Class Of 98

A month later, it is a beautiful Sunday afternoon in May. A rented sleek black sports car rushes down the expressway. "My tenth high school reunion. I cannot believe it has been ten years already." I say looking over at Sean.

"Well I can believe it. I cannot wait to see your family and your friends again." He says. "And I cannot wait until you tell them and your family that you and I are engaged."

"Do you know it has been five years since I left Berwyn to go to England with you." I say looking at him. "But it has been a great five years with you."

"Well a lot has changed about you since we left for England. You left a young girl out of college, and now you are returning a successful young woman." He says.

"I have not changed that much, have I?" I ask looking at him for a second.

"Well you dyed your hair black, you don't put it up in a ponytail as much, you wear contacts, you have lilac eyes, you have lost some weight and you no longer wear the same clothes. Plus you have a successful computer business and a great writing career. You have experienced the world of England and the world of success. That is how you have changed." He says taking my right hand and kissing the Clan Dan ring he gave me for my 25th birthday.

I look in to my mirror. He is right. I no longer wear ponytails or glasses. I sweep my hair up in to elegant styles and wear contacts. I use to wear jeans, sweat suits, and lose fitting sweaters, gym shoes, and boots. Now I wear suits, blouses, skirts, dress pants, dresses and dress shoes. Plus when I left I was 23 now I am 28. "Well I guess I am a different person."

"Yes you have grown up and become an adult. You are not the same immature young girl you were in high school. She is long gone." He says while I steer off of the expressway on to a busy street called Cicero.

"I was not immature. Besides how would you know how I was back in high school if I remember correctly we met on the web when I was a sophomore in college." I say turning to him for a brief second.

"Oh yea and we did spend a lot of time together at my work in college." He says leaning over and kissing me on the neck. "Also that is why you still hide things from your mother." He says pulling back. "Are you nervous""

"I have not been home for five years. I just hope my family can accept you better." I say turning again on to another street. This street was industrialized. "Hey there is the college I went to." I say passing the college where I attended college. "Man I really cannot believe we are here." I say.

"Well believe it." He says. I look at him and smile. I turn on to another street. I get to a light and stop in the turning lane. I turn the corner and drive. We pass a sign that said 'Welcome to Berwyn.' "Well your back in your second home town. How are you?" Michael asks.

"Fine I guess." I say. I turn the corner at a gas station. I drive down three blocks and turn left. I drive until I get to a street called East Ave. I turn right. "Now I am getting really nervous. My whole family is going to be at my mothers house."

"They all bought houses on the same block right?" He asks.

"Yes they did. Which I am surprised they have not burned each other out of their houses yet." I say laughing Sean joins in as I get to the end of the block. I pull over to the corner to turn. I turn on to 23rd. Then I pull over to the corner; I turn on my turn signal, and turn the wheel on to Scoville. The street was just like it was five years ago. Children running around the flowers in bloom. "Well now I am really home." I say. My mother's house is near the end of the street. It is brick; the porch has dozens of white planters full with flower. In front of the front basement windows are her roses in full bloom. I park right in front. I turn off the engine and sit back.

"Well how does it feel to truly back home?" Sean asks.

I turn to him; I smile and I go to kiss him lightly he turns it in to a passionate fireball as usual. "It feels great." I say. "Well let's go in." We get out of the car and walk to the newly finished driveway. "I remember when this drive was cracked and had grass down the middle." We walk to the back. My whole family is in the back yard. My cousin Cathy, her husband Raul, and her father-in-law are sitting at a picnic table. My little cousins Jackie, she is 19, Mark, he is 17 and a senior at Morton West, the high school I attended, and Stephanie, she is 12. My Uncle Ed and Aunt Sherrie are sitting in lawn chairs near the table with their backs towards us. My mother and my grandmother, who lives with my mother, are sitting at the table.

"Amy." Stephanie yells and rushes at me. The rest of my family turns.

"Amy, is that you?" Cathy asks surprised.

"Yes of course." I say.

"What happened you look so different?" Raul asks.

"I changed my clothing style, my hair, I don't wear glasses but contacts. That is all." I say.

"I guess it is a thing we all have to get use to." My grandmother says.

"Well I have a small announcement to make." I say.

"What is it?" My uncle asks.

"Sean and I are engaged." I say smiling and hold up my left hand with a diamond ring on it.

Cathy walks over to see. "I am so happy for you two." She says and hugs me. She hangs on while we all walk over to the picnic table.

"What about finances? The last I heard you were opening one other store in England." My mother says.

"I forgot to tell you. I have expanded I now have stores are all over England and Europe. I am about to expand in to the Japanese, India and American markets." I say. "Sean also has a successful teaching career so we have both gotten what we want out of life."

"But I thought you were not going to expand." She says.

"I know but it just happened. The demand for the product grew and so did the business." I say.

"Well that is great. We have three things to celebrate. Amy coming home for a visit, her and Sean's success, and their engagement." My aunt says.

"Yea Sean's going to be my cousin." Stephanie says and latches on to Sean just like she use to.

