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We left the war June air and entered the excessive air-conditioning of the hotel ballroom lobby A few people, also in suits and cocktail hour finer

y, hter I didn’t recognize anyone, not right away I looked for Sadie with a sudden spike of fear that I wouldn’t recognize her either

Ben guidedsoccer- stickers They seeht have been a cheerleader The other tanned, dark-haired Also a cheerleader? Maybe we’d had algebra together?

We found our stickers, and the women’s snize h school So, nohat? Just keep wandering around until I recognized someone?

This wasn’t how high school reunions looked in the irls came back as stuck-up suburban housewives, the jocks were out-of-shape used car saleseniuses, and the people ere most unhappy had found their hile the people ere bullies got their cos and take revenge on the cool kids

But that wasn’t how this looked at all Everyone was scanning faces, walking past each other like ere at sons of the people we had been years ago Searching for familiarity So many of the men—I had to shave twenty pounds off theotten fat, but that they filled out They weren’t scrawny boys anyue I should have looked in the yearbook for a refresher before cohts, ah tih school thought they were cool, they just acted out on their worst insecurities and struggled to get through in one piece

High school felt so big while ere living it, but the percentage of our lives those years represented got smaller and smaller as time went on What was an entire quarter of our lives ten years ago was nohat, fourteen percent? And in ten oes on

“You look like you’re about to start crying,” Ben said

“I think I’m sad,” I said

“Let’s go find you a glass of wine—”

“Kitty!” I turned to the call, co from down the foyer A woman rushed toward me She had honey-brown hair in a bob, and was stout and confident, in a cute black dress and loud earrings Sadie hadn’t changed a bit Except neither one of us had the confidence and poise for slinky cocktail dresses back in high school Now look at us, like ere grown-ups or so

She ran up toat me with arms outstretched—was an attack But I was a civilized olf and she was a friend, and I was just so happy that I recognized her, and she knew lad I ca A little of the tension I’d been feeling slipped away

“I’ve ht

“I’ood!”

“So do you” We separated and beamed at each other in admiration

“How are you? What have you been doing?”

“We have so ly at Ben “And you are”

“Sadie, this is Ben” I presented them to each other

“Nice to meet you,” Ben said neutrally

“Hm,” she purred