Oh The Places You'll Go

I've been thinking a lot about high school lately, ever since I accidentally crashed a reunion last month. I liked high school, mostly, but I didn't keep in touch with anybody after I left. Most of them were headed across town to go to the University of Texas while I was headed across the country to William & Mary so the geography just didn't quite work out.

Well, I've started googling classmates to see what comes up, to see who has done anything noteworthy since we were seventeen. It turns out that we're actually a pretty diverse group. My classmates have become everything from doctors to Rockettes (with a few lushes in there too for good measure). Most people ended up just as I figured they would.

The least surprising find, as odd as this will sound, is that one of my best friends from back then has become a drag queen. Brant was the kid that most people liked and everybody but himself knew he was gay. You don't go around proclaiming your love for fashion design and musical theater without people thinking something is up. But it turns out that he is successful and making a living doing what he loves, which puts him way ahead of most people that I know. Plus - and I confess that this thought makes me giggle - he looks just like his mother.

I'm not too curious about the rest of my class. They were people that I knew what seems like a lifetime ago and I'm pretty sure that none of them are curious about me. But if you're in New York, go see Brant - I mean Porsche - and think about what everyone else thought you might end up becoming.

For my part, I think I have probably beaten most people's expectations. I have no doubt that my classmates figured I would still be in detention when our ten-year reunion rolled around.