Ten-Year Reunion

During a lull in the conversation they heard the unmistakable sound of feedback from a microphone. "Sorry about that everyone! Testing, one, two, three. Can you hear me?"

The principal none of them knew was addressing them. "I wasn't here when your class graduated, but it's my honor to welcome you back to Renton High School, nonetheless. First of all, thank you all for coming. Okay, well, as you can see we have some hors d'oeuvres over here, an open bar on this side, and we have a live band to play for the next three hours. They'll be performing covers of the most popular music from your time in high school give or take a couple of years. Please feel free to sing along or ask that special someone to dance. Thank you again for coming and please have a wonderful and memorable tenth reunion!"

There was a round of polite applause as the band tuned up their instruments.

"I think it's about to get very loud in here," Chaz told her.

Jimmy returned with their beers and Campbell said, "I should probably leave you guys alone. Jimmy? It was nice seeing you again. Chaz? You, too. If you'd maybe like to dance..."

"Thank you. It was great seeing you again, too, Campbell. And I may take you up on that," he told her with a smile.

As she walked away Jimmy said, "Man, I've got the biggest boner ever!"

Chaz just shook his head, grabbed his beer then continued filling the plate he'd started loading before Campbell stopped by.

"So how did it go with Ellen?" he asked once he had all the goodies he wanted.

"You were right, man! She was really friendly. She even told me I should ask her to dance later. She's pretty hot now, huh?"

"Yeah, she's made a whole lot of changes. She looks really great. You should definitely ask her to dance."

"Okay, but you have to ask Campbell. That way I can tell Ellen, 'Hey, check it out! My best bro is out there with Campbell so how 'bout we join them?"

"Or you could just ask her yourself because you like her, Jimmy."

"Yeah, right!" he said.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his friendship with Jimmy, but they really had nothing in common other than growing up together and going to the same school. Even as kids they liked different music, different food, and were it not for their shared geekiness, Chaz couldn't think of a single reason they'd be friends. But friends they were and he wasn't going to ruin all those years just because Jimmy was so socially awkward.

"Dude! Check it out," Jimmy said elbowing Chaz in the ribs. "Look who else just showed up!"

"I'm gonna start calling you 'Jimmy the Sentinel.'" He was right. It was Karen Powers-Harding-Powers. Unlike Campbell, virtually every person in the room wanted to say hug her and say hello. She wasn't quite the beauty she'd once been, but for a woman who'd had two children, she still looked pretty great.

Chaz waited patiently for her to make her way around to him. As he did, he mentally prepared himself to tell his transformation story yet one more time.

As he watched Karen work the room like a politician on a rope line, he almost missed her. He wasn't even sure if it was her, but just the possibility of her being there made him stand up and look. He craned his neck, but still couldn't see so he walked in that direction until he spotted her then made his way directly to her before someone else started capitalizing her time.

"Ms. Freeman?" he said as he approached her.

"Yes! Hi, how are you?" she asked. He could tell she didn't recognize him, but he most definitely recognized her. Taylor Freeman was not only his all-time favorite teacher, she was by far the most attractive of all of them. She still looked amazing to him as he introduced himself to her.

"I'm Charles..." He pointed to his name tag, "Well, Chaz...Rhodes. You were my favorite teacher here. In fact, my favorite teacher ever."

He could see her wheels spinning as she searched her memory banks. He saw her eyes open wide as she covered her mouth. "No way! You're...Charles?"

He smiled as he spread his arms wide and said yet again, "Yes indeed. Chubby Chuck."

"Look at you! So grown up and so handsome! Wow! I've seen some amazing changes in my time, but this is simply unbelievable. Oh, and please call me Taylor."

He loved her smile. It was always warm and genuine and she'd treated him so kindly when he was in her class. It was one of the few places he ever felt truly safe from ridicule knowing she'd stand up for him at the slightest hint of any teasing.

And she was still beautiful. She'd cut her gorgeous, naturally blonde hair and now wore it short, but it looked amazingly good on her. He thought she may have even bleached it as it seemed more platinum than the pure gold he remembered from ten years ago. Then again, maybe it was just the difference in length or the passage of time.

Her blues eyes were as vibrant and alive as ever and her smile still moved him. She wasn't petite by any means, but she was a relatively small woman who was maybe 5' 5" and probably just over 100 pounds. She wasn't 'stacked', a term he hadn't used since high school, but she was at least a full B and to Chaz, she looked perfect.

