I was sitting at my desk at work when an email popped up on my computer screen. It was from Classmates.com and it said "Randy *** sent you a message."
What?!! Randy *** ? Really?
A flood of memories started rushing in....Randy...hmmmm.......8th grade...St. Michael's...tall White dude....long hair...nice guy....Schofield....
Yep. I remember Randy.
I wrote back to say hello and got this message from him:
"Hi Reynette , I sent you a reply through facebook message but I wanted to make sure you heard from me. It is great to hear from you! I hope all is well. I was in Hawaii a couple of years ago and actually went by St. Michaels. I have been a firefighter in Houston , Texas for 32 years now and am about to retire. Please tell anyone you are in touch with hello for me. If there is ever a St michaels class reunion let me know(lol). you look great on your facebook page. It is very nice of you to send me a message. Thanks , Randy"
Awww, he thought I looked good on my Facebook page! Hahahaha! (That was an old picture, Randy! Hahahaha!)
I checked my messages on my Facebook page. This is what Randy wrote:
"Hi Reynette, I am doing well. Its great to hear from you. I have never forgot my friends from St. Michaels and have wondered about all of ya'll. I live in Houston, Texas where I have been a firefighter for 32 years. I am also happily married with 2 children. I hope you will accept my friend request and look at my facebook page. Please tell anyone from our old class hello for me!"
Wow! Randy....firefighter...32 years and about to retire...happily married...2 kids....Houston, Texas....has never forgotten his friends from St. Michael's. How cool!
A few days later, Randy and I talked. It was such a great conversation. He asked about everyone. He shared that he appreciated how we had all treated him so nicely...as if he was a natural part of the group. He said that he had transferred from Wheeler Intermediate and that his experience there was not so favorable. The kids weren't very nice to him and that walking into our class was "so refreshing".
(Why would we not treat him kindly? He was one of us...just a new student.)
Randy remembered that lunch time was "like a smorgasbord". Everyone brought all kinds of things and we traded and shared our lunches with each other. Hahaha!! That was funny to hear. That was just the essence of growing up in Hawaii.
We talked about "The King and I" and he rememembered that Mrs. L needed to find a mustache for him to use as the captain of the ship that brought Anna and her son to Siam. She simply cut off a lock of her hair and used that as Randy's mustache. How clever and resourceful, Mrs. L!
We talked for quite awhile and he brought up the idea of having a reunion. Honestly, I cringed a little. A reunion? Great idea, but unbeknownest to Randy, I was taking a deep breath. What Randy didn't know was that Billy and I, on our own, had made attempts in the past to get everyone together. Although Billy had been a lot more successful than I, I wasn't so sure that we were going to pull it off this time around. I took another deep breath and started to quietly contemplate the journey ahead.
- Reynette
