Reunion Contest!

Class Reunion goes LIVE in 3 days.....are you ready for a contest?  Each day this week I'll be posting some of my memories of past high school reunions, and I invite you to do the same.  Even if the only reunion you've attended is of the family-natured....I want to know the best, the worst, or even your feelings on reunions.  Simply leave a comment, plus your email info and what format you'd prefer your free book in (pdf, kindle, nook) and I'll pick a random comment each day.  On Friday, all names will go into the hat for a 'Grand' prize.  Sound good?  So dredge up those memories!

If you missed me on Chad McPherson's blog, go HERE to check out a never-before-seen scene.

Today, I'm on Carol Preflatish's blog, so click HERE for a 'deleted' scene:)  And yes, comments posted there count in the contest!

Okay.....reunion memory #1:

The 10th Class Reunion:
I was nervous about this one.  It was scheduled for a time when I could, literally, be in danger of going into labor with my daughter; or not being able to attend due to giving birth.  I even joked with my doctor about taking him as my date, should the event not have happened, or being induced five days before the event!  Plus, I was nervous for another reason:  My husband and I had done the math after the birth of our 1st born, and if I returned to work, my entire salary, plus $20 of his paycheck, would go for daycare.  So it made more sense for me to stay home full time.  And by 1994, I was still having a serious identity issue, and a little defensive of my choice to stay home and pursue my writing passion.  In fact, I'd already been in contact with a NY publisher who was interested in what is now Book #2 of Arbor U.  I'd not finished Keri's story, and Gretchen's was about three chapters at this point.  Book #1 wouldn't be written until 1999.  But I digress.

As luck would have it, my 'firecracker' arrived three weeks earlier than expected.  So I was thrilled to have my slimmer figure back, and had chosen a dress which looked good on me with or without the baby bump.  My only fashion  faux paux?  I'd chosen to wear my white pumps with my black dress.  And when we arrived, business cards were literally flying through the air, ala 'look at me, I'm important!' 

I recognized people I'd known, but really had no desire to pursue any sort of conversation.  Until my friends Melissa and Brian arrived.  Melissa I'd known since Sunday School days, and we ended up sitting at her table with another good friend from band, Laura.  And when BFF Brian walked in with his new girlfriend Jan, I spent a considerable amount of time with them, and his old buddies Mike, Mike, and Scott.  And the fact I now had a bosom was quite the talk of the group.  Especially later when it got closer to my daughter's feeding time!  Plus, no one could believe I'd shrunk down that much in three weeks!

I enjoyed getting to know Jan, and gave B my 'official best friend approval'.  But as I was leaving, I got a verbal slap in the face from one of the 'bitches' in our class.  She was talking to Jan, then looked at me and laughed, "You're the BEST thing that ever happened to B!"  I took it as a slap; he and I had been friends for 13 years; how dare she say that?

I sought out B as we were leaving and hugged him.  He squeezed me tighter.

"Oooooh, something feels different!  I like it!  Why can't you stick around a little longer?"

"Shut up.  It's time for me to feed my daughter."

He drew back and sucked in his breath.  "Wow....let me see if I can slip my credit card down your bra!"

Again I mock-slapped his face.  "Shut up and go back to your girlfriend!  Call me tomorrow if you have time for lunch."

He shook my husband's hand, hugged me again and kissed my cheek, and we departed.

I don't have any digital pics from that reunion; above is B and I at the 25th.

We weren't able to get together for lunch the next day; he and Jan had stayed at the party until the wee hours of the morning, and had drunk too much.  And we left in the early afternoon to return home.  Over the next ten years, B and I continued to talk on the phone, and see each other whenever we happened to be in the same town.

In fact, I even borrowed his name for the lead character of 'Brian Vellinger', borrowing the last name of another classmate, who was another close friend of ours in HS.

Excerpt:

“Brian, my man!  Great reunion you organized.  This was better than the tenth.”

        

Brian Vellinger stood by the keg of Bud Lite, nursing his third beer of the evening and watching his old friends and classmates mill around the reserved room of the local country club.  The staff cleared away the remains of their buffet dinner and the DJ was getting ready to start the music.

          

“Thanks Brad.  I thought something more informal was in order.  I mean, shit, half of us live on the golf course, so why not spend the whole damn day here?”

          

 “Exactly.”  Brad Townsend clapped him on the back.  “Hey, there’s Pat.  I didn’t know he was coming.  I’ll be right back.”

          

 “Brian, how are you?”  A young woman walked up to him, carrying a wine glass.

          

  “Natalie Collier.  Oh my God.”  Brian smiled and held out his arm to hug her.  “How long has it been?  You weren’t at the tenth.”

           

  She shook her head, strands of her dark blonde hair catching on the stiff collar of her blouse.  “No, I couldn’t make it home for that one.  And no one organized a twentieth, so I made sure I was free for this one.”  She sipped her red wine and looked around.  “What’s this I hear about you and Tracy being divorced?”

           

  Brian showed her his left hand.  “She left me with no warning.  She was tired of my long hours and took up with a guy she met at a coffee shop.”

           

  Natalie’s dark blue eyes widened.  “No.”  She gasped.  “You two looked so happy together!  Did you have any kids?”

           

  “No.”  Brian sipped his beer.  “So what are you doing now?”

           

  “I’m a pharmacist at our local hospital.  I’ve been offered a position with a national chain, but I’m still weighing my options.”

           

  “Pharmacy?  I thought for sure you were headed for law school, as much as we argued our senior year.”

           

  “No; you whipped my ass on the debate team that one time we ended up on opposite sides.  That showed me you were better in front of people than I was.  I could tackle you one-on-one, but not in front of an audience.”  She took another drink of her wine.  “I hear you’re in finance?”

           
“Sort of.  I worked my way up in our local bank, moving from teller to doing mortgages.  I went as high as I could and a couple of years ago started my own Credit Union, helping small businesses get off the ground.  Right now, we’re just trying to keep everyone solvent in this damn economy.”  

Pre-order Class Reunion HERE. 

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