"Speaking of unbelievable, look at you!" Chaz told her admiringly. "Most of us have aged in the last ten years but you're clearly the exception to the rule."

"Ha! That's so sweet, but the mirror tells a very different story, Charles. And since my daughter left for college I've found myself not only feeling old, but living all alone." She saw him start to give her a look of sympathy and added, "I'm not complaining, mind you. I'm so proud of Tegan—my daughter. It's just so...different. As they say, things change."

He couldn't believe this woman had a daughter in college. He'd never asked, but the rumor was she'd gotten pregnant in high school and had her daughter just after her senior year. Chaz had heard she lived at home while she went to college and got her degree in secondary education. He'd guessed her to be maybe 27 or 28 when he was in her class his senior year because he knew she was a 5th-year teacher from his yearbook. For a woman of 38-ish she looked absolutely amazing to him.

"That has to be quite an adjustment for you, I'm sure," he said. "Where's she going and what does she want to major in?"

"It really is. The house is SO quiet now. No music, no friends. Just little ol' me. But to answer your question she's at UCLA and has her heart set on being a doctor. She's pre-med and will be starting her sophomore year this fall. In fact, she's interning at a teaching hospital trying to learn what all goes on in one during the summer."

"Pre-med? Wow. That's impressive. You've got to be very proud."

"You have no idea!" she said. She was absolutely beaming as she replied. "So what about you, Charles? What have you been up to since leaving this auspicious institution of learning ten years ago this month?"

"As your former student, would it be inappropriate of me to offer you a drink first? That way, if I bore you to death, you'll at least have some form of comfort."

Taylor laughed. "I'm sure it won't bore me even a little. I've tried to get to every reunion since the first class I taught had its tenth. I love catching up with my former students and seeing how they're doing. So I'll not only enjoy hearing about you, I'd love a glass of wine so yes, thank you!"

She followed him to the bar and asked for a glass of white wine. Chaz was still holding his second beer but set it down and took a glass of red as they found a place to chat.

They'd no sooner begun talking than the lead singer announced they'd be starting their first set. "So much for a quiet, private conversation," he told her.

"Let's go sit outside for a few minutes then. The weather is perfect and it's very quiet out there."

They went out the back of the gym and wandered over to the baseball field and sat in the bleachers and enjoyed the last few minutes of sunlight. "Okay, I'm listening," she said cheerfully.

He gave her the nickel version of the past ten years. "Oh, Charles. That's just incredible. I'm so happy for you! And I'm very impressed. You were always so smart and I hoped you'd go to college. I guess it's obvious you love flying, right?"

"I guess so. Or at least I used to when I actually flew something." He explained the difference of flying a high-performance fighter in air-to-air combat maneuvers and 'flying' a commercial jet. "I still enjoy it. Please don't misunderstand. It's just that well...the thrill is gone."

Taylor laughed politely and said, "I can only imagine. It seems analogous to a race car driver getting out of his Formula-One vehicle and riding home in a Cadillac. Not a bad ride. Just not a lot of fun."

"That's a perfect analogy," he told her. "It is flying. It just isn't...fun."

"So what do you do for...fun...these days, Charles?" she asked before taking a small sip.

"Oooh, gee. Tough question." He looked at her very seriously and said, "Um...well, I don't really know. Not much, I guess. How awful is that, right? Since leaving the Air Force it seems like everything that used to be fun now seems...not so much."

"Such as?" she asked. "Other than flying vs flying, of course."

He laughed and said holding up his wine glass, "Well, drinking for one thing. I used to love to hang out with the guys, have a few beers, and you know..."

"Ah, yes. I believe I do. You're a very nice-looking young man so that makes sense. I believe the term would be 'hooking up.' Is that about right?" she asked with a beautiful smile and no hint of accusation.

"Well, thank you for the compliment and yes, you're correct as to the term. It's just that that's something else that no longer holds much interest for me."

"Oh, my. Maybe it's time to think about settling down?" she said in the form of a question.

"Funny you should say that. I was talking to Campbell Edwards about that very thing just a few minutes ago."

