Aging Better Than Fine Wine

50 Years Ago….

As Maggie walked to school, she pondered the pros and cons of pleading to stay home with her imaginary illness. Friday was always difficult; it was the afternoon of the dreaded multiplication tables quiz. Mrs. Lockhart would quickly call out, “5 times 9, 8 times 4, 7 times 12” and you would have to, just as quickly, write the answer or remember to skip a line so the rest of the test was not all wrong. Maggie was pretty good, but Arthur sat next to her and he would be a basket case all day. By the 5th or 6th problem he would start to sniffle, silent tears would turn into louder sobs, and he would shuffle his feet under his desk. Mrs. Lockhart steadily ignored him and it drove Maggie crazy that she would be that mean!

She leaned over and whispered to Arthur, “It’s OK. Just skip over the ones you don’t know. I bet you know more than you think you do, but you forget because you are so upset.” He nodded, just barely letting his eyes meet hers.

He lasted a little longer that day, but eventually, he started to lose track and the tears rolled. That was it. Maggie put her pencil down and raised her hand. Mrs. Lockhart continued with the quiz, not sparing Maggie a glance. She started to wave her hand, the motion growing in urgency. Finally, Mrs. Lockhart recognized her, “What is it, Maggie?” “It’s Arthur, Mrs. Lockhart”, she said boldly. “I think he is sick.” Arthur’s sobbing was becoming a little louder. “Maggie, please be quiet” was the reply. That was it. The red flag that matched her red hair. “You are so mean! You don’t care about him or how much you hurt him!” Maggie started to feel her own tears. As the classroom stared at her, Mrs. Lockhart said, “Margaret, please go down to the office and wait for me there. As she stood, Arthur looked at her with tears and such sorrow. He whispered, “I am so sorry you are in trouble”. She whispered back, “Don’t worry, it will be OK”

When Maggie’s Dad arrived at the school for a meeting with the principal, he listened to Mr. Munroe and Mrs. Lockhart explain the seriousness of Maggie’s misbehavior. Dad nodded and asked her to step out to the outer office.

Dad came out a few minutes later, took her hand and they went home. He spoke of addressing adults with respect, then went on to say, “What is happening with Arthur is not right. So, let’s see if the grown-ups can fix it.”

There was no mention of any of it from her teacher on Monday, it was like it had never happened. Arthur was not at his desk. None of her friends brought it up, it was almost like she imagined Arthur and the whole sorry mess.

A few days later, Dad sat down to tell her that he had spoken with Arthur’s parents. They were shocked at what had been happening, Arthur had hidden it all from them. They were thankful to Maggie and they decided that Arthur would be better served at a small, private school. “Maggie, you did the right thing. Standing up for someone, speaking up when someone is hurt, is the right thing to do. Arthur will be much happier at his new school, so you really helped him.”

10 Years Later

Maggie’s senior year was dragging. She was in her last, required high school math class, and as the bell was calling the class to order, a new student came in, ducking his head shyly. He was a little overweight, wearing horn-rimmed glasses when wire-rimmed were the style, and fit into classic “nerd” mode. He was introduced as AJ, and he quickly took a seat at the back of the class. It became clear pretty early on that he was very smart, but stayed very quiet. As the days passed, Maggie constantly saw him being heckled, ridiculed and harassed by Joe and a few of his pals. They were bullies, and Maggie had always stayed clear of that crowd, although that hadn’t stopped Joe from making passes and lewd suggestions. Maggie decided that she would approach AJ, stick close between classes and become his friend. It was slow going, but eventually they found a rhythm and became pals. He shared that he had been in private schools and he had aced his college entrance exams, so he was counting the days to graduation, too! The harassment lessened, as more kids became aware of Maggie’s steadfast commitment to their friendship and while he made no other real friends, the tormenting was reduced, with the exception of Joe. He had always had a crush on Maggie and bullying AJ was his only outlet for the anger he felt at Maggie’s continued rejection.

Their senior year came to an end; there was never any romance between AJ and Maggie, but they stood up for each other, and that was enough.

Present Day

Maggie packed for the long weekend and wondered if she had made a major mistake, accepting the invitation to her 40th Class Reunion. She was relatively happy with her path in life, loved her family and had a respectable teaching career. She had been single for over 15 years and had come to believe that that would not change. As she looked in her mirror at her carefully applied cosmetics and youthful but appropriate outfit, she reminded herself that she was not attending this reunion to find a date!

