The CLASS REUNION

show-off simone hadn’t changed one jot since schooldays – but how had the passing years treated the rest of laura’s classmates?

Laura barely had time to pick up her phone before her best friend bea started talking at her.

‘Have you got it yet?’

‘What?’

‘the school reunion invite? Classes 5a, 5b and 5C from our year!’

‘oh that. yes,’ said laura flatly. ‘I’m not going.’

It was always going to be the most successful person who called for a reunion, in this case simone Coutt who left school as ‘girl most likely to be queen’. the dress code was fine for simone as a horse breeder and not that bad for bea either, who was doing a PhD in Egyptology: come dressed as your profession.

‘oh pleeease,’ begged bea. ‘It’s being held in her father’s

garden and you know how stinking rich they are. they’ll have fizz on tap and caviar on those little biscuits. It’ll be a hoot. besides, you owe me a big favour and now I’m calling it in.’

Which is how laura found herself saying yes, while wondering how she could glam up a feather duster and rubber gloves.

simone had a life full of more stars and magic than a stable full of unicorns. How else could anyone explain that on party day, the weather defied the wet forecast and the sun came out to supply perfect Pimm’s weather?

bea, looking resplendent as Cleopatra, complete with asp flopping around her neck, scooped up laura in her taxi.

It had to be said, though, that since the invitation had come, laura’s curiosities had spiked. she wondered how their year had

all fared in the big, wide world, especially Mary who was quiet and obsessed by astronomy, or big leo, or hippy ben who was really good at art, ginger Jude who was really nice but a bit wimpy, ali who was a wild child. and, of course, Marcus braeburn from 5C.

Everyone in the school fancied the god that was Marcus braeburn. When she was at college, she’d met Marcus in a nightclub and he’d asked her out. but she’d turned up to meet him and he’d stood her up. she had been gutted. Part of Marcus’s charm was that he’d been a bit of a bad boy, an ‘unpredictable’ – and she’d had enough of those over the years to finally realise that the nice boys were really the ones for whom a heart should beat a little faster. or men now, she supposed. None of them were boys and girls any more.

Simone had a cottage on her father’s estate next to her stables. as the taxi dumped them both outside the impressive gates of Coutt Manor, laura’s nerves started to crank up. simone had really lorded it over her at school because laura’s mother was one of their cleaners. simone was partly the reason why laura had really tried to make something of herself in life. bea, who was a ‘glass half-full’ person, always said that laura should be grateful to her for inspiring that determination. Maybe, but after one glance at simone’s horsey jodhpurs, too many unpleasant memories started resurfacing.

‘Lovely laura and bea,’ gushed simone, hugging and air-kissing them both. ‘you haven’t changed a bit. What fun to see you. buffet in the marquee and my people are circulating with champers. It’s not Prosecco.’

They walked into the beautiful garden. bea wasted no time in halting a passing waiter. she took two glasses from his tray and handed one to laura. ‘Here’s to a wonderful night full of “champers not Prosecco”.’

They chuckled, chinked glasses, then bea’s attention was seized by a man over by the marquee wearing a khaki uniform and green beret. ‘Ding-dong,’ she said. ‘Who is that? Is it what-do-you-call-him? the one we all used to swoon over?’ laura whirled around but she could tell, even at a distance, it wasn’t Marcus braeburn. Possibly Daz snow, he went into the forces as soon as he left school, but she’d always found him a bit rough and steered clear.

They had a joyous reunion with Mary, who was tall and chatty and nothing like her former tiny, meek self. she lived in the usa now and was a research scientist at Nasa. It was lucky that she was home visiting her family and could come to the party.

She waved over big leo who was a very muscular PE teacher now – there would be no one picking on him these days. Mary was married to an american scientist and they had twin boys. leo was engaged to a beautician and they had four girls. ‘No kids for me yet,’ laughed bea. ‘My other half is a travel correspondent and I’m enjoying jetting off with him when the studies permit.’

Laura had to fess up that she was footloose and fancy-free and tried to sound jolly about it. she had left out the detail that Mr Right had turned out to be Very Mr Wrong and had dragged her heart through the mud. >>

‘What a young fool she’d been. Then she’d grown up into an older fool’

they split from Mary and circulated, meeting up with wild ali, who was wearing an apron and carrying a toy doll. ‘I’m a professional mum,’ she explained. ‘I’ve got seven kids and another on the way.’ she looked more than happy about it. ben the artist had married Veronica from 5b and, after looking laura up and down, said they couldn’t remember her at all. they were both a lot more stuck-up than she remembered.

