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When You Know It’s Time

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To make it through 6 periods a day, we relied heavily on certain things to get us through it all. $1 bean and cheese burritos sustained us through the lunch hour, cutting fifth period gave us an afternoon rest and hanging out by someone’s car in between classes or by a spot of grass we had come to claim as “ours” — these were some of high school’s highlights.

For the most part, life was simple. We showed up, we suited up and we went home. We saw our friends every day and went over to other people’s houses to eat their snacks. No one gave much thought to things like having children or getting hitched, except for the creepy high school sweethearts that never make it past 5 years of marriage anyway.

Then one day, while you are still preoccupied with bean and cheese burritos, you’ll get an invitation in the mail from someone who used to be in your “group” requesting your presence at their upcoming wedding. If you’re me, you’ll think 2 things: 1) Someone I know from high school that I actually cared about is getting married?! 2) So that’s what Brian’s middle name is!

While picking out a wedding present for him off his registry at Bed, Bath and Beyond, I thought about how weird it was to be doing so. Not because I never thought Brian would get married or that no one would ever have him, I just never pictured any of us getting married. At all. I still like to talk now and then about how shocking it was that one of the most quiet, brainy and least likely of our high school classmates got pregnant right after graduation — and that was years ago. And here I am now, asking the cashier if the gift I picked out might be wrapped in wedding silver and white and tied up with a piece of fluffy taffeta.

Nathalie and I paid him a visit this week, a few days before his wedding. For old times sake, and to pay homage to an award winning photo we took together senior year, we took this one. It doesn’t look nearly as convincing as the original below it, but it’s in line with how much distance I believe should be in between one’s tongue and someone else’s face.


When I dug up the original, I couldn’t believe my tongue was actually touching his face. It makes me think people do grow up, and when people no longer feel comfortable licking you, I guess it is time to get married.

Last modified: January 10, 2019