Remembering the Past

           It had been nearly thirty years since Jacob had been back in his hometown. Winterville was one of those towns that seemed to remain timeless.

           As he drove down Main Street and passed Andy’s Barbershop, it felt like he was a teenager again. Andy cut Jacob’s hair since he was a kid, but the last time he saw Andy, was the day before his high school graduation.

           Jacob insisted that Andy take his time and get his hair perfect. He was out to impress a girl in his class that he was planning on asking to prom. Her name was Eleanor Fairtree, Ellie to her friends. She was the most beautiful girl in school. They shared the same homeroom class and a few other classes as well. They even rode the same bus home and lived in the same neighborhood.

           Eleanor was sixteen and Jacob was seventeen, but only by a few months. She was on the school’s Cheer Committee and was captain of the girl’s basketball team. He was completely smitten over her.

           Jacob was brought back into reality when a horn blew behind him. He was so lost in thought, that he did not realize the light had changed. He waved back to the car behind him offering his apologies and continued through town.

           Two blocks down sat his old high school, St. Augusta. Other than a new digital sign by the roadside and a fresh coat of paint, it still looked the same. A few more blocks to the east and he pulled up in front of a wood-sided bungalow painted bright yellow with burgundy trim on the shutters and door. The perfectly manicured lawn was protected by a white picket fence. A walkway made from flagstone created a path to the front door. He was home.

           Jacob stepped up to the door, raised his closed fist, took a deep breath, and knocked three times. Seconds later, the door opened and a woman in her sixties stood there with her mouth hanging open.

           “Hi, mom,” he said.

           “Jacob? Jacob, is that really you?”

           “Yes, mom. I know that it has been a while. I am sorry. Can I come in?”

           “Of course! Of course, you can. Come, have a seat.”

           She led him into the kitchen and had him sit at the table.

           “Can I fix you something to eat? Do you still like peanut butter and banana sandwiches? I know that you always wanted those because Elvis Presley ate them.”

           “Thank you, mom, but no. I mean, yes, I still like those sandwiches, but no, I am not hungry right now. I will have a coffee though if you don’t mind.”

           “Coffee? You have grown up so much. I still see you as my little boy. I have instant coffee, is that okay?”

           “That will be fine, mom, thanks.”

           “So, what brings you back to town, Jacob?”

           “I got an email from Joey. Do you remember Joey? He was my best friend from school.”

           “Oh, yes, I remember him. He was that red-headed boy from down the street, right?”

           “Yes, that’s him. Anyway, he was telling me that St. Augusta is having a class reunion in a few days, and he asked me to come. I know that I should have been back sooner than now, but you know how things got between me and dad. I just could not get up the nerve to face him again. By the way, where is he?”

           “Your father just ran down to the market to pick up some groceries. He should be home soon.”

           “Perhaps I should get going then. I need to check into the motel anyway.”

           “Motel? You know you can stay here, Jacob. I am sure your father would love to see you.”

           “I doubt that mom, but thanks. I guess I don’t need to tell you which motel I will be at since there is only one in town. I will stop by again before I leave town. I promise.”

           Jacob hugged and kissed his mom, then headed to the Winterville Motel. The room was dingy and cold, but the bed was comfortable. He turned up the thermostat on the heater and unpacked his clothes. When he was finally settled in, Jacob called on Joey. He was married now and had three beautiful children, all with fire-red hair. His wife, Alicia was a girl he had met at college. They fell in love and have been together ever since.

           Joey brought Jacob down to the local bar for a couple of beers. They began talking about the old times back in high school. Joey kept up with most of their classmates from St. Augusta and he had been the one who organized the reunion. A few people had since passed away, but he was expecting twenty-two of the alumni to attend from their graduating year. The high school offered up the gymnasium for the dance and Chuck Peters who used to be the school DJ was going to spin some vinyl for them at the reunion.

           Jacob asked Joey about Eleanor.

           “This probably won’t come as a big surprise, but Ellie is now the high school physical education teacher and basketball coach.”

           “Did she say that she would be coming to the reunion?” Jacob asked, trying not to sound desperate.

           “Yes, she said that she would be there.”

           Jacob tried not to show his excitement in front of Joey.

           “Listen, Jacob, I know that you had a thing for Ellie back in the day, but you need to know a few things. Eleanor got married a while back. Unfortunately, her husband treated her like crap, and she has some trust issues now. I know that you wanted to ask her out to prom years ago, and she already had a date with Frank Dobson. I know that you were upset, but I am asking you not to be too hard on her at the reunion, okay?”

           “No problem, Joey. I moved on since then,” he lied.

           “By the way, what have you been doing with yourself out on the east coast? You are looking great!”

           “Thanks. I pursued my dream and got into the music business.”

           “You’re a musician?”

           “Actually, I am a record producer now. It took a lot of hard work to get where I am, but I am happy with what I do.”

           “Wow! That is so cool. Most of our graduating class have never made it out of this town.”

           “It was great catching up with you, Joey. If I don’t see you before, then I will see you at the reunion.”

           “Great to see you again too, pal. See you soon.”

           Jacob decided to drop by the high school to see if it had changed. He entered the large wooden doors at the main entrance and stopped by the office to sign in. The secretary stared at the name and said, “Jacob? Jacob Halsey? Is that really you?”

           “Do I know you?” he replied.

           “It Chrissy. Christine Simpson, well it is Christine Little now. I got married about ten years ago.”

           “It’s great to see you, Chrissy. It has been a while.”

           “Are you in town for the reunion?”

           “Yes, I will be there. Is it okay if I look around a bit?”

           “Sure, go ahead.”

           “Thanks.”

