Reunion

Joanne flashed her cheerleader smile. "They're waiting for you."

"Oh, I didn't realize the time. I was talking to some old guys on my way to the bathroom," Rhonda grimaced.

Joanne disappeared and Rhonda squared her shoulders to enter the dining area. "Showtime," she told herself.

She walked past the long tables lined with classmates. At the end, she spied her friend and co-hort in planning this. Linda sat in the corner with her husband. She ignored all the other eyes on her.

They chanted, "Rhonda, Rhonda, Rhonda."

She approached Linda and Tom. Linda grinned at her. Across from them, a man stood up. He hugged Rhonda. She couldn't believe he made it. He never came to these reunions. The hug turned into a kiss on the lips. Soon just the tip of his tongue edged into her mouth. She broke away with a soft laugh and looked at him.

He hadn't changed. She was in baggy faded jeans and a striped blouse. She felt frumpy, yet, he stared into her eyes. She wanted to grab his hand and run away to fulfill dreams of fifty years ago. She wanted to melt into that kiss where nothing else mattered. Politics, religion, spouses, children faded out.

Instead, he pulled out a chair for her. "Linda, told me you usually sit by her."

She eyed Linda, telepathy to say, "Did you know he was coming?"

Linda didn't pick up on the message. She was the one in ninth grade to say, "Why don't you ask him to the Sadie Hawkins dance? He's cute."

Linda had a date with a boy who could drive. They were going to steady. She said John could take them. And that started the on again, off again relationship for two years, that Rhonda never really got over.

When the internet became popular, Rhonda hated to admit it but she had cyber stalked Mike. He was already married and divorced twice. Rhonda remained devoted to her husband. She read about Mike's views and knew they couldn't have made it. She had an inkling of that with some of his reactions to her comments when they were in high school. Yet, sitting next to him, now, she wondered. The sexual attraction with that kiss blew her away. She glanced at the classmates around the table, sure they all saw it, like it was a blaze with smoke.

A question came up about kids. "What's the funniest thing your kids have said?" Mike answered, "My kids were very disappointed they weren't missionary kids and biracial."

Rhonda gasped, "I didn't know your wife was black?"

Mike stared at her, "I didn't say she was. She was hispanic. And they weren't my

biological kids. I just thought it was a funny thing. Me, a missionary? Ha!"

Rhonda pondered it over. She had wanted to be a missionary. She told herself her home and town were her mission field, when she realized her husband didn't want to follow Jesus that way.

"Hey, how do you know so much about me?" Mike softly asked.

"Oh, at the twentieth or was it thirtieth reunion, I studied you on line. Congratulations on the Grammy."

"A stalker? Good thing you're cute."

Rhonda blushed. "Hardly. But I was, wasn't I?"

"Let's not talk about how long it has been. You're still cute."

Again, the room and classmates faded into an abyss. She felt it was only the two of them.

"I stopped when you got married again. You looked like you loved that wife. My fantasy of getting together didn't feel right any more."

"I did," Mike's eyes, oh those eyes of depth, moistened.

"What happened?"

"Oh, we just grew apart and then she died in a car accident."

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No, don't be. It was long ago, too."
"Really?" she asked.

Rhonda noticed the classmates. They turned to others with their own conversations. They didn't notice the two having a deep exchange.

"So, where's your husband? Are you still married? and you know the usual question that everyone our age seems to ask, any grandchildren?"

Rhonda sipped her drink to buy some time. Again simple question with complications that she still hadn't come up with a pat answer. Because there was none.

"He doesn't like these kind of things. He won't even go to his own. Only once and I liked all the classmates there..."

"Of course, you would," Mike interrupted as he nodded.

"Yes. We are still married. You know I take my vows seriously."

"I remember God was important to you."

This time Rhonda nodded. A little blush as she remembered the acts of rebellion, but she has since reconciled that with God, as her relationship with Him grew stronger.

"He still is."

"Mom told me about your girls when they were younger and she saw them in plays or concerts. I think she wanted grandchildren. And hey, we're now about her age when she felt sad none of us boys had children." He bowed his head.

"I heard Mark had some."

"Much later in life," Mike laughed as he continued. "The one I called gay of us brothers ends up having children. My other two never had children, either."

"I remember your mom looking fondly at the girls. I also thought how my youngest wanted to be a film director, when I was stalking you and felt she should have been yours."

Mike sipped from his straw this time, "Hmm."

"Oh, life is strange. When I looked into your eyes at your mother's funeral, I remembered so much. Your eyes always got me. Intense."

Rhonda wanted to run out this place holding Mike's hand. She recalled how he unscrewed the dome light when they double dated, so the driver couldn't "accidentally" see them. She wanted everything to fade away and only be with him at this moment.

"So your girls have children? Do you babysit as so many our age do?" Mike brought her back to the bar. All the voices of her classmates crowded her thoughts.

She lied because life didn't turn out the way she wanted, but she was done blaming anyone. "No babysitting. No trips or vacations. No."

She couldn't add, "grandchildren."