"Well you wanted a happy homecoming well here it is." Sean says and leans over to give me a kiss.

"I know." I say. The rest of the day went by slowly. With games and food.

Later that day I pull my mother aside. "I know you have a comment so come out with it."

"You know how I feel about this. The inter-racial dating and marriage thing. But I also know you are happy, and that is something I know comes very hard for you. I won't say anything bad about this. If you are happy then so am I.' She says.

I hug her. 'Thanks mom.' We go back outside and join every one else.

At about seven o'clock I excuse myself to go in to the house. I take out my cell-phone and dial a number.

"Hello." A soft voice says.

"Hey hooker." I say.

"Hey hooker." She says in return.

"Well Melissa it has been ten years since our high school graduation and five since we have seen each other." I say.

"Yea so. I did not graduate with you and what does that mean?" She asks.

"Well I thought you and I could get together and talk about the old and the new stuff going on in our lives." I say.

"Well, how about 12:30 p.m. at the mall." She says.

"How about I pick you up at 12:30 p.m." I say.

"Fine. Here is the address." She says giving me the address.

"Great. Have you heard from the rest of the gang?" I ask.

"Yea. Kristen teaches first and second graders. Well I run three daycare centers and kindergartens and Rachel is a movie star." She says.

"Well at least I am not the only success story out of the group. I have some great news to tell you tomorrow." I say.

"Well then it is a plan tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. See you then, bye." She says.

"Bye." I say and hang-up the phone. I walk outside; right away I have Stephanie and Mark running up to me.

"Can you drive us to school in the morning?" She asks.

"Of course. Will you allow me to meet your teachers young lady?" I ask.

"Yes." She says.

"Mark I was going to offer you a ride so I could go and see my old school." I say.

"Ok." He says and my cousins run in to the house.

I watch them run in. I turn my head to see Jackie had walked up to me. She had been living with my mother and grandmother for four years because she and my cousin Cathy were having problems. "I cannot believe it. Five years ago you were a freshmen at Morton West high school. Now you are a freshmen at my old college." I say.

"I know." She says.

"God when I left you were still a child and now you are a young woman. I think it becomes you." I say. "I remember having to change your dirty diapers"

"That must have been a sight." Sean says walking up behind her.

"Amy, you knew he was behind me." Jackie says.

"I did not know until he spoke up." I say.

"I am telling the truth. He is always doing things like that to me at home." I say.

"What?" He says. "Do you know what I wish we were doing right now?" He asks.

"What?" I ask knowing the answer.

"I wish we were at home in the library making mad passionate love in front of a roaring fire." He whispers in to my ear and then licks it.

I smile and feel my face growing red. "Sean are your hormones ever in park or neutral?"

"I don't think so. But the reason they are always like this is because I have the women I love standing next to me." He says nibbling my neck.

"Sean this is my mother and grandmothers house." I say.

"Well I said we could stay at a hotel to get some privacy." He says, with out looking I know he has a devilish grin and mischief in his eyes.

A spray of cold water hits us drenching us. I look up and see my uncle with the hose. "Hey love birds I think you two needed a shower before you two got to hot. I think you two were going to start a fire." He says dropping the hose.

"One of these days I am going to have your hormones parked." I say walking in to the house soaked with an equally soaked Sean walking behind me. We walk down a flight of stairs to a basement room with a bathroom. It had a sink, toilet and shower. I walk to the bathroom and turn to see Sean right on my tail. "Sean this is my mothers house. You know I still have yet to mention our sexual relationship." I say.

"I know that I mean it has only been about seven years." He says and kisses me passionately running his hands along my back.

"Stop right their buster." I say braking off the kiss.

"Boy what happened to the little bag of passion?" He says.

"She is in England. We are at my mothers home." I say kissing him and then pushing him out of the bathroom. "I call." I say slamming the door in his face. Ten minutes later Sean and I are sitting outside waiting for my family to come out so we could all walk over to the ice cream shop only a few blocks away.

"Hey I was wondering when are we going to set the date for the wedding?" Sean asks taking my hand and kissing the engagement ring.

"I have no idea why don't we do that as soon a we get back to England." I say kissing him.

"Have you mentioned the sleeping arrangements to your mother yet?" He asks.

"Well I have yet to do that so don't mention it." I say. Stephanie came tearing out of the house followed by the rest of the family.

"Well lets get going." My mother says. We walk the two blocks to the ice cream shop. Sean and I share a sundae feeding each other.

"Do you two do this back in England?" My uncle Eddie asks throwing a napkin at us.

"Oh leave them alone Ed. They are in love." My grandmother says.

"Thank you grandma." I say. Twenty minutes later we walk back home. As soon as we got back everyone went home. My mother, grandmother, and Jackie went inside the house leaving Sean and I outside alone sitting in the same lawn chair. "God, I forgot what my family was like. But I still do love them."

"Well I do think someone is waiting to talk to you right now." He says nodding to the back windows. I look up and see Jackie looking out of the windows.

"Well I guess you are right. I will be in bed in a little while." I say getting off of him and kissing him.