Week 8: Throwback | Same Same, but Different

Last Saturday, we had our first ever high school reunion, more than 25 years after graduation. There were some people whom I had not seen since the 1990s, a few that I had bumped in every few years in random places and a handful of close friends whom I still see regularly. Interestingly, everyone among those who came was easily recognisable, with the exception of one guy (we all agreed on that) whom age hadn't been so kind on. It was so funny to see that after all those years and - supposedly -  some maturity processes having happened people essentially still acted the same. Our former school hottie, no longer model material, was his old superficial self, going on about his cool "projects" (read: hot air) while not thinking of asking the person he was talking to what they have been up to. Our drama queen who did actually become an actress still smiling a mile a minute and putting on her sensitive, caring front, while turning around mid-sentence to the next person as she found what the Mermaid was telling her not quite interesting enough. There was this awkward moment when I said goodbye to her (who also lives in Vienna, actually not far from me) that could have been filled with an "let's exchange numbers! Let's meet up!" that thankfully neither of us filled with those lines. If age has taught me one thing, it is to leave out those pleasantries and not collect pink elephant numbers in your phone directory.