Reunion

They had unearthed her sometime in the past year. 

She had thought herself safe and well off the radar. 'Thank goodness for social media', everyone had squealed. 'We've seen what you're up to!' She'd felt the connection instantly, names long forgotten rushing in like the tide as the greetings poured forth. Naturally her curiosity had been piqued. She was only mortal after all. Keeping tabs had been fun at first. She had been overwhelmed when her old schoolmates reached out en masse, flattered even. She should have been prepared for talk of an upcoming reunion. 'You really must come, it's our 20th after all ' Alex had gushed. Ha! Easy for her to say. Never mind that it was the farthest thing from Jan's mind. In any case there it was too late to come up with a suitable excuse. Her turn had finally come for "Show and Tell'.

Sitting in Kay's sunlit kitchen, sipping warm lemon tea Jan mulled over any avenues for escape. There seemed to be none. She had been toying with the idea of the inevitable for months and desperately needed a sounding board. Kay was quite the epitome, a quintessential gal-pal, an exotic beauty with a free spirit. Nothing ever ruffled her. She laughed away any misgivings airily. 'Of course you should go. Why, it might even be a blast!'

Back home and sufficiently motivated, Jan unearthed her high school yearbook from storage. She had been quite the gangly teenager, complete with the shy smile and gaudy eyeshadow. There were countless snapshots, scrawled signatures in girly handwriting, pimply sweethearts, highlights from the prom. It was all there, preserved for posterity.

Suddenly wanting to find out more about her old mates, Jan turned to social media in near frenzy, poring through feeds for the tiniest scrap of gist. Bits and pieces slowly trickled in. Who had gotten married recently, who got promoted, a scandalous divorce, all the juicy stuff! There were the shooting stars, the ugly ducklings turned swans. Shocking news too! What! Cole had passed on! A freak accident according to the obituary. She had definitely been out of the orbit for what seemed like forever. Also a lot of buzz about Jango, freshly minted as a commissioner of works. 'Who the hell was Jango?' She racked her memory, trying to place a face with the nickname. A vague impression of a skinny guy running cross-country marathons emerged. Jango! Certainly not much in common then. Fancy having a schoolmate as a commissioner! Well, there was no harm in amassing a few politically-connected friends, she mused. This get-together might be interesting after all. 

The decision to attend having been made, Jan started to plan in earnest. As is the way with such things, colleagues at the office got to know about the big day. Almost everyone had their own success story or rather, horror story depending on one's point of view. There was a great deal of advice bandied about, some useful and some bordering on sheer absurdity. On a personal note, there were issues Jan had to consider. The bare ring finger, for one. Surely she could buy an engagement ring to fend off any awkward questions. And surely not too! She had always been a bad liar anyway.

Two weeks to go and Jan found herself slugging her way through countless department stores, a few lingering doubts in tow. In her purse were the essential colour swatches. Vera's image consultant had been super-helpful, plying her with loads of information. Who knew there were that many shades of teal for instance? Yet for all her newfound savvy, shopping for the perfect outfit proved to be quite a challenge. The rejected garments piled up in the changing room as the attendants scurried about, aiming to please. Finally she finally decided to purchase three gowns, sighing as she signed the check. An exorbitant sum surely! Still, what was that Boys' Scout motto? Ah yes! 'Always be prepared!

Jan had been a fitness buff since college and generally took pride in her good shape. However, a foolproof defense was required to counter the intense scrutiny from old friends. Consequently a last-minute visit to the spa was her final stop just before leaving. The attendant with almond-shaped eyes radiated serenity as she placed the pebbles on Jan's spine, her movements sure and precise. Jan felt a twinge of envy, she could certainly do with a healthy dose of self-assurance over the next few hours. She exited the exclusive establishment with skin glowing and radiant, eyebrows freshly plucked, manicure in place, effectively, the total works. Perhaps this trip back was going to be a lark after all.

Disembarking from her flight much later, her belly was awash with butterflies. A whirlwind tour round town underscored how much had changed. She had headed straight for the big city after graduation and never once looked back. Suddenly it was a lot to take in. There was the undeniable nostalgia, the fleeting sense of something lost. Still, life had to go on, she reasoned. Somewhere deep within Jan knew she would have been suffocated had she stayed on. Jerking back to reality she realized she'd just driven past her Alma Mater. A gamut of emotions coursed through her. Shaking herself to clear it all, she headed back to her hotel room. It had been a bit of a shock to feel things so strongly.

Evening came soon enough. The venue itself was aglow with a thousand lights. The planning committee had pulled out all the stops indeed. There are valets milling about in every conceivable direction. Swallowing hard, she stepped through the extravagant floral archway to the revolving doors of the event center. A hasty peek round. Someone looked at her hesitantly and smiled.

The moment of truth had arrived. Jan's feet were strangely frozen, stuck to the stained terrazzo of the revolving entryway. The doors churned her out on the street in their continuous circular motion. Backing away, Jan adjusted her cashmere wrap and headed into the chilly wind. 

'Reunion' was officially over.