20th HS Reunion:
Ten years had passed, and once again I got the invitation while pregnant. I was beginning to think I'd set a horrible precedent at the 10th; surely I wouldn't have a baby every time we had a reunion? *Kenzie grabs her hair and screams 'Nooooooo!'* But this time, my little bundle of *ahem* unexpected joy arrived several months before the reunion.
My spouse refused to go. He'd had a horrible time at my 10th, not being amused by my BFF's 'fixation' on the fact I was finally out of a training bra. So I went alone. And promptly ran into Melissa and Laura again, and was eager to catch up on the happenings in their lives. And when I revealed my first book had been published, well, word spread and soon people I'd not even known wanted their picture taken with me!
And the funniest thing of all, beside the fact all the women had blonde highlights to cover up our gray hair, but the fact so many women who were climbing the ladder of success at 28 were now choosing to stay home with their kids! I was the only one passing out business cards that night, or so it seemed.
As for B, he had married a year or two earlier, and I'd not had the honor of meeting his wife, nor had I spoken to him since the engagement. So it was a total shock when I finally sought him out and discovered he'd not only divorced his wife, he'd also remarried, and his new wife was pregnant with twins! M and I were cordial to each other, and spoke for a while, then I noticed the 'B' from the 10th snuggling up to her and many glances made my way. I decided to ignore it, and if she was telling tales out of school, then she needed to grow up.
Again, I hadn't joined the 'digital revolution' yet, and shot a roll of 35mm film from my four-hour socializing. And 'lost' my car keys....turns out they were in my hand. Talk about embarrassing! I'd checked the bathroom; everywhere I'd sat; and when I asked the bartender if a set of keys had been found, I slapped my hand on the bar....and there they were. And I'd only had two rum and cokes.....and bored another classmate silly when he asked me, in all innocence, what my Arbor U series was all about. My 'cut-it-off' radar wasn't working yet. I finally shut up when I realized he and I were the only ones left at the table!
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Ready For Another Exciting Excerpt?
This is from All She Ever Wanted, and explains why 'Brian Vellinger' was an important factor in Amber Johnson's life.
“Go ahead, slut, or I’ll tell him,” Clint smirked.
“What is it, Amber?” Marc’s voice held a note of anxiety.
She closed her eyes and handed him the paper. “I made a deal with the president of the Credit Union. He would loan me the money for repairs, if I agreed to be at his beck and call for six months.”
“You slept with him?” Marcus scanned the document in disbelief.
“No. I never slept with him. I accompanied him to a few dinners, a couple of banquets, and organized two parties at his house.” She swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks. “But I did not sleep with him! No matter what that memo may imply, or what that photocopied hotel receipt may have you thinking. Yes, he had reserved a room, but we never used it; it was for a client of his. Marc—please believe me?”
“Ha! A likely story,” Clint interjected. “Her signature is on that receipt.”
“Shut up.” Marc’s frustration was reaching a low boil. He faced Amber. “Did
you pay him back?”
She nodded. “One year later. Business has always been good. He still comes in for lunch every now and then. But I don’t understand how your dad got his hands on a private note.”
(later)
“I want to meet with that bank president and assure him that you will no longer be at his
beck and call.”
Amber laughed. “Oh, honey, that ended two years ago. But if you want, I’ll invite him to lunch so you can talk to him.”
Marc frowned. “I still don’t like the fact you did him a favor like that. Don’t ever do anything else like that again, promise me?”
“Marc, it was a one-shot deal,” she protested. “At the time, he was the only one who didn’t proposition me. Brian Vellinger’s a good, decent man who was willing to give me a break when the others weren’t.”
All She Ever Wanted is also available at Freya's Bower, Amazon, and B&N:)
5 comments:
Would you believe my high school class has never had a class reunion and I graduated over 30 years ago. I have gone to two 8th grade class reunions and they were great. I loved seeing old friends and our 8th grade teacher even sent a letter and photo of he and his wife.
We had a ten year and I didn't go. I wish they had another but I guess the 10 year wasn't a big turn out.
Ive been out of school for 25yrs. We only had 1 reunion and that was our 10yr. Most of the people I went to school with still live in the same town we all went to school.
lauratroxelatyahoodotcom
@Carol: The reunion I crashed, they didn't have one until the 20th. I really wish I knew how to get in touch with my 9th grade English teacher.
@Amber: Does your class ever do 'mini-reunions'? Where 20 or so get together in an 'off' year? Those are nice, informal, and fun:)
@Laura: I was surprised to learn how many had moved back or were within driving distance. And now my parents are aging and I find myself in 'migration' mode. And here I always thought I'd keep going south....
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