Sorry, I won't be there

I've just received an invitation to my high school's "First Annual Alumni Recognition Dinner."

It's an evening for "reconnecting with old friends" and so on.

I won't be going.

It's not because of the cost - $60 per person, $115 per couple - though that certainly makes it less inviting.

To be honest, I've stayed connected with anyone I really wanted to be connected with over the years.

You see, high school was not a happy four years for me.

Get out your violins ...

I was that shy, non-athletic, religious good student afflicted with a bad case of acne who liked literature and, shudder, wrote plays, short stories, and poetry.

Yep, the guy who got called all those names and was the butt of countless jokes.

Geek. Fag. Egghead. Crater face. Arnold Zitful. (Some of my classmates were creative!)

But I was also the guy whose class notes so many people seemed to want.

Oh, not everyone did that sort of stuff. Most did nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

So I won't be going.

The only reason I can see going would be that after seeing my lovely wife a few of my former classmates might be forced to reevaluate their views of me.

But I can enjoy her company at home.

Maybe share a new poem or a song with her.

And we can use that $115 to go out to some place we'd both enjoy and create some new happy memories.

As for folks reading this, I'm not looking for pity. But maybe there are a few other shy types who had similar experiences. Maybe some are going through that sort of thing still.

You are not alone.

There is hope. Hang in there.