The first reunion in a long time was a funeral.
Ten years ago, I was informed that a friend from my high school club had suddenly passed away, so I rushed out to buy a black tie and a condolence envelope.
The person who passed away was my partner in the soft tennis club during our high school days.
I probably haven't seen them much since graduating from high school. We might meet up with other club members individually, but we never all got together.
It had been a long time since I last saw him, and he looked peaceful. He was only 38 years old, but he was quite bald.
In the club room
"Isn't it you?"
"Well, me too, but you're in trouble too!"
I remembered we all had that conversation.
And he was by far the first to go bald and lie in the coffin.
Come on, it must be so sad that the answer to that day is found like this.
I wanted to laugh and talk about how things are getting serious and how you're taking care of them.
It's way too early to go there.
The unexpected after-party for our club reunion was held at a family restaurant near the funeral home.
It was a quiet, serious gathering, with no alcohol.
As we were leaving, one of the members said:
"We should meet at least once a year."
Everybody said, yes, let's meet.
It's been 10 years since then.
The annual meet-up continues thanks to the friend who first suggested it, who contacts the club members and organizes it every year.
After visiting his grave, I visit his family home and talk to his mother.
Then we eat dinner and chat about trivial things. It's a happy gathering.
It's different from the intense times we spent on the tennis courts and in the club room, but through this yearly regular observation, I get the feeling that we have a loose but strong connection.
The decade since he left has been a decade of our connection growing stronger.
This year, everyone gathered at Bokumo the day before the grave visit and we all drank wine together. It made me happy.
When I was in high school, I never thought I would have a future like this. I feel sad, but thankful. I feel that way every year.
By the way, the highlight of this time was a friend who declared at this meeting a few years ago, "I'm going to become a YouTuber."
I thought it had gone in an unexpected direction, but this year I was amazed by what he brought out and said, "Take a look."
Apparently this plaque is awarded when someone reaches 100,000 followers.
