Class Note 1984
No one tells me anything. My classmates all avoid me. Most class secretaries would find this disconcerting, but most class secretaries didn’t have my junior high school experience. I was built for this. Also, I understand your reluctance. No one wants to appear in the “Eric Grubman Class Notes,” especially when the more factually accurate “Juliet Aires Giglio Class Notes” are available. I get that. You all send the information to Juliet. However, allow me to remind you all of a simple fact: Juliet and I alternate writing the column. So, if your timing is off by as little as a day or two, your message to Juliet ends up in my hands. Such is the misfortune that recently befell Willa Ridinger. Willa, who lives in my sleepy town of Woodbridge, Connecticut, is usually very clever. I never see her. To date, she has avoided running into me for almost 20 years. Until now. You see, Willa wanted to share some good news this past summer. Willa kept the news quiet while carefully studying the calendar. She waited until she thought the coast was clear, and then sent the good news to Juliet. Or so she thought.
It turns out that Willa is a teacher and a tutor and married her best friend back in August. I was not invited. I did find out that they registered for the wedding at Pottery Barn. I went online to get her a gift, but the registry has been picked clean. Anyway, Willa has started a new business, painting and doing calligraphy on pottery. Her work is available on her website, willaware.org. It is not available at Pottery Barn. Go figure.
Anyway, the wedding sounds like it was quite an event. Carla Small and Bob Cronin were there. Now, these two are smart. They know enough to send my phone calls directly to voicemail. No matter. I did some research on the Internet and learned that both seem to have very complicated-sounding jobs somewhere near Boston. Neither works at a Pottery Barn. Tisa Hughes and Mary Fabio also played some role in the wedding. I would have been able to tell you more about the roles they played, however, as noted above, I was not invited. In my own town. Where I am a justice of the peace. Maybe this is a little more like junior high school than I care to admit.
Bill Hamlen recently moved back to Hanover from Singapore. Due to jet lag, Bill accidentally called me instead of Juliet. Before he realized his mistake, I learned that Bill is planning a two-week sailing trip up the coast of Japan. An avid fisherman, Bill plans on landing a big one somewhere off the coast of Fukushima.
Finally, please stop sending all your information to Juliet. I’m very mature and can be trusted. Stop avoiding me. This isn’t junior high. Also, if anyone is free June 14 and wants to go to prom, I need a date.
—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com
