REUNION

High school graduation is a milestone day for most of us. It was for me. It was the last time, for a long, long time, that I saw Suzanne. Her sense of humor came from another galaxy; it made you question everything you held as true, and her beauty made sight seem like a new sensation. Whenever she spoke to me, my throat tightened up like I held a shot of acetone in my mouth. From time to time, a bit of news made it through the grapevine: a marriage, kids, and ultimately, a divorce. My hopes of seeing her at our ten-year reunion were disappointed, and again at our twenty. By last summer, only a bit of hope remained for anniversary number thirty, so I was flushed with adrenalin to receive an email inviting me to meet her for a drink before the reunion. Since that drink, she's brought cheer to each day, and has treated me better than I could possibly deserve. Thanks, Suz! Happy Valentine's Day!