Victory Is Mine

I'm back in the town where I grew up, living at my parents' house with my son like the unwed mother that I appear to be these days...

I had my reservation about moving back home. For one, I had sworn up and down that I would rather live in a pizza box under a bridge than live with my parents ever again. It was simply a matter a pride...

How quickly pride gives way to pragmatism when in a bind like suddenly having to sell your house and move overseas?

Well, that and my son is way too precious to live under a bridge.

Then there was the other night, when I was out past NINE and my dad called my cell to ask where I was, who I was with, and when was I coming home... It was just like being in high school all over again... except this time I have a kid, a Roth IRA, and unfortunately, a mortgage.

Turns out Dad was just making conversation rather than imposing a curfew... not that I ever minded the one I had in high school anyway.

So here I was feeling all secure in my adulthood, when blast from the past, I run into my old clique... at SuperTarget, of all places.

I rounded a corner with my son and I came face to face with the meanest, pettiest, bitchiest girls I've ever known in my entire life-- my lunch table crowd from high school.

They haven't changed one bit. In fact, they are all still hanging out together... just without me. In the intervening TEN years since high school, I must have missed the memo 'cuz apparently, we had a falling out which I was not only completely unaware of, but had not even noticed had occurred.

I guess that just goes to show how much fun they were to be around... even when we were the closest of "friends".

Still, I was genuinely happy to see them again, thinking that whatever went on in HIGH SCHOOL would be long forgotten as we connect over shared adult experiences and laugh at how silly we used to be...

Nope!

The chattiest of the bunch cooed over my son and quizzed me on "life in general", while the other two hung back and sized me up. Standing defensively with arms folded and offering little more than guarded, one-word responses, I could tell that they've been rehearsing this moment in their heads for the past ten years. They probably even practiced the cutting remarks they would say to me if ever they saw me again. Yet, they seemed caught completely off guard. I was too until they asked what I was up to...

"Oh I'm back living my parents," I offered unabashedly with a smile. I detected a slight smirk shared between them so I continued, "Well, for now... My husband recently took a job in LONDON. He's working there now, so I moved in with my parents while our house is on the market. I figured it will sell better without my toddler running around and me having to keep it clean by myself, you know. Haha! We'll be joining my husband there in a few weeks. He's looking for a house for us right now."

"Will you be working in London, too?" one asked.

"Oh my, No. I don't have to work. I plan to just hang out with this little guy and just enjoy living in London..." (Okay, that I totally didn't mean to say how it came out, but I was quite pleased anyway)

Floored, they quickly changed the subject and inquired about my best friend. They had heard she got married.

"Oh no. Not yet," I corrected, "not for another two weeks. Their wedding is going to be on an island in GREECE."

"Oh, I guess you won't be able to make it, huh?" another one sneered in fake sympathy.

"Oh no, I'm going to the wedding. Are you kidding? I won't miss that for the world!" I said realizing that I never even thought to invite them to mine...

"Well, look at you, Ms. Fancy-Pants World Traveler... London and Greece? That's so cool, but I guess that means probably won't be flying back for our class reunion this fall, huh?"

"Uhh.... No."

And, do you want to know what the best part was???

Getting to come home and tell my parents all about it...