An invitation to ignore!

                                                             

 There is a rumour that somebody is organizing a school reunion for our class. I have no idea why as it's not our anniversary of anything in particular, it's not a special year. 

I suspect someone might just think it’s a good idea. 

Party time, 60's theme

So to give some background to this, kids tend to leave school after 5^th year here with their 5 exam passes to get in to University. The more vocational student will have left after 4^th year to go to college or an apprenticeship. 

Out of a school of 2500 pupils about 20 will stay on for a 6^th year to either do 6^th year studies ( very like first year uni ) or resit some highers they didn’t pass in the previous year. Another reason for staying on for 6^th year is being too young to go off and do anything else. In my case, wanting to study a medical subject, I had to be 18 when technically I had the entrance qualifications when I was 16.  Being less that 18 years old prevents you legally from doing things that you need to do occupationally. 

 Even then I attended my first day at Uni on my 18^th birthday. 

So to backtrack a little/ again re the school reunion, when I was 7 years old  I sat beside a boy at school and he is still my best friend. When we both got to 6^th year, there was very much a tribe that he and I were not part of. There was no bullying,  just a tribe and those that were excluded, or that excluded themselves. 

He’s a Dr Who/ sci fi geek, talented musician and is still bursting with nervous energy. I was the dull, veggie one with lots of protest badges on my blazer, a bit of a hippie rebel. The school pupils voted me as head girl but the teachers overturned it and gave the job to somebody with slightly less opinions than me. I don't think that was difficult right enough.  And just to be clear I still have those opinions on animal rights, freedom of speech, the rights of the individual and that pineapple does not belong in pizza. 

                                                       

                                           me, 17, fancy dress. I think it was Boy George.

All of the other 18 people in the 6^th year walked about with the album 2112 by Rush tucked under their arm.  Constantly. It played constantly in the common room.  There was a deep ruling element who thought they were trendy, and intellectual. You know, the sort that nod quietly when listening to Hotel California, who see the sense in the lyrics of I am the Walrus. 

You know them- the air guitarists!

Dr Who  and I were exiled for one reason. And one reason alone.

We were Abba fans.  Along with Blondie, Kate Bush, ELO, the Beatles, The Beach Boys ( I wish they all could be Caledonian Girls!)  but just never into that particular flavour of Canadian rock. 

                                                           

So now I’m getting furious texts from the aforesaid Dr Who; here’s how they go.

Him ; OMG, OMG have you heard she’s organizing a school reunion.  ( Note he is a drama queen of drama queens)

Me ; That should be less than interesting.

Him ; Can you imagine them with their dentures and botox, air guitaring to 'the day the guitar died'.

Me ; But we know what they will really be doing don’t we? On the dance floor, as soon as the lights go down...it'll be a Friday night and the lights are low, they'll be looking out for a place to go....etc.

Him ; Oh yes, oh yes those first few chords, and they’ll be Digging the dancing queen like they own it.  But we know the truth. We knew it then and we know it now.

                                                             

And he exudes a smugness that only a very senior inspector of His Majesty's Customs and Revenue can perfect.  Folk really avoid him, which makes him great to hang out with.

So back to the school reunion. Why?  Surely people keep in contact with those they want to keep in contact with.  Especially with social media, if you wanted to track them down, you would. And if you don't, there's a good reason for that. 

There's an episode of Old Tricks where Sandra doesn't want to go to the reunion, because she was the one who bullied the rest. In an episode of Birds Of A Feather, the bully that tormented Sharon for years is  in a wheelchair when she turns up to the reunion. She's still a bully, she's still awful. And there's loads more examples proving it's a fertile field for fiction.

But it's nothing compared to the drama that a quick google brings!  Our school was a rather quiet and boring school I think.

And meanwhile, it might be worth our while, plan a few murders,  give out a few osteopathic business cards as the oldies put their backs out doing air guitar. And then Dr Who will note the cars they drive... thinking how do they afford THAT on their income... once a taxman, always a taxman... 

I have no idea why I'm even writing this blog - we didn't get an invite!

What was it Groucho Marx said about not being invited to the party? Or was that Karl?

C