The Reunion

The last few years had not been kind for Tyler James. His near perfect life had come tumbling down when he told his father he was gay and he had been thrown out of the house. He had lived with a few boyfriends but these relationships had never worked out. All his belongings had been sold to make money for food and accommodation. Parting with his beloved guitar had been one of the hardest decisions he had ever made but survival came first. He was now living in his car and only managed to afford doing this as a friendly woman called Angel delivered him a food packet each day.

When Angel had delivered the food parcel today, there had been an envelope with his name on it. He tore through it. It was his lucky day. There was $100. A folded up piece of paper was also inside. He read the contents:

Dear Tyler,

Can you believe it is 10 years since we left school? A reunion is happening on the 10th June in the Wintergreen School Auditorium. Please come. We’d love to see you. Please use the money to buy yourself a new outfit.

Love Mickey

Aah Mickey. A name he hadn’t heard in a while. It referred to Michaela Summers. She had gone to prom with him before he had known he was not into her in that way. They had stayed friends but had lost contact as she had left to go to college a few years later.

Tyler was unsure whether to attend the reunion. His school had been one of the richest in the area. Most of his year had become lawyers or doctors. Dylan had made it to the FBI and Austin had released a country record. What did he have to show? He would be an embarrassment to them all.

There were a few reasons which suggested it might be worth going. The letter in the envelope had been handwritten so it was clear that Michaela had thought of him when it was being arranged. It would have taken a little effort to find him too especially as he had no fixed address but if it had been necessary she could have asked Dylan for help. Plus on a more selfish note there would likely be free food. He could likely save some money by eating there.

Reluctantly, Tyler decided he would go. His life had become dull. He used to take risks all the time but a string of failures in life had made him scared. That ended today. He was going to make a brilliant impression. Your appearance was one thing a homeless person did not often care about so he needed this to change.            A haircut was in order. His blonde hair was a complete mess. It ran down his back almost to his waist. It had been washed in months and was caked with dirt. A visit to Luca would be in order. Luca had been a friend of his mother for six years before she had died of cancer. He had remained in contact with Tyler since then and insisted that he should come and get his haircut in his shop downtown whenever he wanted. This was an offer that Tyler had rarely used but now wanted to take advantage of.                                  On his arrival Luca was surprised to see Tyler. It must have been almost a year since they last met. Luca did not have any appointments left but agreed to cut his hair when they closed in half an hour.                                                                                                Once the shop had closed Luca asked Tyler to climb into a chair.      “I’m surprised to see you. I don’t think you have ever taken me up on an offer of a haircut judging by your hair at the moment.” Tyler laughed. “I know but my school reunion is tomorrow and I could show up wearing a birds nest.”

“ I’m glad you're going. Well Mickey invited me. It seemed wrong not to. I’m also still interested to see if I’m still attracted to Carson.”                                                                                                         “You were crazy about him. He just seemed too perfect to me.”   “ I know but we’ll see. My only worry that I will be a disappointment to everyone. I’ve achieved nothing.”                            “ Don’t worry. It is the person inside that counts.” 

After half an hour Tyler’s hair felt so much better. He could see so much better. “Go knock them dead kiddo.” 

“Will do. Oh one other favour. Can I come to yours for a shower?”

“ Of course. I don’t know why you just don’t live with me.”                  “ I can’t. I need to be independent.”

“I know but sometimes you might need to accept some help to get there. You remind me so much of your mom. She was willing to help everyone but didn’t accept help from others.”

After leaving the salon, Tyler knew the next day he would need to get some new clothes. The thrift store would be the best place to do it on a budget. He really wanted to get a tuxedo and feel like James Bond but it would be unlikely he would find one. As he expected he never found one but found a well fitting suit, a white shirt and a red tie he liked. All for $20. A bargain.

The day of the reunion finally arrived. When I went through the door I saw Michaela straightaway. She embraced me. I was glad to see her. How I missed her hugs. “You are a difficult man to track down Tyler.”                                                                                                 “How did you find me?”

“Dylan knew you were living rough. I got Angel to deliver a card. She works in a restaurant owned by Jessica. Do you remember her?”                                                                   “Oh yeah. I bought her a puppy when her dog died.”                            “ You never accepted help from any of us so each day she has Angel deliver you a food parcel.”                                                                          “ That’s so thoughtful. I need to thank her.” Michaela grabbed his hand. “I know a lot of people want to see you.” Austin came running over. He handed a parcel to Tyler. “I bought your guitar back for you. I know how much it means to you. I remember when you gave me your spare guitar after my mum insisted that I was not allowed one. You spent hours giving me lessons.”                                                “ Well it clearly paid off. You have an album now and did I hear you’re due to play at the Grand Ole Opry?”  Austin laughed. “ Yeah. And I want you to come play with me.” Tyler was stunned. “I can’t. I’m out of practice.” Austin shook his head. “Well you’ve got three months to practice. I’m not taking no as an answer. Michaela has been nominated fashion stylist. She is going to set you up with new clothes.” Michaela cheered. “I love shopping.” Tyler enjoyed Michaela’s enthusiasm. “ I guess there is no way out of this.” Michaela scowled. “Tyler James. You need to start allowing us to help you. You helped us when we needed it. Now allow us to pay you back. You are going to play with Austin. You are also coming to live with me. I’m not having you live in that car any longer.” Tyler had forgotten how passionate she could get about things. “You know you are right Michaela. I need to start living again. Austin, I might need a copy of some of your music. We are going to blow the roof of the Opry.” For once in his life Tyler felt excited. He was glad he had attended the reunion.