Love's Surprise Party

Love’s Surprise Party!

Written by Tammy Varner Hornbeck

Susan walked into the auditorium hosting the first high school reunion she had ever attended. She had missed the traditional five, ten, and fifteen, and twenty-year reunions of the Waxahachie Indians. After all, she wasn’t a true graduate. Two months before graduation, she made the fatal mistake of choosing to leave the group home she was living in to leave with her houseparents’, who were leaving the home to pursue their careers with Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. Every crisis she has had in her life, and there were many, could be traced back to that one crucial decision. That decision had not only set off a chain of events that put her on a path of pain and self-destruction that lasted for years; but cost her the first true love she had known.

The invitation to this thirty-year reunion caught her by surprise. An old classmate, whom she had not seen nor heard from since her senior year, had reached out to her via Facebook. Susan herself had tried to find various friends over the years herself but had been unsuccessful. She should have known that Patty would be the one to find her. Patty was involved in everything in high school while Susan was still trying to overcome the damage done to her from growing up in an abusive and dysfunctional family—hence, the living in a group home. Susan didn’t have many friends in high school, and she had lost her friendship with Patty due to them both falling for the same guy…Jeff Rhodes!

Oh, my gosh! Susan had not thought about Jeff since she was living in Mesquite, Texas with her first husband, Monty. Wow! So strange to think she could be seeing Patty and Jeff tonight. What if they had gotten married? She wondered if they had kids. They were a strange couple for Waxahachie. Jeff the stereotypical cowboy and Patty the old-fashioned, wear dresses only, girl who wore way too much makeup. Jeff was just like the boys from her hometown of Farmersville, which is probably why she fell for him—something familiar in an unfamiliar place. She had always wondered if they lasted past high school.

Susan stood starring out at the sea of unfamiliar faces, lost in memories of the past until someone on her left cleared their throat and brought her out of her reverie.

“Um…excuse me. Invitation please.”

Susan blinked and looked at the younger woman manning the entry into the class reunion. “Sorry. Here it is.”

She checked off Susan’s name from her list and the other boy next to her handed Susan a name Tag. “Have a great time! Photo booth is on the right, food and drinks on the left. Everyone is just mingling before the festivities and slideshow starts.”

“Thank you.”

Susan took a few tentative steps into the crowded room. She was surprised of the large turnout. Looking around she saw people hugging and greeting each other, some pointing at others across the room. Squeals and laughter could be heard over the music being played by the DJ. There was a table covered in photographs, an easel holding a plaque that touted what was popular the in the year she would have graduated, 1989, the last year of the era of her youth.

Susan had chosen a classic green pantsuit for the occasion along with white earrings, necklace, and pumps; homage to her school colors. She curled her hair with hot curlers for the occasion, the way she had worn it in high school. She didn’t expect to be recognized after all these years, but it was one way of helping her feel like she belonged here. Susan didn’t know why it mattered, she hadn’t been very popular in high school despite the extreme efforts she went through to fit in dressing up in every spirit day for the pep rallies and attending every football game, dance, and prom. She was just about to turn around and leave when a deep voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Susan? Is that really you?”

Susan turned around and her gaze traveled from the middle of the man’s chest and traveled upwards to look into deep brown eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. It couldn’t be…Scott? Why would he even be here? Scott didn’t even attend Waxahachie High School. He attended their rival school, Red Oak High School. They had met at her first job as a cashier for Del Taco restaurant.

“Scott? What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you.”

“Why would you come to my twenty-year reunion to look for me?

You didn’t even go here.”

Just then, the melody to their song began to play. Scott smiled at Susan and reached out to take her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. She immediately began to tremble when he pulled her into his arms and her body melted into his, just like it had always done. Susan closed her eyes and lost herself in the music and the past. She still remembered every word to their song; Restless Heart’s I’ll Still Be Loving You. And she did. Susan had never stopped loving Scott. She had loved others since, but there was a piece of her heart that Scott possessed that no one could have.

She had always wondered what had happened to Scott after she left. More than once she thought that had others left them alone, she would have stayed, and they would have gotten married after graduation and her whole life would have been completely different. She still mourned for the life she felt she was robbed of because others had interfered in their relationship.

On his side there was the lifelong friend of the family who intercepted her calls and showed up every time they had made plans to meet. Susan’s insecurity and low-self esteem made her easy to manipulate and she believed Scott had been unfaithful. On her side, there was her house parents who thought she was getting too serious and would throw her dreams of going to college away if she continued to see him; so they too hid messages he had left for her at the group home.  

Susan pushed all the old pain and doubts away. None of that mattered anymore, not now, not while she was wrapped in his arms for the first time in thirty years since their love had ended. She smiled against his chest when he leaned closer to sing the lyrics in her ear. All was right with the world for the four minutes and thirty-seven seconds the song lasted. Scott didn’t release her right away and she stayed in his arms until he chose to step away.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“You lead, I’ll follow.”

Susan allowed Scott to pull her out the doors of the auditorium and out to the parking lot. He led her to his 1976 Baby Blue Chevy Nova. Scott walked her to the passenger side door, opened it and shut it behind her. She smiled as she remembered that his old-fashioned chivalry was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him. Scott crawled in the driver’s side and started the engine.

“You still have this?”

“Of course.”

“Where are we going?”

Scott just smiled and said, “It’s a surprise.” Ten minutes later Susan burst out laughing when Scott pulled into the parking lot of the Del Taco where they had met. He smiled back at her and filled her heart with joy with his next words.

“I have attended every reunion after my divorce hoping you would show up. I planned for years that if you ever showed up, I would bring you here.”

Susan smiled and waited for Scott to walk around to her side of the car. While he did, she closed her eyes and thanked God for answering a prayer, thirty years in the making. Scott opened her door, slipped her hand into his and walked her inside.

They ordered their favorites and took a seat in the same booth that they had shared on every break and date they had outside of work. For hours they reminisced and caught up on what had happened in both of their lives over the years. Their conversation was easy and comfortable as if they had stayed in touch all these years. Every now and then Scott would reach across the table and caress her had reminding them both that this was real and not a dream. They had finally found each other. First loves really do last…