My 10 year reunion was some time ago - shoot, my 20 is just a few years away. Anyway, I was somewhat reluctant to go. I didn't know why I had such a reluctance, mainly because I didn't really understand my basic introversion back then as I do now. So, I went with a little bit of prodding from my wife. Honestly, I don't regret going, but I thought that the whole thing was kind of lame.
I actually have stayed in touch with a lot of people from high school. However, many of them didn't go to the reunion, so I wound up hanging out with a lot of people who were more like acquaintences than friends. Basically, it was a lot of small talk. Also, there were quite a few people who remembered me, but I couldn't for the life of me remember them. I'm not trying to sound pompous or anything, but I've done a lot of things and have met a lot of people since high school. Not only that, but I have to learn about 120+ new names and faces every year, and if a person isn't occupying some useful space in my brain, they're gonna get pushed out.
I signed up for Facebook some time ago, and I'm quickly discovering that it's kind of the more grown up version of MySpace. While many of the people on my page are former students, I probably have a much larger ratio of adult friends on there. And of course, many of them are people I knew in high school. For the most part, they're people with whom I've lost contact, but they're all folks that I remember. There are some exceptions. Honestly, there have been a couple where the name sounds really familiar, but I can't really remember anything about the person. One woman even told me that she'd love to "catch up" with me, but I have no idea exactly what it is that we ever talked about in the first place - if anything! This sounds lame, but I never responded to that message. What the hell am I going to say? "Oh yeah, let's do that!" Sure, I suppose that's what a lot of people would do, but I don't feel comfortable being fake like that.
And now I got a request from this one guy who was always kind of a prick to me. Oh, and there's this one girl who I remember as being really annoying. Am I being shallow for not adding them?
It kinda reminds me of that one time when I was in a bar, and this guy calls out to me. He was like, "Hey, Lance Johnson! How ya been?" Thing is, the guy was a colossal ass throughout both middle school and high school. I mean, I'm not exactly mad, and I'm not holding a grudge - but do we have to play this game like we're friends? Can't we just be strangers? I mean, if we ever get in a situation where we have to be together for some reason, then we can re-evaluate this whole thing. But until then, how about you just forget that you saw me? I have no problem doing the same for you.
My dad doesn't go to any more reunions. I don't think that I'll be going to any more either.
2 comments:
Lance, I never had a reunion of my own and always regretted it. I went to your father's 10th when I was 3 month pregnant with you, and made so many friends, having been a foreigner then it was great. We were all young married and in love. We went to the 20th, and it seemed people were more competitive, and maybe because by then the marriages weren't so new anymore, less romantic. We skipped the next one, and now, I think your father doesn't go anymore because the wives don't know each other anymore, most of them are new.
Just to see the changes in people and society makes reunions worth while.
I suppose that it would be worth it if I cared. Honestly, I just can't get too excited about what the guy who sat behind me in Math is up to nowadays.
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