It was my school reunion last night. 15 years. I’m getting old.
It was good to see people again. I went to the one 5 years ago – less people turned up this time, but still a crowd of about 60. As last time, we were all a little fatter, balder and/or greyer, apart from the bastards who hadn’t changed at all. And it’s interesting to see where people ended up – a bunch of IT people, a few artistic types, a couple of airline pilots, an accountant or two, a car designer, an environmental scientist, a couple of teachers, a couple of cops (one of whom, eerily, is the spitting image of a guy I know in the CFA)… and all the rest. And of course we did the traditional things – drinking, singing the old school song, drinking, telling tales of personalities and pranks from days of yore, and more drinking. Good stuff.
Things wound up in time to catch the penultimate train home, and I found myself with a bunch of the blokes, standing around on the concourse of South Yarra Station causing trouble. Which just shows that nothing’s really changed since our school days.
Something hit the back of my foot. A blind guy almost walked into me, and he asked us where the next city train was from. One of our number, who was possibly more intoxicated than was apparent from his speech, posture and stability, glanced at the big screen, and not only directed him to the wrong platform, but also made the mistake of directing him by pointing and saying "That way!" Fortunately sanity prevailed and one of the others who could read the screen properly, and knew how to guide blind people around stations, took care of things.
My 23:58 train arrived. Walking home the street was dark and quiet… except for the Internet shop. I glanced in the door as I passed – half a dozen hard core netters were wide awake, surfing for all their worth into the night.
Surely I’m not the only one getting old, going to reunions every few years to reminisce? Do some people avoid them, figuring the only people you’d meet are those you specifically didn’t bother to keep in touch with?