           Jacob wandered through the hallways. They looked much smaller than he remembered. As he walked past the gym, he peeked inside. A group of students was playing basketball. A whistle blew, and he looked over to the sidelines. There she was…Eleanor. Still as beautiful as the last time he saw her. He stepped inside and sat on the bleachers. When Eleanor spotted him, she blew her whistle and told the students to take five before walking toward Jacob. His heart began to beat harder as she neared. He could not believe she recognized him after all these years.

           “Excuse me, but can I help you with something?” she asked. “Do you have permission to be in the school?”

           “Yes, Chrissy said I could look around. It’s good to see you again, Ellie.”

           “Do I know you?”

           “It’s me, Jacob Halsey.”

           “Sorry, not ringing a bell. Did we work together or something?”

           “No, don’t you remember? We were in a lot of the same classes here at St. Augusta. You lived a couple of blocks from me.”

           “Again, sorry. I do not recall. Anyway, I need to get back to my students. If you don’t mind leaving, you are starting to freak out my girls.”

           Eleanor walked away without even a glance back. Jacob stood up and left the school, disappointed and depressed. He could not believe that Eleanor did not remember him at all. He was debating whether he should just skip the reunion and head back east to the life where he was appreciated.

           After a long talk with Joey, Jacob decided to stick around. It was now just one day until the reunion, so Jacob brought his Armani suit to the cleaners to be pressed and polished up his Gucci shoes. Back at school, most of the students knew him as a band nerd that played the trumpet. He was expected to get a job as an accountant like his father. He wanted everyone to see that he was successful despite their expectations.

           The day arrived, and Jacob pulled up in front of St. Augusta in his brand-new Audi A7. He walked proudly through the doors and into the gymnasium where most of the class had already gathered. Heads turned as he strolled across a nearly empty dance floor toward Joey.

           “Look at you!” Joey exclaimed. “I am glad you came. Let me re-introduce you to everyone.”

           Joey led Jacob all around the room to each of the alumni, bragging about Jacob’s success. Jacob, however, was too busy looking around the room for Ellie. She was not there yet. Then, as if on cue, the song, “Angel Eyes” by Jeff Healey began to play and she walked in. She wore a stunning black silk gown with spaghetti straps and a slit up the left leg. Her blonde hair flowing over her pale shoulders. Her ruby red lips gave her a seductive appeal and her blue eyes sparkled from the spotlights above. Jacob could not help but stare. When she recognized him as the creep from the day before, she walked off to join her friends at the other end of the room.

           The night continued and many of the alumni, especially the single women, surrounded Jacob, asking question after question about his career. Jacob eventually pulled himself away and made the excuse that he needed to use the restroom. As he walked down the hall, he literally bumped into Eleanor as she tried to make her escape out the other set of doors.

           “Sorry, Ellie. I should have been watching where I was going.”

           “That’s okay, I should have been paying attention myself. I was just trying to get away from thirty years of gossip.”

           “I can relate. I was trying to get away from people trying to talk me into setting up complimentary tickets for their favorite bands.”

           “Really? Do you have that kind of pull?” she laughed. “Just kidding. I’m not like that.”

           “That’s a relief. I thought I was going to have to lock myself in a closet until this thing was over,” Jacob said sarcastically.

           “You know, Jacob. I looked you up in the yearbook when I got home yesterday. You were that band geek, right? I am sorry I was so hard on you. I am just protective of my students. I don’t want to see them getting hurt.”

           “I can understand where you were coming from. I guess I did seem a little creepy. Sorry.”

           “Say, would you like to go grab a burger or something? I think I have had enough of this walk down memory lane for one night. Wanda’s diner is still open. Do you remember where it is?”

           “It is difficult to get lost in this town. I would like that. Can I walk you to your car?”

           “Sure. That would be nice.”

           Jacob met Ellie at the diner where he told her about why he left. He described the fight that he and his father had gotten into when he decided to pursue music instead of becoming a chartered accountant. They had not spoken since that day.

           Ellie talked about her marriage to a police officer who thought he was above the law and beat her, but he ended up behind bars.

           The conversation continued until the owner of the diner brought their check to the table and said it was time to close. From there, they parted ways for the night, but Ellie asked to exchange numbers and suggested to Jacob that he straighten things out with his dad before he leaves town. The next day, he did just that.

           He arrived at his parent’s house just after breakfast. His mother answered the door again.

           “Hi mom, is dad at home?”

           “Yes, come in, Jacob.”

           Jacob’s father sat on his favorite wingback chair smoking his pipe and reading the newspaper when Jacob entered the room.

           “Hello, dad.”

           His father looked up from the paper briefly, then continued reading.

           “What are you doing here?”

           “I came to see you and mom before I leave for the coast again.”

           “Fine. You saw us. Have a good trip back,” his father stated abruptly.

           “Dad, I want to apologize to you. I am sorry that I did not follow the same career that you did, and I am terribly sorry that I took so long to apologize. I was just stubborn. My pride got the best of me. I realize now that I was wrong.”

           His dad set down the newspaper and his pipe and looked into Jacob’s eyes. He sniffled as if he were trying not to cry.

           “I guess I am partly to blame,” his father said. “I mean, I should have let you do what makes you happy, not what would make me happy. Your mother told me that you were a big success now. I am happy for you, truly, I am. I’m also proud of you, son.”

           This time it was Jacob’s turn to get choked up. Both men had tears forming in their eyes as they stood and hugged. Jacob promised to visit more often and offered them to come and visit him anytime at his expense.

           Once back on the coast, Jacob began to talk to Ellie more and more. Six months later, Ellie joined Jacob’s parents and flew out to visit his home on the coast. That was the beginning of a life that Jacob had dreamed about long before he dreamt of a career in the music industry. Thirty years had passed, but his life was just now beginning.