If Only You Were Someone

You’re scrolling through your inbox and there it is — an invitation to your next high-school reunion. The thought of seeing your old classmates turns your stomach. Or maybe it’s the thought of them seeing you. Hope you’re doing well, it says, it’s hard to believe that ten more years have passed. You read on. What it says is nothing special but the last line really gets you: Please provide a few comments about what’s going on in your life!

My life? you think. Nothing good comes to mind, just lots of bad decisions, dreams thrown to the wayside, the soul-sucking job, wasted time and effort, watching things fall apart you thought were meant to last. Face it, your life sucks. Everything around you is conspiring against you. Inflation’s on the rise and you’re hearing talk of layoffs, you think your partner’s cheating, your car’s blowing smoke and you know its days are numbered, at night you dream of civil war and losing all your teeth. You’re in a state of mild depression and can see it in your body. Things are looking blurry, you’re getting jowly, thick around the middle, every day you find more gray and fear you’ll soon be dead.

And now the reunion. You want to trash the note but can’t hold back the memories: Buses, books and lockers, a kiss, a song, a dance. You know you’d really like to go. If only things were different, if only you were someone, not the person you are now…