A former victim of bullying goes to a class reunion.

"We're having a class reunion, so please come."

Nagatani, a classmate from elementary, middle, and high school, contacted me, and I was hesitant. Should I go to the reunion or not?

I don't have many good memories from my middle school days.

As a middle schooler who couldn't build relationships well, and being small and frail, I was often bullied.
Because of this, even though there must have been fun times, I can't really remember them.

Because of that, my reply to Nagatani was "I'll look into it," a bureaucratic response that sounded like I was considering it positively when in reality I had no intention of going at all. It's embarrassing for a former civil servant to say.

Time passed before I knew it, and the deadline for the RSVP was approaching. I had to report my decision soon.

I was certainly anxious about meeting my middle school classmates.
But I would be seeing most of them for the first time in 20 years, and everyone is a 34 or 35-year-old adult. There probably aren't many people who are living with the exact same intelligence and emotions they had as students.

Besides, a class reunion isn't something you can have whenever you want. If I don't meet them when I have the chance, I might regret it.

Above all, as someone who writes essays, it would be a waste to miss an event that could be such good material.

With that in mind, I entered "attending" into the scheduling tool.

◇

Time passed again before I knew it, and the day finally arrived. It was 30 minutes before the meeting time, and it was time to leave the house.

Oh no, I'm so nervous my heart is pounding. I'm still at home, but I already want to go back.

What if everyone has changed so much that I don't know who is who?
Conversely, what if someone says, "Who are you?"
What if there's nothing I can eat on the izakaya's food menu? Ahhhhh.

Carrying these worries that, from an outsider's perspective, would likely end up being groundless, I entered the restaurant where we were supposed to meet.

When it came down to it, the atmosphere of the reunion was bright from start to finish.

People pointing and saying, "Ah, it's Arlon!" (The Riki Choshu in my head grumbled, "Don't point at people.").
People who were clearly confused, saying, "Wait, you're Arlon!?"
People who answered as if it were obvious, saying, "You're Arlon, right? I knew it right away."

The reunion after 20 years was interesting, with everyone having their own unique reactions.
But I wonder why, even though it had been a long time, it didn't feel like it.

Everyone had grown into adults, but their roots hadn't changed.
The noisy girl, the funny idiot, the Blackie-loving volleyball player, the basketball team member, the fast-running gal, the Jokyu Disturbance, the memory-lacking sister, the delinquent who couldn't quite become a delinquent... although they had been updated with the latest information, their characters were almost identical to my memories from 20 years ago.

We talked a lot about everything, from classic memories like who was in the same class and who was dating back then, to our current lives. I mostly listened, but I also got to share a lot about myself.

Even though each of them carried their own struggles, they were happy to reunite with their schoolmates and laughed together.

Everyone is kind, funny, and living their own lives properly. Thinking that made me feel very happy.

In conclusion, the reunion was,

incredibly fun...!!

◇

The wounds of the past have healed, but the scars still remain.

But by taking the step to attend this reunion, perhaps I was able to break another curse I had placed on myself.

Also, although only about a dozen people attended this time, I think this number was just right for me. If nearly the entire grade (about 180 people) had been there, I feel like it would have been too chaotic and I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.

Anyway, there is no doubt that this reunion was a truly fun and happy time.

Thank you to the organizers who planned it and to everyone who participated.

We parted ways, and it was past 11:00 PM when I headed home.

It seems the chilly September night air felt so pleasant not just because of the alcohol.