Rushmore foursome, called me over to her table to tell me that she had had a crush on me in high school and that she used to "stalk me." I told her that she should have told me back at the time, and I would have been a willing participant. In fact, I would have made the stalking part much easier on her.
    She is now married to a very handsome (I am sure he has had some work done), very successful, smart engineer (couldn't get into law school is my guess) with three wonderful kids (big deal, who doesn't have three wonderful kids). Anyway, she was very nice, very beautiful and she seems to have found happiness---even without me.
    At another point, I was talking to a friend about another female classmate, and I was just getting ready to tell him that I had had a crush on her back in the day. In fact, I can recall an incident in high school where she was actually talking to me in the hallway about the fact that both of our moms participated in the Meals on Wheels program. Stupid what you remember---but my gosh, she was pretty and was actually talking to me.
    Before I could divulge my thirty-year-old feelings, he told me that he had been talking to her earlier and had told her that he had had a crush on her back in high school. She responded by telling him that he was the twentieth person to tell me that tonight, and you know how many of you actually asked me out? None, not a one!
    I suppose you can now make it twenty-one.  She was always as nice as she was pretty---still is. We will always have Meals on Wheels!
    Then there was this exchange with a girl that I went to school with for twelve straight years:
Her: I heard you have a bunch of kids.
Me: Not a bunch, just three.
Her: Oh, and one of them has diabetes.
Me: No, not that I am aware of.
Her: I heard that one of your kids did have some problem, are you sure?
Me: I am pretty sure that they are all okay, but I will have them all checked out on Monday.


    At the end of a long night, when I was getting ready to leave, our homecoming queen gave me a kiss goodbye. Well, actually, she kissed her hands and waved goodbye at me. Even thirty years later, I'll take what what I can get.
    It is interesting how time changes people, or at least it changes your perception of people. At least for one night, thirty years later, nobody is too cool to talk to, nobody is too popular or too pretty. In fact, from my many conversations that I had that night, everybody is very similar.
    We are all trying to support our families, to provide opportunities for our kids, and to make our lives successful both professionally and personally. Some have done a better job than others, but thirty years later, it does not matter. The millionaire entrepreneur was having a beer with the unemployed carpenter who had just ordered a round for the mothers talking in the corner.
    I guess there is a reason you are seventeen years old when you are in high school, and I do not want to question God's wisdom. With that being said, I would love to go back to high school knowing what I know now. I would not limit myself. I would take advantage of every opportunity. I would take the time to at least approach classmates that I did not know. And although I love my wife more than anything in the world, I guarantee that I would ask out those two girls!