Seemed harmless enough
An old friend
A very old friend
Slipped a notice to me of a reunion of retirees from our former employer
Gosh, a rusty smile slowly spread across my face
This could be fun. Hey Julie, what do you think
Would you go with me?
Who would I know? Your cousin would be there
Anyone else? I dont know
More problematic is who would I even recognize there
I don’t recognize myself in the mirror
So embarrassing to see people you can;t remember but they remember you
Surely, surely everyone would have name tags
How do you know that?
Back to Facebook Messenger to check with Steve
I actually remember Steve, of course it helps his face is on Facebook
Ah, fantastic everyone will have a name tag
Of course there will sill be that awkward moment
When I bury my face in my friends chest to read their named tag
But after that I’ll know their name for ten maybe twenty seconds for sure
The day came, actually it was last night
6-9 PM perfect for the plus 60 crowd
Of course BYOB, Diet Coke was my choice
And there was a DJ
Instrumental hits from the 50 to 80’s, but only one couple danced one dance
My suspicion was arthritis was the culprit
But oh my gosh memories could not recreate reality
My mind was frequently a blank when someone would call my name
I’d go over their name numerous times, staring at the name tag again and again
Finally an image would appear that had no connection to the reality in front of me
Incredible the mismatch of a 30 to 40 year gap in social get togethers
But nonetheless laughter triumphed, smiles permeated
So, so blessed to share a night with good people
People who strove with you to get a needed job done
‘Oh what a night!’
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