High School Reunion

At what point do you stop being anxious about going to your high school reunion and just enjoy?  Last week David and I went to his 65th reunion in Independence, Kansas, population  9, 230.  We had fun.  We just enjoyed.

David had a idyllic growing up (once he left Malaysia and moved to Kansas when he was 6.)

Independence, for him, was a little like Mayberry.

But....

Instead of Aunt Bee he lived with Aunt Lora.  And, instead of winning prizes for the best pickles at the fair, Aunt Lora was the best teacher at Independence High School.

Instead of living on the second floor and shooting a momma bird with his be-be gun like Opie, David lived in the attic room and sweated in the intense Kansas heat (but he had it all to himself.)

Instead of, like Andy having a best friend like Barney who had only one bullet in his gun but still managed to shoot himself from time to time, David's best friend was Everett who played endless golf and basketball with David and went on to become a Colonel  in the Air Force.

Aunt Lora's house where, 70 years ago, David and Everett played
Monopoly on the front porch during the Kansas summer rains. 

The guy who, in high school, knew everybody  stayed there and became the bank president and mayor of the town.  Long since retired when I met him last week, he was still super friendly, greeting and shaking hands with every person in the room.

The boy who was heavy set, socially awkward, super smart and hated gym was back for the first time in 62 years.  Yes, of course, he'd ended up having a brilliant career as a rocket scientist, appeared at the reunion with a beautiful woman - and was slim.

But the truth is, every person at the 65th Independence High School Reunion was beautiful.


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