That's right. Twenty years ago I was shopping for a grad dress, worried about having a date for the big night and wondering if I would pass my departmental exams. I can hardly believe it's been so long. In so many ways, I still feel like the shy, nervous teenager I was then. Then there are the days when I wonder where that girl has gone.
I've been looking forward to our twenty year class reunion for some time now. As much as I wouldn't want to repeat high school, the kids I graduated with were somehow like family to me and I love to get together with them and hear how everyone is doing. What I didn't expect was to be put in charge of the reunion. I wasn't the class president, or even popular. To find me you would have to look on the fringes of the group - not disliked, but not noticed very often either. I certainly wasn’t the girl planning the parties.
A few years ago I ran into one of the guys I graduated with. I probably hadn’t seen him since high school, but I stopped and said hi, reminding him who I was. He gave me a blank look and finally confessed that he didn’t remember me. For most people that isn’t a huge thing, but my graduating class had 44 kids in it. That’s right, 44. How do you forget someone when your group is that small and you were in the same class for six years? Like I said, I was the invisible girl. He must have gone home and checked the yearbook, because the next time he saw me it was like we were old friends.
Anyway, a few months ago I started asking around about plans for the reunion and offering to help. No one seemed to know anything. Our class president passed the torch to someone else, who promptly passed it to me. That’s what you get for being the squeaky wheel. I don’t mind actually. It makes me crazy when I know something is coming up and nothing is being done. I’d rather be in charge and get things accomplished than wait for someone else to get around to it.
So the shy girl who still struggles with those invisible moments is now the girl organizing the party. I’m not sure how that really happened, but it’s a good thing the person I am now likes a good challenge. I also like knowing what’s going on and organizing things, so it should be fun. I’ve been spending my time trying to get others interested in working on the details with me. So far I’ve recruited two volunteers and dragged in another. I’ve been working hard at getting addresses for everyone. Forty-four graduates is a good thing now – I can’t imagine trying to find three hundred!
2 comments:
My grad class was 40. Most of them I grew up with. I guess farmers don't move. It's great to see those guys after all that time and see what they've been up to. Hope you have a great time, Stephanie.
Who would have ever guessed that 20 years later you'd have an opportunity to be the one in charge of drawing everyone together. I never would have dreamed that you felt invisible in high school - that was how I felt! I would like to think that I couldn't be forgotten though because in a grad class of 12 when you've gone to school together for 12 years - well it's like family.
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