Reunion (not the island)
Proof of concept: take a really successful animated TV program and try to create a feature movie with live actors. The Simpsons are in town. So are we, with the thermometer stuck at close to mean body temperature. For those that do, the cinema provides a dark cave for the afternoon.
For the rest of us, some family visiting, some bookstore time and a missed occasion to “make nice” by buying a Hallmark. I failed to rise to the moment, and it has been etched on the page of my life actions. Never to be forgotten.
Today is reunion day. At the appointed time and place, they shall gather and recall past transgressions, while surreptitiously comparing the changes/loss of head colour. Thankfully my GPS provides mapping, and if my carefully synchronized clock had been the AI model, we wouldn’t have arrived three hours early. Minor detail. At least we had thought to shop before arriving (unlike several years ago).
Due to the restrictions imposed by varied personal schedules, family needs and distance, the whole idea of a reunion of old friends (not that any of us are old, even if one is celebrating a milestone birthday) is fraught with difficulty. By the time supper was over, our group was forming up, much like the crowd in church. Seating in the back rows, etc.
The group has evolved over three decade and more. One has flirted with the law, on the right side. Another dipped his toe into the retirement pool and drew back. Another works in the pool. One drove all day and a good part of the night to arrive, stiff from the knees down, after midnight. Cell phone bulletins.
One drop in had actually retired, and now found life to be much busier than when office attendance was mandatory. Some others are counting down to phase three in life one. The rest of us are just old fellas with attitude.
I attended a seminar on backyard pond chemistry, where the lone professional scientist said “Give me your numbers and I’ll crunch my own model later”. Evidence of the lifetime of Excel lent work. I was just glad to learn that I have alternatives to expensive industrial chemicals, should I decide to change my laid back routine.
The storm never happened. The evening ended, much later than son #3 would have liked, and we had our “coming in” time checked when we got home. All in a day.