"Campbell. Yes. Prettiest girl I've ever seen come through this school and I've seen several thousand now." She looked at him and said with another smile, "Yes, I know. I'm no Campbell Edwards. I'm just...old. As I said, the mirror reminds me of it every day."

Chaz turned toward her slightly and said, "Of all the teachers I ever had, you were not only my favorite, you were the most beautiful—by far. And you still are, by the way."

Taylor laughed and said, "Oh, Charles. You are still so sweet. That is very kind of you to say."

"No, it's not a feel-good line. It's the truth. You were and are a very beautiful woman," he told her looking directly into her eyes.

As she went to reply, they heard a voice calling out, "Chaz? Hello? Are you out here?"

Both of them turned and saw Campbell in her beautiful white linen dress and four-inch heels walking toward them. She got close, saw them both, and stopped. "Oh. I'm so sorry. I heard Chaz came outside. I wasn't aware he was with someone. I'll just go..."

"Hi, Campbell," Taylor said. "Please come join us. You're not interrupting. It was just so loud inside we couldn't talk."

"I don't want to bother you two," she said clearly distressed Chaz wasn't alone. "It's just that the band played one of my favorite songs from 2006 and I went looking for you. I'll just go back in and..."

"No, that's silly. Please sit down with us, okay?" Taylor said. "In fact, I should probably let you two have some time to talk—alone. The last thing you need is a former teacher hanging around with you."

Chaz started to object, but Taylor had already stood up. "It was so nice seeing you again, Charles, and I really am very proud of you. I don't fly much, but if I ever fly the friendly skies of United, I'll be looking for you. Campbell? It was nice seeing you again, too."

"You too, Ms. Freeman," she said as she stumbled over to the bleachers.

"She looks good. You know, for her age," Campbell said as she looked at the wood and refused to sit. "It's dirty," she said looking down at it.

It wasn't dirty but the wood was rough. Chaz chose not to comment. "So what song did they play?" he asked as he stood.

"Far Away by Nickelback," she told him.

"Ah! Someone's in a melancholy mood," he said.

"So many mistakes, you know," she said echoing the words of the song.

"Like I said, it's never too late to start over."

"It's not just that, Chaz. It's missed opportunities. You know, like...you."

He didn't want to laugh, but he couldn't help it. "Campbell, please. I'd say you wouldn't even look at me ten years ago, but that's not true. You looked and you..."

"I know, I know. I looked and I made fun of you. Jesus. I really was awful. But that was then and..." She reached out and took his hand and said, "This is now."

She smiled at him the way he'd have given anything to have her look him in high school as she said, "Could we maybe go back in and have that dance now?"

As beautiful as she was and as penitent as she seemed, he still wasn't feeling it. Even so he smiled and agreed. "Sure. That sounds nice. Let's do that."

He helped her make it back to the asphalt by tightly holding her hand as the heels sunk into the ground each step of the way across the field. When they got there he tried to let go but she held on firmly. "I'm not letting you get away this time," she told him as she slid her arm inside of his.

It was darker than before when they entered, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust. Before he could really see clearly, Campbell grabbed his hand and said, "Oh, I love this song, too!"

It was called What's Left of Me by Nick Lachey and it had the same sad theme as the Nickelback song. "Come on, Chaz!" she said pulling out to the middle of the floor.

Campbell put her arms around his neck and smiled before she moved in closer and rested her head on his shoulder. His eyes had adjusted and as he looked around he found Karen Powers again and to his surprise, her ex-husband was standing next to her. They seemed to be cordially chatting with one another although Rhodes had no idea how things really were between them.

The one thing he was sure of was that Mark had stayed in great shape. He looked very much like he had ten years ago. His hair was still thick and black, his body was hard and firm, and he still had that dimpled smile the girls had all loved back in the way. Well, all but one of them anyway.

"There's someone else you know," Chaz said as Campbell moved around so she could see him.

"Oh my goodness," she said. "Yet another person I need to apologize to." She raised her head and said, "I haven't thought about this since the day it happened, but I did something really terrible to him."

Chaz pretended not to have any idea and said, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Yes, it can. I embarrassed him so bad in front of my little posse. He'd broken up with Karen, who was his girlfriend back then, so he could ask me to Homecoming and I shot him down in flames. God, I was some kind of messed up back then."

As the song was ending he said, "Why don't you go over and talk to him and tell him how you feel."

