Is it just ME?

Or should you always refuse a school reunion?

I USUALLY refuse school reunions. But, for some reason, this time I was tempted.

I rang an old schoolfriend to see if she was going. ‘Of course not!’ she shrieked. ‘You wouldn’t want to meet Anna again, would you?’

And I thought: ‘ No, I wouldn’t want to meet Anna the class bully again.’

And yet, I went. I went in hope.

The invitation felt like coming across a forgotten drawer full of old jewellery. Might there be some gems hidden away in there?

The first problem was that I couldn’t recognise a single one of the ten who had gathered in the restaurant. Now ancient, we all looked remarkably similar — grey- haired, scarves hiding our necks.

Like discovering old jewellery in a drawer, it was fascinating, but I realised why I’d put them away in the first place

As we stared at the menu, that feeling came flooding back — that everyone else was normal and I was weird. Anna didn’t torment anyone, but just the confident way in which she flung her shoulders back made me feel a victim again.

Why had we all come? Curiosity was a factor. What became of Kathleen, who used to cry every break? (Depression, apparently.)

And Katie, who was the first to need a bra — did she become a stripper? (No, but she’d had five husbands).

Another reason was to show off. ‘I may have been the spottiest girl in class, but look at me now!’

But that doesn’t wash with old school friends. The truth is, as no man is a hero to his valet, no woman is a heroine to old school friends.

It turns out that, yes, I was right — it had been like discovering an old jewellery drawer. Fascinating, but ultimately, I realised why I’d put them away in the first place. They may still be treasured, but they really don’t work in my daily life.