The Reunion

The sixty-year reunion of the class of '55 was quite a celebration for the ones who had survived... First came prissy Pomeroy- then Milford, Meeks, and Moody who like old crows, perched and cawed at busty old Miss Trudy While Trudy curled her lip and bustled off in mock-huff (secretly flattered, but still retaining her outer bluff) Then entered Velma Lester half-blind, she squinted around as she flattened someone's hat on a chair she somehow found Skinny Gilby Gibson was quite his wise-cracking old self elbowing and slapping knees like an overgrown old elf While crippled Pauline Petty doddered all around the room sour-faced satisfaction spreading suffering and gloom To those who barely made it by canes, on walkers, wheelchairs straggling in, she greeted them with glad-to-be-gloomy stares “Glad you made it here”, she said “...you know Victor Nichols died?” with ghoulish glee relating details of his death-bedside “And Dexter Davis had just got over influenza- when he broke his hip and died (tripped over a credenza)!” “Sibyl? Oh, she passed away- at least thirty years, or more I would've told you... but you never brought her up before.” One by one, she ticked them off the old classmates who'd passed on until at last, she was stumped by the fate of dear Gaston French foreign exchange student who won all the girls with ease she darkly surmised he'd died “disreputable, diseased” While off in other corners odd classmates huddled around and tried to recall old times amid furrowed brows and frowns Marcy relived past glories those sock hops held in the gym... Norma grew melancholy missed chances and heartaches grim Sam sat alone and marveled at changes in the school's lawn the missing landmark buildings what remained, and what was gone The most surprising changes were not found in those places rather in the characters of those familiar faces Day by day, each decision by minuscule increments personalities and lives chiseled by sundry events While some reacted badly when tragedy struck their house and made it their life-mission to grieve, gripe, groan and grouse... Still others lived through horrors that none would've ever guessed and learned how to laugh it off and enjoy their life with zest! But Milford, Meeks, and Moody managed to remain the same never maturing with age unabashed and unashamed Still the arrogant bullies with blustering, bragging lies who'd cheat, steal and bottom-deal for whatever money buys... And 'though the goal was to grow and you might think this is sad- out of one hundred-forty three utter failures ain't bad!