The Secret Crush

Ted Farmer was excited about his high school class 20th reunion. He hadn’t seen most of his classmates for nearly all of those 20 years. Two months after graduation, Ted’s father was transferred to another location about four hours away. So, he was isolated from the rest of his class.

But he had recently heard some news about Brenda Gibson. Brenda was very pretty and very popular in his class. She could pick any boy in her class she wanted for a date.

“She is out of my league,” Ted thought back then. However, that didn’t keep him from having a secret crush on her, although it was unrequited love. He didn’t want anyone to know about his secret crush on the beautiful, ever-popular Brenda Gibson. He didn’t even tell his best friend Frank Tyler.

But Ted had recently learned that Brenda had been divorced for several years. He thought, “Maybe this reunion will be my chance to have my dreams of dating her finally fulfilled.”

As the day of the reunion approached, Ted found himself growing more and more anxious. He wondered what Brenda would think of him now. Would she even remember him? Would she be interested in rekindling old acquaintances, or would she be surrounded by a crowd of admirers just like in our high school days?

Ted decided he would go to the reunion with an open mind and no expectations. After all, it had been twenty years and people changed. He himself was no longer the shy boy from high school but a confident and successful man. As he got ready for the evening, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing Brenda again.

At the reunion, Ted caught up with old friends and they shared laughs and memories. Many of the guys brought their wives who they met after graduation, and many of the ladies brought their husbands as well. Of course, there were others who came alone, many of whom, like Ted, were not currently married.

As Ted observed, he remembered something his grandfather once told him. “Time is the great equalizer. As women age, many of the pretty ones lose their luster and become just average looking. And many of the not so pretty ones learn what improves their looks, such as hairdos, glasses, how they choose their clothes and such. By the time everyone is in their mid-thirties and above, you’ll find most of them are acceptably pretty.”

While Ted was with a mixed gender group, Susie said, “There she is!” And then she called out, “Brenda! Come over here. We all want to catch up.”

Brenda put on a smile and said, “Susie! I was hoping to see you tonight.” And then Brenda came to join the group.

Ted thought to himself, “That’s Brenda? Grandpa was right. She’s not nearly as pretty as she was in high school, and it looks like she’s about 30 pounds heavier. But she is definitely acceptably pretty.”

Then everyone introduced themselves, and their spouses, if they were with them. Of course, Brenda recognized several of her friends.

But when it came Ted’s turn to introduce himself, Brenda remembered him, and said, “Ted Farmer! I definitely remember you. I always thought you were cute in high school, but you’ve become quite handsome, in my opinion.”

Several of the ladies, classmates and spouses alike, all chimed in, “I agree!”

Ted was embarrassed, but manage to say, “Thank you, Brenda. And ladies.”

Soon, most of that group wandered off to meet others, and eventually, Ted and Brenda were left by themselves.

Ted wondered, “Brenda is still with me. What does that mean? Maybe this is my chance.”

Ted took the opportunity to check out Brenda’s interest in him, and asked, “Would you like some refreshments? I think I saw some punch and snacks over there,” pointing to some tables.

Brenda said, “Sure. Let’s go see what they have.”

As they walked to the snacks, Brenda said, “Tell me what’s going on in your life, Ted. Where do you live and work? Are you married?”

“I live in Bemerton, and I work for the city as the assistant manager of IT,” Ted began. “I never got married. I did date someone several years ago, but we both decided that marriage was not right for us. And she moved away about six months later. How about you?”

“You live in Bemerton? I live in Ash Hollow,” Brenda said. “We’re only about 20 minutes away from each other!”

“Wow, imagine that!” Ted responded. Now he wondered to himself, “Should I tell her about the crush I’ve had on her?” He quickly realized, “Everything seems to be falling into place. Telling her about my secret crush now might create some uneasiness. Let’s see where this goes.”

Ted continued by asking, “So what do you do there?”

“I am the assistant postmaster,” Brend replied.

“Wow, again!” Ted responded.

At that point they both got their refreshments and sat at one of the tables.

Brenda continued, “Ted, I am not married. I’ve been divorced twice, and if you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about either of those at this festive occasion.”

“I completely understand, Brenda. You’re right. This is a time to reconnect and enjoy old friendships.

“I tell you what,” Ted continued. “If you have no objection, can we exchange phone numbers? Maybe we can get together when we both get back home.”