As she checked into the hotel, she was given a welcome package, listing all the planned activities, and leaving plenty of independent time to take part in the many amenities that the resort offered. She noted tonight’s opening event was a cocktail hour and casual buffet in the lounge. Tomorrow evening was the more formal dinner, featuring a live band, culminating in a Bloody Mary Brunch on Sunday. Maggie, got to her room, unpacked quickly, laid her outfit out for the evening and decided to call her dear friend throughout all these years, Jill, to make sure she was checked in. They had decided to use the spa facilities for a little self-care; facials and mani-pedis, before the festivities officially kicked off. Jill’s husband had begged off, and Maggie and Jill had decided that this had all the makings of an excellent Girl’s Weekend!

Fluffed and buffed, Maggie and Jill entered the lounge, where classmates had begun to gather. Maggie ordered a glass of Merlot, as did Jill, and they had a blast observing the room. They started circulating, and genuinely enjoyed catching up with everyone. At this age, most of the cliques had disappeared, but there was consistency. Those she liked in high school, she still did, and the others…well, she was polite! The first note of hilarity for Maggie and Jill struck when Joe entered the lounge. He had not aged well and had a well endowed, scantily clad, heavily made up, much younger woman on his arm. Maggie and Jill had known each other so long, that their thoughts flew through the air, without one spoken word, as they struggled to maintain their composure. They helped themselves at the buffet and settled at a high top to enjoy the food.

Maggie and Jill looked up as a decidedly handsome man, wine glass in hand, approached their table. His name tag said simply, “JAY” and Maggie rapidly flipped through memories to connect his name with a face from their high school days. She could tell that Jill was equally perplexed, when he said, “Hi Maggie, I was hoping that you would be here. Hi Jill, great to see you.”

His voice resonated with confidence; it matched his stylish appearance. She was flustered, as Jill’s gaze sharpened with interest. Jill immediately said, “Would you care to join us?”

“I am so sorry, but I am afraid that I can’t place you, Jay”, said Maggie, bravely deciding to not even attempt to fake it. He grinned, “I have changed a bit over the last 40 years. My name is Jay Bell”, as he raised his glass to both of the women. “But you would remember me better as AJ Bellingham”

This was met with absolute silence and gaping mouths. Jill recovered first and clinked her glass to a second time,” Well, now, any worries about this being boring are put to rest!”

He smiled but steadily watched Maggie. For the first time, there seemed to be a little uncertainty in his eyes, which cleared immediately when Maggie beamed and said, “This is wonderful! I am so glad to see you! I can’t believe that we lost contact for so many years”

As he signaled a waiter for another round, they jumped into conversation; where they lived, marital status, children, jobs, the shorthand of their youth covering the last 40 years. After Jill and Maggie shared, they both looked at him expectedly.

Jay took a sip and what could be interpreted as a deep breath. “I live in California, specifically the Napa Valley. I own and run a vineyard in Napa, as well as a few others. One in Washington state, and I am considering purchasing one right here in New England, on the Cape. When I got the invitation to the reunion, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to look at the vineyard I am considering and hopefully, to find you.”

Silence followed, and Jill noted that Maggie seemed at a loss for words. She filled the silence by telling Jay how much she loved living on the Cape, and they chatted about the various wineries that she was familiar with. Recognizing that Maggie and Jay had some things to say to each other, she excused herself to “circulate”, and reiterated that she was looking forward to the next day and hearing more about his plans.

“I have a lot to say to you, Maggie. I have been successful in my business and I owe you enormous thanks.” Chuckling, he gestured towards her glass and said, “That’s actually one of my wines you are drinking”

She lifted her eyes, said, “While I enjoy it, I do not think I can take all the credit for your success! I don’t drink that much!” was her laughing reply.

Jay grew serious, “You were the first person that gave me confidence in myself. You taught me kindness. You taught me the courage to stand my ground.” He took her hand. “I have many things to tell you, over the next few days. Let me start with this; we actually met before our senior year in high school.”

She watched him, slightly confused, “When? I specifically remember your first day, it was a math class we were in.”

“It was 10 years before that. I should have told you in high school, but it was an awful memory for me and I was afraid to lose you as my friend”. He drew a deep breath. “We actually met in the 3rd grade. My first name is Arthur, although I went by AJ in high school. After college, I dropped the A and went simply by Jay. And I know my multiplication tables.”

She stared, stunned! Her eyes filled at the tender memory of the boy at the mercy of their teacher. He continued, “It’s been 40 years since I did not ask you to the Senior Prom. I was too terrified that you would say no. I’m still a little nervous, but would you like to be my date tomorrow night at the dance?”

Delight was in her eyes as she lifted her glass and he raised his. “To the best first date ever!”