Music was playing, but no one was dancing. The keyboardist didn’t mind; he was being paid whether or not anyone danced. The bartender, on the other hand, had his hands full, trying to keep up with the demand.
The new arrival entered the ballroom slowly, glancing across a sea of faces, hoping to catch a glimpse of one that seemed familiar. Fifty years had passed and he was aware that people in their late sixties don’t look the same as they did when they were eighteen. He continued to scan the room, seeing a few who appeared vaguely familiar; others were totally unrecognizable. Age plays some dirty tricks on our memories, he thought. I’m glad we’re all wearing those ‘Hello, My Name is…’ stick-on tags.
He finally saw someone he thought he knew standing near the bar, one elbow resting on the curved polished oak edge. At first, he saw her only in profile, but when she turned toward him, he felt more certain. She wore her blond hair in the same short pageboy style he remembered from years before. Her slender figure was accentuated by the form-fitting red dress that clung to her still shapely body. She appeared significantly younger than most of the others. Deep in conversation with the men surrounding her, she shook with laughter, causing her whiskey sour to spill onto the bar. One of the men quickly wiped it with his pocket handkerchief, and they all resumed their conversation. When she faced him directly and smiled, he knew exactly who she was. He approached feeling more assured than he had when he first walked into the room.
“Harriet… is that you?”
“Who said that?” she said, still laughing and clutching her drink so as not to spill it again, as she surveyed the newcomer’s face.
He gazed into her green eyes, the ones every boy in their class used to marvel at because of their unusual color and beauty. “It’s me, Freddie,” he responded, looking dapper in his navy blazer, gray slacks and black suede bucks, wearing a smile that lit up the room.
“Oh. My. God,” Harriet replied. “Freddie, is that really you? I hardly recognize you. It’s been so long. I always wondered what became of you, what you did, how you were.”
“It’s me, all right. Harriet, you’ve hardly changed at all. Still thin, still pretty; the same
Harriet from senior year. How do you manage to stay looking so young?”
“It’s been decades since I saw you last, Freddie. You look so sophisticated. But you’re still cute, no worse for wear. I love the way you shaved your head and grew that cute little white beard. It’s quite becoming. Very dashing.”
“Harriet, it’s so good to see you again. I’ve thought about you over the years, wondering where you were and what you were doing. I’ve also reflected from time to time what would have happened between us if we both hadn’t moved away.”
“I’ve thought about that too,” she responded. “But we did, so, you know….”
“I remember how you surprised me with a kiss on our first date. We were an item in senior year, weren’t we?”
“I really liked you, too, Freddie. That last semester before graduation was so wonderful. I even thought I was falling in love with you. But I didn’t want to lead you on because I knew that we were going to move.”
Freddie heaved a sigh. “You went to Baltimore, right?”
“My father got a job with the NIH in Bethesda. I cried a lot that summer. You went off to Michigan and I went to GW in Washington. I suppose a long-distance relationship wasn’t in the cards.”
“Some of the guys in our class were jealous of me, you know. Years later, a couple of them – you remember Hank and Jack, right?”
“Of course I do,” Harriet laughed. “They were both kinda cute, as I recall.”
“Well, each of them told me that they wanted to ask you out but thought you’d reject them, so they never did. I’m glad I did, though.”
“I’m glad you did, too. So, Freddie, what have you done with your life?”
“I became an engineer, then started my own consulting firm.
“Did you ever get married?” Harriet asked.
“Yes. To a wonderful woman. She’s a teacher. We have two sons and five grandchildren. How about you? Married? Work?”
“I started as a teacher also – high school math. Loved the kids. Went on to get my Ph.D. You are looking at one of the youngest school superintendents in Baltimore. I met my husband, Josh, while I was teaching in Baltimore. He was a high school principal. How often do you hear that
the students adore the principal? Teachers loved him, too. And he loved them back. That’s why he was so good at it.
“I am totally impressed, Harriet. But frankly, not surprised. You were always at the top of the class in high school.”
“Well,” Harriet responded, blushing slightly, “not quite at the top… near it, though,” she chuckled.
“Did you attend any of the high school reunions?”
“I went to the 10th and the 25th. I didn’t see you at either of them.”
“I must have been off the radar. I lost contact with most of our friends back then. Later on, I reunited with a couple of guys from the orchestra and made it back into the loop. I was at the 40th but was disappointed when I didn’t see you there.”
“I couldn’t make the later ones, although I would have wanted to. Bad timing.”
As their conversation waned, they continued staring at each other, silently, for a moment until Freddie began again. “So, Harriet, how long have you been here?”
“Well, I was 44 when I died, about 25 years ago. I had cancer. That’s why I couldn’t make it to the 40th high school reunion. And you?”
“I just got here. The heart finally gave out. I’m still not used to the way they keep time here.”
“You’ll get used to it soon. By the way, would you like to meet my husband? Josh arrived two years ago, but it seems like only yesterday.”
“Yes. I’d love to meet the lucky son of a gun.”
“What about your wife?”
“Not here yet. I still love her very much and miss her terribly. She’s very close with our sons and their families. She’s got a lot to live for.”
“Freddie, time is different here. It doesn’t matter how much longer she’s down there. You’ll be together again sooner than you think.”
“That’s comforting to know. Harriet, it’s been wonderful seeing you, and I hope we can get together from time to time. The four of us, perhaps; later, of course. I’ve got some time before I have to get back to the orientation program. So, how about you introduce me to this husband of yours?”