“I think that would be nice,” Brenda said.

“By the way, Brenda. What last name do you go by now?”

“That would be nice to know, wouldn’t it,” she chuckled. “I’m now known as Brenda Sawyer.”

As they exchanged information, Ted thought, “This is going so very well. I don’t dare spoil anything by sharing my secret. Not with her, or anyone else. Not even with my best friend, Frank.”

Ted and Brenda continued their visit at the table for another 30 minutes, at which point the “Dinner is served” announcement was made. They both decided to continue sitting together as the servers brought the meal to them. Several other classmates they both knew came to sit at their table.

After dinner, a few people left their table, and Ted said, “Brenda, I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed visiting with anyone as much as I have with you tonight. I hope I haven’t kept you from reconnecting with the others.”

“Ted, I’ve also enjoyed being with you as well. I tell you what, if you have no objection, why don’t we go visit with our other classmates together. I’m sure we know who each other’s friends are.”

So, that’s what they did. And many of their classmates noticed and wondered about them.

Finally, the reunion ended. They discovered that they were staying at different hotels. They both agreed that it would be best to part company at the reunion site, but they would contact each other sometime next week.

Ted thought to himself, “Brenda and I really connected. I think we felt comfortable with each other. I’m looking forward to going out with her next week. And I didn’t have to spoil anything by revealing my secret crush.”

It was now Tuesday. Ted was planning to contact Brenda on Wednesday, but to his surprise, Brenda called him.

“Brenda?” he answered. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“Ted, do you like things such as civic theater?”

He answered, “I’ve been to a few of them.”

“Well,” she said, “the Ash Hollow Theater Group is performing “Shakespear in Love” this Friday and Saturday evenings. Would you like to attend either night?”

Ted was totally surprised. “Yes, I’d like to go. Do you have a preference?”

“Let’s shoot for Friday,” she said. “And if something comes up, Saturday will be our backup.”

Ted asked, “Do we need to make dinner plans?”

“No. We’ll both be getting off work. Let’s eat separately before the play and plan on a late-night snack at a really good diner I know of.”

“That sounds like a plan,” he said.

And then they arranged for Ted to pick her up at her home, go to the play, and then have their snack at the Downtown Diner.

At the diner, they shared a plate of sliders and fries, and each had their own soda.

While Ted was sharing his thoughts on the play, Brenda cut him off in mid-sentence.

“Ted, please forgive me for interrupting, but I’m going to burst if I don’t say this. Back in high school, even though lots of boys asked me out on dates, I had a secret crush on you.”

“What…!?” Ted was stunned. “Brenda, why didn’t you say something back then? I would have been so thrilled.”

“Really?” she said.

“Absolutely!” he said. Now he knew the time was right. “You won’t believe this, but I also had a secret crush on you! In fact, I still had that crush when I came to the reunion.”

“No wonder we felt so comfortable with each other,” she said. “What does this mean for us now?”

“I know how to answer that, but give me a moment to organize my thoughts.”

Finally, he said, “Brenda, I am so thrilled to hear you say that, and for me to say that. I think what we have will develop into something that we both want. But let’s not let our emotions get the better of us.

“Let’s give ourselves some time to make sure this is the right thing to do. After all, my only serious relationship ended when she and I both realized that marriage was not for us. And I don’t know the details of either of your marriages, but something wasn’t right, or you’d still be married to one of your husbands.

“Let’s start dating. In three months, let’s talk about how we each feel and go from there.

“I hope I’m not being too practical, but neither of us deserves to be hurt by rushing into…. Should I say it? Marriage.

“I think we both want the same thing. But rather than following our emotions, let’s give our hearts time to tell us what’s right.”

Brenda thought for a moment, and then said, “You’re right, Ted. I not sure if either of my marriages failed because we rushed to the altar, but at least I know you had the common sense to think before you leaped.”

“Thank you, Brenda. I know what I want, but I think it’s wise to wait. We need to know each other better.

“For example, I’m in IT. Will I prove to be too logical for you? And I need to know more about what caused your divorces, so that I don’t say or do something that might trigger some reluctance on your part.”

“You’re right, Ted,” she chuckled. “You’re almost being too logical.”

They both laughed.

“So, what’s next?” she asked.

“Why don’t we start with dinner and a movie tomorrow night?"

The End (for now)