After the Reunion

Two acquaintances run into one another after a disappointing high school reunion.

“Jackie?” A voice said just as she was searching for her car key. Turning, she saw a well dressed man in the bright light of the hotel’s entrance. His face was tan and there was a dash of grey mixed in with the short brown hair, but she could tell who it was immediately.

“Luke! Were you upstairs at the reunion?” Jackie asked, wracking her brain, but coming up empty. How had she missed him? And what a stupid question.

“Yeah,” Luke shrugged, “Huey had me at the bar most of the night. That guy never learned to shut up.”

“That’s because no one was brave enough to punch him in the mouth.” Jackie replied. Huey had been a total a*****e in high school, but he also sold everyone their pot and he held a grudge better than anyone she knew, past or present. 

Luke smiled- it had always been a contagious one, but now there was something different. It suddenly struck her: he was handsome. For sure, he’d been cute in high school, but there was something rugged in the crows’ feet around his eyes and the laugh lines around his mouth. It was amazing what twenty years could do to a person. He was one of the lucky ones who managed to peak in his prime. All of a sudden, Jackie felt really self-conscious. Why did she think she was still young enough to wear a short dress and boots?

“Do you have somewhere to be?” Luke asked, still smiling. 

“No, not really. I just had this terrible epiphany that no one really changes and then realized I’m one of the ‘no ones.’ Any more self-inflicted philosophy and I was going to jump out of the window. What about you?”

“Almost the exact same sentiment, except that I saw you crossing the hall and realized I haven’t spoken to you since-“

“Since I rear-ended you right after graduation in the town square?” Jackie finished, red creeping into her cheeks. “I still feel really bad about that.”

“Ah, who cares? You were driving a 1980 Honda with no AC and I was driving a steel truck, painted two hues of brown. You did me a favor.”

“Well, you’re welcome,” Jackie said, smiling. Maybe this whole reunion thing would turn into a nice evening, after all.

“Hey, is Shenanigan’s still open?” Luke asked, peering into the dark beyond the hotel's lights.

“You know, it actually re-opened this weekend after it caught fire a few months ago. I haven't actually seen the inside yet.”

“Well, it’s only 9 o’clock and my curfew isn’t until midnight. Want to grab a drink with me?”

Jackie nodded, “My parents leave my window open at night, so I've got time.” She'd forgotten how fun it was to banter with him.

“Maybe I should drive?” Luke said, his face a picture of mock-seriousness.

“Ha- I get it. It’s a joke.”

Luke grinned and got into step beside her. He was tall, taller than she remembered, but their strides were fairly even. As they turned the corner, Luke stepped a little faster to grab the door. 

--

“Two fingers of whiskey,” Luke said as they sat down at the bar. “What would you like?”

“Amaretto Sour.”

The bartender nodded and then said, “IDs?”

“I paid her to ask us that,” Jackie said, reaching two fingers into her boot to grab her license. Handing it over, she saw Luke looking at her quizzically. “What? I hate purses and what good are boots if they can’t carry stuff other than my feet?”

“An interesting concept.”

“So, should we ask the three most popular questions of the night or pretend like we already did that?”

“Lady’s choice,” he replied.

“Let’s skip them for as long as we can. What do you do these days?” Jackie asked, knowing it would bother him. Luke had always hated small-talk. Over the four years of high school, they'd found themselves paired in groups that ran the gambit from biology to debate, probably because of how close their last names were in the alphabet. He'd always been very focused on whatever the task was, though he was never tiresome.

“Touché.” Before he could say anything more, the drinks arrived. After a couple of sips in silence, Luke said, “I actually travel a lot. Mostly South America where I run a few hostels.”

“That sounds exciting.”

“Well, it was the first year or two I did it, but now I’m just perpetually jet-lagged. It makes it hard to spend time with the people I care about, like my daughter Alex.”

“How old is your daughter?” Jackie asked, her eyes sliding unconsciously to his left hand. No wedding ring. Interesting.

“Seven. She loves your books, by the way. The one about the dragons happens to be her favorite.”

“Oh, There’s a Dragon in my Closet? That’s one of my favorites too, though I should confess that I don’t write- I just edit.”

“Editing and publishing are important parts of the process. I thought it might be a coincidence when I saw your name on the first page, but then I went onto the publishing website and there you were. I swear, we read that book every night.”

“I have an entire stack of manuscripts in the car if you need a little variety. There’s a couple that might actually rival the current favorite. I’ll send them to you when they come out.”

“That would be great, actually.” Luke said, tipping back the last of his whiskey, then said “Do you only edit children’s books?”

“I love children’s books, but my main job is reading novels. Or potential novels, as the case may be. When I get tired of glittering vampires and zombies with feelings, I go back to the children’s books.”

“Is it all that bad?” Luke asked, sounding genuinely curious. Jackie shook her head.

“No, it’s not, but when you read two or three manuscripts a week, it becomes a chore. Children’s books offer a ray of sunlight in an often unending tunnel of first time novelists' attempts to define themselves.” Jackie took the last sip of her amaretto sour and decided her job was unbelievably boring in comparison to what Luke did and she wanted to hear more about his last twenty years. “Another round on me?” She asked.

“Sure.”

Author's Note

This is a follow up short story to a follow up written by another writer. The ending is left open for a reply.

Feel free to both enjoy and review. All helpful advice is welcome and appreciated.