Jessica is 35 years old.

She graduated from middle school 20 years ago.

This year her middle school class had its 20-year class reunion.

All of her classmates and teachers were invited to attend.

It was going to be at a hotel near where their school used to be.

Like many other buildings, the school had been torn down.

It had been replaced by some apartment buildings.

At first she wasn't sure if she could go to the reunion.

one reason was that there wasn't anyone in particular that she wanted to see.

Another reason was that she was very busy.

She was a working mother, with a boy 8 years old and a husband who was rarely at home.

Going to the reunion meant that she would have to arrange for someone to take care of things while she was away.

That wouldn't be easy.

She didn't want to take her boy with her, and her husband wouldn't take time off from work.

Then she got a message from Sharon, one of her old classmates.

Sharon was contacting people from their class and urging everyone to come.

In their school days, Sharon was class monitor, and now she was helping to organize the reunion.

They exchanged messages, and Jessica said she couldn't make it.

Then Sharon gave her a call and they talked for almost an hour.

Sharon really wanted her to come, and so did a couple of Jessica's old friends.

They were all wondering how she was doing.

None of them had seen or heard from her since graduation.

They were especially curious since she hadn't gone to their first reunion 10 years before.

(Her husband agreed to take care of things while she was away.)