"I'm not exactly on Karen's Christmas-card list, either," she said still looking over at them. Mark saw her looking and smiled.

"Oh, God," Campbell said. "He just saw me."

Chaz looked and noticed he was still smiling. The song ended and this time Chaz grabbed her hand and started walking them toward the former couple.

"What are you doing?" she said pulling against him.

"Time to make amends," he told her. She stopped resisting, looked briefly, then followed him.

Chaz was sure neither of them had any idea who he was so he stopped short and said, "Good luck. Just be honest and everything will be fine."

She mouthed 'thank you' to him as he walked away. He watched as he did so and smiled when he saw first Karen and then Mark hug her. He smiled again when he saw Jimmy chatting up Ellen. He walked over and waited for them to recognize him.

"Hey, dude! You remember, Ellen, right?"

"Of course. It's good to see you again," he told her sincerely.

"Oh, my goodness! Jimmy told me you'd changed dramatically, but...wow!" she told him.

"Wow yourself!" he said back.

"Dude? Guess what?" Jimmy said interrupting. Not waiting for a reply he said, "Ellen and I are going out."

Chaz raised an eye and said, "Oh, really? That's...fantastic." What he wanted to say was 'shocking' but didn't.

"Yeah, I just have to go the gym with her three days this week and then we'll have coffee together. But wait. There's more, dude! Three more times and we'll do lunch. Three more and it's dinner for two—you know what I'm sayin'?" Jimmy leaned close as he delivered the last line as though sleeping with her was next.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Someone's gotta get you off that couch. I've never been able to do it so good for you, Ellen."

"I believe we all have the capacity for change, Charles...sorry, Chaz. I mean, just look at us, right? I'll have this guy looking all kinds of sexy and buff in six months. You just watch and wait."

"If anyone can do it, Ellen, my money's on you. Just be advised this guy's a confirmed couch potato so you're work is cut out for you."

"I love a good challenge!" she said. Just then a hip-hop song with a fast beat came on and Ellen grabbed Jimmy's hand. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Later, dude!" Jimmy said. As he passed Chaz he said, "Don't wait up for me tonight, okay?" Chaz smiled and assured him he wouldn't knowing he wouldn't need to.

As the two of them began shaking and baking to the beat, he noticed Mark and Campbell were still talking. Karen was no longer next to them and he couldn't help but wonder if they might have patched things up already.

He hadn't touched the glass of wine he'd been carrying around with him and set it down. As he did, he say Taylor heading toward the exit. He jogged toward her sidestepping several people saying, "Taylor? Sorry. Excuse me."

He caught up to her just before she got to the door and said, "Leaving so soon?"

She turned and smiled when she saw him. "Oh, hi Charles. Yeah, I've pretty much made the rounds. I don't want to wear out my welcome so I should probably head home."

The last song was ending and he heard one of his own personal favorites begin. "Taylor? Would you maybe like to dance?"

"Oh, Charles. Please. Why would you want to..."

"Please? Just one dance?" He held out his hand and gave her his best puppy-dog look.

"Okay. One dance," she said.

The words to You're Beautiful by James Blunt rang out as they re-entered the auditorium. By the time he offered her his right hand, the slow song's lyrics called out:

"My life is brilliant, my love is pure, I saw an angel, of that I'm sure..."

"Listen. This song's about you and Campbell," Taylor said. "You found her here tonight and seem to be connecting quite nicely."

He gave her a puzzled look and she said, "You know. She's your angel. The song. I saw an angel, of that I'm sure. Campbell. Your angel."

Chaz didn't reply as the words to the song continued. "You're beautiful, you're beautiful it's true. I saw your face in a crowded place, and I don't know what to do, 'cause I'll never be with you."

"Don't believe that part, though. I can tell she really likes you, Charles. Maybe you will be together with her. Who knows, right?"

God, he loved her smile. He heard the next words, "She caught my eye as we walked on by..."

This time he spoke. "She's a pretty girl, but to tell you the truth, I not only can't see us being together, I can assure you she's not my type."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Charles. I guess I just sort of assumed. You know, you're both nice-looking people and she obviously seems to like you."

Chaz wasn't surprised when he looked at the crowd of people dancing and saw Campbell with her arms around Mark's neck. He turned so that Taylor could see them. Just as her eyes picked them up, Mark kissed her and Campbell clearly kissed him back.