Can friendship survive a 20 year hiatus? Returning this weekend from my high school reunion, I sit pondering the phenomena of friendship. As I walked through the door and saw all the faces, so familiar, yet changed, it brought back a flood of memories and emotions. Bonds forged over foolish pranks, shared cigarettes on the sidewalk, the white cabriolet and the daily banter at the lunch table.
Math class held some of my favorite memories. The whole class seemed to participate wholeheartedly in the mischief. A silent pledge made between us. A connection that made us giddy. One day, our ring leader emptied a can of sardines behind a cabinet. The stench was unbearable. In our infinite wisdom, we thought the only solution our teacher would come to, would be to cancel class. We sat waiting. Mr. Macintosh (God bless him for he was really tolerant) ignored us as we all looked at each other. Misery loves company.
"Operation O" needs to be mentioned as well. It illustrates just how wonderfully creative the teen mind can be. A group of boys decided to put an Octopus corpse, courtesy of the local Knob Hill Farms Meat Department into the piano in the school Cafetorium. After rotting for a few months, the smell in the lunch area was simply, rank, fetid, foul. Although we could no longer eat in the Cafetorium for a period of time, the students didn't mind. Our little secret created a bond. Us against them. It was a time when we were free from any real responsibility, yet bound to the school. We all survived the raging hormones, final exams, and cafeteria food. And as our valedictorian pointed out, "Amazingly, we all turned out OK."
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As one of Barb's Classmates I can assure you that even after 20 Years there has been an unbreakable bond between us. Proof is in the pudding- out of 75 Graduates...approximately 65 attended our 20th Reunion. It was so much fun and we all turned into teenagers again. I brought my husband along with me as I could not deny him meeting my old best friends. He- as an outsider looking in felt that he would've loved to be a part of our group in highschool. He finally understand and felt the connections we all had with each other. Thanks for the old memories Barb.....and the new one's!
ReplyDeleteLove Ya.......Corina March nee "Burke"
Barb, I felt the same way. It was like those 20 years never really happened. We just picked up from where we left off. It was great. Everyone looked good, and it was interesting to see where their lives have taken them. The night ended too soon.
ReplyDeleteGeez, that Octopus Guy must have been a genius. Sardines behind the bookshelf. Wow.
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