Our class had it's 37th reunion a couple of weeks ago and I've been self-appointed to post the photographs to Facebook. My 1st reaction is,"Oh my god, who are all of these old people??" These must have been people I never knew. I thought I knew everyone but how can you know 660-plus people? So Rick Bennett says, "Bet you can't guess who these 5 women are?" I thought the faces were familiar but couldn't name one name. Then Rick tagged the photos and I was like, "Okay, wow". Some people have really changed, some people's names sound vaguely familiar and at least one woman I thought, "Who IS that?"
Others photos I had the same response. After the tagging it all made more sense. Some of the women looked really good, totally beautiful and the men, well they looked somewhat like themselves except generally rounder, balder, more worn somehow. Wondering if living in Michigan is somehow wearing because of the economy - but do they even live there? Do I really want to know?
On some level yes - otherwise - no - but yes.
Wishing on some level that I could've gone, heard the voices, heard the stories, laughed at the changes, the samenesses, the... oldness of it all... the oddness of it.
Last night Rick sent more photos - again untagged, and again I saw faces I almost recognized, and then no names come to mind. And then finally - a familiar look, a familiar smile. John Gawlas - untagged - but yes it was him - that smile - that look - just the same as when we were 14 in Project Inquiry and 17 in Knott's class and this time I could read the nametag where in big letters it says, "John Gawlas".
At last, recognition.
So here I sit on an airplane to Hong Kong in my real life, wondering what's coming next and yet thinking of those faces from all those years past.
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