Reunions by Pat Simmons

Recently, I attended my class reunion, not high school or college, but grade school! The old Catholic school building was razed decades ago and townhouses took residence. When I did a Google search, the intimidating larges that seemed to have eyes as school children walked by are still standing so passerbys can appreciate their majestic architecture. 

As smart as I am, it wasn't an easy task to calculate what year I graduated from grade school. Subtracting four years from my high school graduation seemed too simplistic.

 

About fifty alumni attended. Some I remember, some I didn't. For some reason, more people remembered my mother than me and my sister.I was impressed by those who graduated grade school in 1969 and looked amazing. They were also some of the first on the dance floor in the Soul Train line. I saw dance steps I had forgotten about. 

My graduating class had two sets of twins. It was surprising what we remembered during our time at school. I remember going to the twins' house and breaking a vase because their cat scared me.

If their mother was alive, she would still be expecting payment. I'm not joking. They remember my sister writing answers to our math problem on the school board.

Then there was my "play brother," who the girls loved. It was through him I met my very best friend. They broke up, but his ex-girlfriend became like family. Our friendship continues today.

Of course, there were some from my class who had recently passed on and others who died tragically young. We recalled names and wondered what happened to them. My former classmates who organized the event allowed me set up a table display and sell my books.

One older classmate and I share a genealogy history from Clay County, Mississippi. In grade school, we had no idea that our lives were interconnected from centuries ago.

The venue was held at a  country club tucked away in a historic area of St. Louis that had homes with garages built to accommodate automobiles. Streetcars and buses were the norm for transportation back then. The food was scrumptious, and the backdrop around the patio was picturesque. so Kerry and I took a picture. Rumors say it was the last class reunion. I hope out. It was great catching up and enjoying each other while we can remember.

******

Pat Simmons is a multi-published Christian romance author of forty-plus titles. She is a self-

proclaimed genealogy sleuth passionate about researching her ancestors then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She is a five-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance and the 2022 Leslie Esdaile Trailblazer Award recipient. Christmas Dinner was also an Emma Award winner for Book of the Year. Christmas Dinner and Here for You were featured in Woman’s World Magazine. As a Christian, Pat describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as a life-altering experience. She has converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, and GPS-guided chauffeur. They have a son and a daughter. Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and has worked in radio, television, and print media for over twenty years. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.

Pre-order her latest release: Contempt: Grandma BB's Shenanigans.