RSVP - Empty chairs at Empty tables

“How is that possible?” Ana-Maria’s eyes widened in surprise looking at a school-gathering photo, taken ten years ago. 

 

“Another gathering is well overdue.” She told herself and began planning the second reunion.  

She reached for her phone and phoned her best school friend she kept in touch with after she left her homeland. 

“Hi Matilde, I was looking at some photos earlier of our school reunion. I'd like to organise another one in six months’ time, at the same place we used ten years ago.” 

“Oh lord, is that how long it was? That's a brilliant idea. I can help you gather the contact addresses of most of our class mates, some have moved, you know?”

“Oh, have they? Sure thing. And try to get their phone number too, if you can please. I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to social media platforms. I can set up a group on WhatsApp Group Chat and send the invite there as well. That way, we won't rely entirely on the post.” 

“Yeah, I agree.”

“I'll design the invitations and send them out to people with details. I'll fly over a week before the reunion to make sure that everything is running smoothly and any hiccups that arise, I should sort out in advance. Hopefully we’ll talk soon to see how the planning is going.”

She felt excited about her new project. It gave her something to focus on and allowed her to escape from the reality of her present situation.

She would ask her dear friend, Carlos, for help with the invitations. He had, in the past, designed posters and invites for her at previous events.

She was just on her way out when her phone pinged. It was from Matilde. 

“As promised, here are the contact addresses of the class. Take care.” 

“Great, thanks. On my way back I’ll update the list. Carlos reassured me the invite would be ready next week. Everything is going as planned, talk soon.”

A couple of months later, the invites had been sent, the school hall booked, the food ordered, the music arranged. With only three weeks left until the big event. Ana-Maria was astonished by how many people had confirmed they would attend.

Her next step (and her last wish) for the reunion was to buy her flight and book an Airbnb for a few nights to get on time to see her classmates for one more time. 

On the day of the reunion, Matilde was by the door greeting everyone as agreed she would do, showing them their allocated seating area. The greeting was all warmth on the surface: a hug, a hello but her eyes gave her away.

Once everyone had sat down, they could see there were five empty chairs at the tables. Among them was Ana-Maria’s chair.  

Matilde stood up with a glass in her shaky hand: “Could we have a minute of silence, please, for our absent friends.”