Last Splash

Thursday, 30 August 2007

So, I am now antisocial. But only in certain circles. I had pretty much planned on skipping the grand ol' 10 year high school renunion since it was the Saturday night of my family's annual beach vacation, and Saturday night is always seafood dinner night, when whatever friends and relatives that may also happen to be down on Bogue Banks know to drop by for an excellent dinner consisting of 2 types of flounder, 3 types of shrimp, whatever we may or may not have been able to catch in crap pots, hushpuppies, and hotsauce.

But beach vacation notwithstanding, I realized that I really would have skipped it anyway a full week and a half before. It was our first night playing trivia with our best friend-couple at a local Jack Astor's (we won, by the way, $50 towards food and 2 tickets to the Redskins game, club level, also on the night of the fish fry/renunion) and my husband and I were pulling into a parking spot occupied by three vaguely attractive women who were standing around chatting after dinner together. I immediately recognized one, then another, then the third. (Yes, apparently I'm the only graduate of my high school that still lives in the area yet can count the friend that I still see occasionally on one finger.) When I saw them, a strange panic seized me, and all I could think was "please don't recognize me". I don't care that they would or would not recognize me, I don't care that I've probably gained, oh about, 70 lbs since the last time they saw me, but there was still some kind of embarrassment on my part. I can't quite figure out why.

Is it because I'm the type of person who everyone knew of in high school, but no one really knew or hung out with much? I had friends through marching band and drama, but most of my classmates were just people I saw in class and nodded at in the hallway...I didn't go to the popular kids parties, but I wasn't shunned either. I wasn't a wallflower, I was in a lot of extracurricular activities, but I wasn't the homecoming or prom queen, either. I don't even remember if we had a prom queen. (Sidenote: I do remember in college, my freshman year, that we had a fake prom in the theme of "A Titanic Enchantment Under the Sea" and the theme song was "I just died in your arms tonight" and we had 2 prom "Queens", one male and one female.)

In any case, I think I just hate small talk. I would rather ignore them and they pay the same respect of ignoring me (if they even recognized me) than have to stand outside for ten minutes and introduce my husband and remind them of my name and talk about work, and who has kids, and who just bought a house, and all of that crap that I really don't care about. We're not going to exchange phone numbers, we're not going to make plans together, they're not even going to talk about me after I walk away except to say "oh, yeah, I remember her...she was the one that..." and then move on in their conversation.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was what the reunion would have been, over and over and over again with different groups of people. Either that or we all would have just gotten smashingly drunk and made new best friends with someone we didn't know ten years ago other than the fact that they were in the same homeroom. I don't think that would have been much better. So, I'm content being antisocial, and the further away I get from that brief period in my life, the less I think I even want to go to our 20th, or 25th, or any reunion that involves hanging out with people I knew for only 4 years of my life, a period of time that is getting smaller and smaller with each passing year.

posted by: Cannonball14 at 16:04 | link | comments (4) |
the ex files

Comments:

#1 05 September 2007 - 02:21

So...next year is my 20 year anniversary. I have to admit, I totally blew my 15 year by feeling a little silly and stupid, not too different than I felt in high school.

But, 20 will be different. I'm thinking about wearing a tux and coming in like a cross between Cary Grant and Dean Martin -- you know, very sophisticated but a little drunk. And then...And then, my friend, LOOK OUT! It's Windhazel in full effect! And can any of my petty, stupid classmates handle all of that? I think not!

So, I guess the message here is that "attitude makes the difference!" After all, can any of your classmates handle the full majesty of a totally wonderful Cannonball as she exists today? I THINK NOT!

Windhazel

#2 07 September 2007 - 13:24

No, actually, it's not in my attitude. Literally, it's that I want nothing to do with those people! I looked at a friend's blog with pics from the renunion posted and kept thinking "yep, they look exactly like I would expect...like a bunch of 20-something's that have spent the last ten years getting the same haircut and color and laying in the sun..."

Cannonball14

#3 07 September 2007 - 14:25

aw.. I don't blame ya CB. I'm not going to my 10 year reunion in September either. Was doing the same thing looking at old classmates on myspace and they look about the same as I expected too... and I hate small talk. I'd rather not say anything at all than small talk. It's just so gaggingly superficial. And besides, I have closer friends now than I ever did in high school. So I'm in your boat and it's all good. :)

hawkeye

#4 28 September 2007 - 02:05

I am of the opinion that one should always skip a high school reunion. Unless you were one of those people who liked high school. Which makes you... wait, wait, I'm not supposed to call people names.