‘People change for better and worse. We were all cutting our baby teeth on life at school,’ sighed bea, who could be very wise and insightful. ‘Come on, let’s get some grub.’

there was enough food in the marquee to feed the 5,000. they filled up their plates and sat at a table. the man in the green beret was a few people behind them in the queue. nope, not shane. He looked familiar but laura couldn’t bring a name to mind.

after they’d finished eating, they continued to sit in the marquee, people-watching. laura spotted Diane from 5C, who was always in trouble at school, and yet there she was dressed up as a comedy headmistress complete with cane.

‘Mind if I sit here, ladies,’ asked a heavyset man, plonking himself down at their table without waiting for an answer. both bea and laura gulped – because the figure clad in black biker’s leather was unmistakably Marcus braeburn. laura’s heart started to skip at the presence of a bad boy, then it took a firm grip on itself, no doubt helped by the sight of Marcus stuffing barbecued chicken into his mouth like a starving stray dog. He hadn’t aged well at all. His once lovely teeth were yellow and crooked and he had a badly drawn skull tattooed on his cheek.

‘Don’t I know you?’ he said to laura. ‘Weren’t we in the same class?’ ‘yes. I’m laura larsen, and this is bea thompson.’ ‘yeah, I thought so. What are you then – Mrs Mop and a fancy-dress shop owner?’

‘yes, that’s right,’ said bea, ignoring his guffaw of hilarity. ‘and what about you? bike mechanic?’

‘naw,’ said Marcus. ‘I’m in-between jobs so I just came in my normal stuff. I suppose it’d be easy for you with your own shop full of costumes. Do you make a good profit? are you rich?’

‘loaded,’ said bea with a bright smile. ‘not as rich as laura of course. she’s got her own cleaning firm. she employs over 200 and drives a Maserati.’

Marcus’s attention switched back to laura. ‘Really?’ He pondered for a moment before speaking again. ‘Did we go out once?’ ‘nearly,’ said laura.

‘Well, if you aren’t doing anything tomorrow–’

‘she’s washing her hair,’ said bea, pulling laura to her feet. ‘bye, Marcus. lovely seeing you again.’

outside the tent the two women burst out laughing. ‘How the mighty have fallen,’ laura said.

‘Did you see how he switched from me to you when I told him you were minted?’ giggled bea. ‘Wait there while I go to the loo. Don’t talk to any strange men chewing chicken.’

laura let a waiter fill up her glass and went to sit on a bench by a bed of roses. the sun had released their scent and it was sweet and heady as it drifted up her nose. she closed her eyes, and savoured the perfume and the sounds of laughter behind her.

‘Mind if I sit with you?’ said someone breaking into her reverie. she opened her eyes to find the man in the military uniform. ‘laura isn’t it?’

‘yes.’ laura’s expression told him that she didn’t know who he was.

‘Jude. Ginger Jude.’ He lifted off his cap to show her his short, cropped red hair.

‘blimey,’ said laura. ‘you’ve…’ she couldn’t say the word, it sounded silly.

‘Changed?’ Jude supplied. blossomed was the word laura was thinking of. she had a sudden memory of Jude asking her out at a school disco when they were 15, and her turning him down. He was too nice. What a young fool she’d been. then she’d grown up into an older fool.

‘Marine?’ she guessed.

‘yep. Major.’

‘Wow.’

He smiled and suddenly she could bring him easily to mind, although he was taller, wider and his features weren’t boyhoodsmooth any more. He had the face of a man who had experienced life. a man who was fulfilled and confident.

‘I handle recruits now,’ he went on. ‘and you?’ ‘I handle recruits too,’ laughed laura. ‘I have a company that employs cleaners. over 200.’

‘I’m very impressed,’ said Jude, and laura saw that he really was.

out of the corner of her eye, laura saw bea approach and then do a discreet about-turn. ‘you, however, haven’t changed a bit,’ said Jude. ‘out of all the people I hoped to see today, you were top of my list. I noticed you when you first walked in and I’ve been trying to build up courage to come and say hello ever since.’

‘you’re a marine and you needed courage to talk to me?’ ‘yep.’

He grinned and memories of him rolled back to her on a tidal wave of affection. He’d been such a lovely boy. a kind, funny, sweet boy. When she’d turned him down, she recalled he’d said to her, ‘If you ever change your mind, just let me know.’

‘I asked you out once and you turned me down,’ said Jude, as if dipping into her memory. ‘you were partly the reason why I joined up. I didn’t want to be the wimpy kid who didn’t get the girls.’

‘I’m sure you get them all these days,’ said laura, swallowing hard.

‘not the one who my heart never forgot,’ said Jude. ‘the one I’ve been waiting for to turn up and say that she’s changed her mind after all.’

He gave laura the sort of grin that made her own heart thump a little faster – and her brain didn’t try to stop it this time.

‘I think she just might have,’ she said.

‘Everyone in the school fancied the god that was Marcus Braeburn’