spring semester so I have to take summer classes to get caught up. I’m staying with Frank while I get the paperwork done and look for a job.”

All during this speech he was looking at me and grinning like I was his long lost brother – we weren’t that close in high school, so I wondered about that a little, but I so enjoyed having his handsome face close to mine, and his strong arm around my shoulder, and just being made to feel that I was a part of his world for a moment. I asked, “Did Marcia come up with you, or will she come up this summer?”

His smile dimmed a little – but not much – and he said, “No – that didn’t work out. She wanted different things than I did, so we filed for divorce about a month ago. No hard feelings – just wrong place, wrong time – wrong person.”

I was embarrassed, as usual, by my total stupidity and not-with-it-ness. “Aw, damn, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I haven’t seen or heard from anyone from high school until you, just now. I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

Todd showed me his megawatt grin again and said, “Don’t be sorry – I’m not. C’mon, let’s eat while there’s still food – we’ve got a lot of catching up to do!”

He took me to the buffet line and grabbed a clean plate for me and one for himself. I thought he would go back to his friends but he didn’t – he sat with me at a table that was otherwise empty, and then asked if I wanted something from the bar. We were both too young to drink, but that never stopped Todd before, and sure enough he came back with two glasses of wine – one white, one red. He asked which I wanted and I said, “You pick and I’ll take the other one.”

“Oh, no, buddy, you always did get left short. You pick first this time.”

I didn’t know much about wine but I chose the white. He handed it to me and sat down and we both tore into the food as only teenagers can. After the first ferocious attack, we got up for another load, and he went back for two more glasses. I saw him having to sweet-talk the bartender this time, but of course he did. Todd never failed, oh no, not Todd.

We were eating more like civilized humans now, so there was time for some conversation. He asked what I was doing, and I gave him the entire story of my life since high school in about three sentences: I live in the dorm, I don’t have a roommate this semester, I don’t do anything much except study and work part-time on the weekends in the Library, I met Andrea in class and here we are.

About that time Andrea showed up and asked Todd if he could change out of his tailcoat so they could get them back to the shop. He gave her a taste of his magical grin “Will the food still be here after I’m done changing clothes?”

She laughed, “Sure, it’s out for the night you guys can have as much as you want– it’s all paid for anyway.”

He stood up then and turned to me, “Hold my