Copyright Jean L Hayes
Ahead of me, she peers through the patterned window of the tea-shop. She’ll hate arriving first, as would I, but enters anyway.
I hesitate, wondering why I’m here.
Does either of us really have an appetite for this reunion, for reminiscing, revisiting roads not travelled, the gates to them now closed by the years? Do I really need to remember who I was, how I was…
The doorbell chimes again. She’s decided to leave without seeing me.
“Ellen…” I call.
“Grace!”
We re-enter the tea-shop giggling, arm in arm.
Affectionate nostalgia overwhelms us – hopefully arming us for the fray ahead.
The photo is a prompt from 7 years ago, but my story is a new one. I was going to re-post my old entry but I see not many people understood it. And, frankly, nor did I at first re-reading. 😦 Sometimes you can be just too obscure for your own good. Thanks to Rochelle, our Friday Fictioneer leader.
castelsarrasin 
A beautifully-observed moment
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Many thanks, Neil.
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Nicely done, a reunion after many years can be tricky, I had one a couple of weeks ago and it was really fun, seeing them soon.
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Sometimes it works, often it doesn’t. If you keep moving often enough, as we’ve done, the question of reunions seldom arises as you’re always somewhere different
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Delightful!
And I love that you didn’t understand your own story, a recurring situation for me…
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Thanks, CE. Thankfully it doesn’t happen too frequently, or I’d be getting worried. 🙂
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Reunions can go either way. I hope theirs went well 🙂
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I’ve left it open. Hopefully it will. 🙂
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Dear Sandra,
This hits home with me. A few years back some former classmates decided to meet. I hadn’t seen them since HS and was never in their social circle. I arrived late after making a last minute decision to go. Never regretted it. How much we changed in 40 years.
Love your story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Glad yours worked out well for you. I’ve never really had to consider the matter of reunions, we never seem to go back to places in our past. Have a good few weeks.
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Reunions can be fraught with difficulty. Thought provoking piece of writing, Sandra.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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They can certainly go either way. Thanks for reading.
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Sounds like a lot of old history between them. I hope old wounds aren’t reopened.
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Thanks for reading, Iain.
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Such a recognisable feeling, I’m glad your narrator took the plunge and called out and I love how they are instantly giggling and close, papering over the nerves.
It’s so nice to read you again, Sandra.
Jen
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Lovely to see you back on here, Jen. Hope all is well with the family. Yes I can identify with the conflict of emotions. Not sure whether I might just have stayed silent and let it play out.
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Oh, fab!
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Thanks, Sue. Hope all is well with you.
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Yes, thanks…hope you are good
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This is lovely, I can only hope it went well. I had a reunion with workmates after 40 years recently. We won’t be having another one!
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You know, that’s the kind of way I imagine such events going… Maybe it’s the cynic in me.
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Happy they didn’t miss the opportunity to reconnect. It can be daunting, but often rewarding.
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Yes, it’s something of a quandary isn’t it. Letting the past lie or picking up the threads again. Not sure where I stand on that.
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Whereas I have reposted mine from seven years ago! I like your two friends – I hope their reunion is the restarting point.
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Thanks for reading Liz. I can’t believe it’s 7 years, can you?
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And who hasn’t been in a similar situation. In the end, it is that long standing acquaintance/friendship with someone that really matters. Thanks for this!
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Many thanks for reading. Hope you are both well.
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I love how you convey the anxiety and the awkwardness of this kind of reunion. Nice they did not walk away in the end.
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Yes, it’s a situation that might raise many conflicting emotions. Thanks for reading, Gabriella.
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Ah, Sandra, the complicated realities of some reunions … Something tells me that one of them may be in town and had suggested it, and perhaps not in the best time for the other … May it be more good than bad for them. …
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Thanks for reading Na’ama.
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My pleasure, always!
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Great story! I also confess to sometimes not understanding my own stories. (Or not remembering what on earth I meant by them.)
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Glad I’m not alone there then. 🙂 Thanks or reading.
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This line jumps out at me: “Do I really need to remember who I was, how I was…” Long-lost friends and relatives are good for triggering all of that. Good capture of thoughts and emotions.
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Many thanks. 🙂
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You’re welcome.
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for old times’s sake. hopefully, it works for both of them. 🙂
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Thanks for reading.
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How funny you didn’t “get” your own story from back there.
These reunions can be such a stress-inducer – and often for no good reason.
I love how you’ve brought us into this.
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Yes, I’m not big on reunions. I’ve even been known to change direction to avoid them. 🙂 Thanks for reading, sorry to be late acknowledging.
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There is no late 😉
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I think we’ve all been in this situation. Relatable, well done!
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Thanks for reading.
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I know the feeling. What are you supposed to say after decades of silence?
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In my case, it’s usually ‘sorry’ 😦 Thanks for reading.
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I’ve been a similar situation, but once we met up it was just like it always was. I hope it’s the same for your protagonists, they’re off to a good start!
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Hopefully so. Thanks for reading.
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There’s a fray ahead? Oh, dear. Humans! What are we to do? Good story. I enjoyed it.
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Thank you.
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Yer welcome.
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A story about the feelings one has when reuniting with someone from long ago.
I could feel the anticipation. Let’s hope it does work out for them. Sometimes, it doesn’t.
Be Safe … Isadora 😎
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You take care too, Isadora. Thanks for reading.
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I hope the warmth continues. Good story 🙂
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Thanks, Linda.
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Affectionate nostalgia, that in itself is worth a lot. Nice story Sandra.
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Thanks for reading.
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Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? You never know unless you try. Some reunions are awkward and some are like you were never apart.
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Thanks for reading.
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Old friendships are delightful. There’s joy in remembering, even the not so great stuff, together. I enjoyed your story.
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Thanks for reading.
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The reunions that DID work for me were the ones I didn’t expect anything good of, so I’m glad she decided to take the shot. Who was it said, I only regret the chances I didn’t take?
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Yes, sometimes the meetings you dread turn out to be the best. Thanks for reading.
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I great little snippet, which had me thinking of past reunions,
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Thanks for reading.
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