Theater Cubicles

Reunion

10 years later

An invitation came in the mail. The envelope had the familiar return address of the American Academy of the Arts. As I took out the letter, its logo gazed at me at the top. Pleasant memories flooded. Experiences and opportunities. That's what the Academy had successfully offered me. As an adult I looked upon those four years with appreciation.

The letter read:

Dear student of the Class of 2018,

We cordially invite you, on behalf of the Theater Department, to a class reunion on Saturday, July 11th, 2028. Please do not bring any other guest as this is an Academy student exclusive banquet. In addition, this is a formal event.

Sincerely,

The American Academy of the Arts

This generic letter meant the world to me. However, a date...? Pfft. I was, and never had been, good at acquiring those. I was 25 now and had a Bachelors degree in a collective major of Film, Television, and Theater. Although I hadn't landed anywhere big after a tv show that had casted me, I was perfectly content doing what I loved; writing, directing, and acting in plays. The show ended after one season but I had made my appearance in the industry.

I had missed my peers from the Academy dearly. I had loosely kept in touch with Germaine. There is an extent to one's correspondence with someone who was in a Broadway company. Although as a class we had bonded very much over the four year span of our prestigious education, we drifted apart as young adults venturing into the world of the Arts that the Academy had prepared us so rigorously for. I was eager to find out if any of them had nice jobs or even started families. None of them had beat me to winning Oscars, however.

-

The day had come. I drove the nostalgic two hour drive to the Academy. It was 7 o'clock. I was prompt as always. I had dressed nicely in a classical little black dress that ended mid-thigh with a sweetheart neckline. I wore simple black leather heels medium in height. My hair was straightened and I was excited to see my old friends again.

I walked into the cafeteria. I would never have believed that the transformed place I was in was where I ate almost every day for three and a half years. Formal tablecloths and chairs filled the room. It was like Academy Prom all over again, plus the cocktails, of course.

Diagonally across the room was another always prompt person. Decked in formal attire I had never gotten the chance to see him in, he was smartly clad in a modern navy-colored suit. I did not know that the directors were coming. Nolan was not in the Class of 2018.

There were a few other people that I recognized but weren't the greatest friends with at the time that I didn't want to bother because they were only there early because they were the coordinators. Nolan looked up from his phone and looked across the room in my general direction, as I was by the door. He then focused on me. He tried to recognize who the woman was. It took him a few seconds to realize that I was in fact the beloved Gertrude that had obtained a few changes due to puberty. He smiled the same smile that was engraved in my brain and walked my way. My heart skipped quite a few beats and my cheeks would probably have been really red had I not worn my full-coverage foundation. Really? Again we were first people here?

"Juliette..." he said his blue eyes and piercing gaze never looking away.

"Nolan," I said with a smile.

He hadn't aged one bit. The faintest laugh lines barely creased his face. He was, according to my calculations, 28. His once wavy hair that fell in his face was more coiffed now.