Reunion 2000: Patti's Story Our odd little tale begins in a bar.. as most odd little tales often do. Check-in time at the Marriott is 3pm. The reunion crew & those with reservations began to arrive. Ellen, Patti & Diane pose for a pic at the bar... The reunion crew, Karen, Joan, Diane & Patti, unaware of the events that are about to unfold (with the exception of Patti, that is)begins unpacking memory books, nametags & items for the goody-bags... The set up crew, Karen, Lynn & Frank, begin the task of filling the goody-bags when Glen, who is lurking nearby, is asked if he wants to help.. & this is where the weirdness started. Glen's response is that he's just being paid to stand around & look pretty. He wouldn't elaborate... Ellen volunteered for security detail. Here she is making Adele empty the contents of her pockets into a large shopping bag before gaining admittance to what is now known affectionately as 'The Hallway'. The contents of the shopping bag would be used later on in the evening as door prizes.. & note how Frank mysteriously lurks in the background. What the heck is with these lurking guys? ... Reunion preparations complete, the group meets back at the bar one more time before retiring to their rooms to ready themselves for the deluge of alumni that will be arriving for the 7pm cocktail hour. There is an eerie feeling in the air. Frank sips nervously at his drink. Ellen makes small talk with Diane.. who is now refusing to be photographed... Ribbo is the first to belly-up to the bar when the cocktail hour begins. After he slugs down his third in a row, he is politely escorted out to the patio by Patti & Ellen.. & it appears that the photographer may have been Tom's drinking buddy? Nothing too unusual here yet.. but just wait... Other guests, Tonine, Frank, Sandi, begin to arrive. This seems like just a simple candid shot.. but note that in the foreground Patti appears to be going over some paperwork with Jim.. & notice Jim's grin. What the heck could that be about? Hmm... Helen arrives with her new blonde 'do' & is asked by security to produce some identification... Helen refuses to show her driver's license photo & is quickly surrounded by a mob. Each one of them wants the answers to only two questions.. "Who is this girl?" & "Why is she crashing our reunion?" She finally flashes a library card & the crowd disperses... The guests, Diane, Frank, Tonine, Sandi, begin once again to mingle in small clusters.. but hey, isn't that Jim & Patti again in the foreground.. by themselves.. looking a little too serious... Hey Jim! Hey Tonine! Break it up! I said 'mingle'.. & no! I didn't mean as in 'Joan'.. geesh.. & poor Adele has no clue what's going on behind her back while she innocently chats with Frank & Sandi... The light begins to fade.. umm.. change.. hmm.. make that morph.. as 8pm approaches. Jim & Patti.. again(?!).. & looking just a little too prim, proper, poised, posed, polished & pleased with themselves, if you ask me & will pardon my p's (I LOVE alliteration), but Tonine doesn't appear to notice anything amiss.. yet... The small clusters of alumni.. Bob & Stu, Ted & Frank, Frank & Sue, Debbie & Robin.. will shortly be breaking up & making their way through the doors into the hallway & on to the banquet room. All seems right with the world.. maybe... Darkness descends on Saddle Brook & the last remaining alumni trickle into the hallway from the patio. Is it just my overactive imagination, or does Donna look a little more than mildly alarmed by something she just overheard Patti say to Brian? ... Umm.. Cheryl, Peggy.. no need to run... the bell didn't ring... you're not late for class... you won't get detention... we have enough seats for everybody. Hey Mitch, ya wanna help out a little bit there?... The alumni are finally all seated in the banquet hall.. the photographer appears to be a little sloshed.. & everyone on the reunion committee decides to speak at once... Here we find Patti.. again.. looking a might bit uncomfortable as Ellen, our security gal, confronts her with some paperwork that was left out on the patio... Ellen quickly leaves the table & is replaced by Diane who's been gushing all evening about finally getting an opportunity to spend a few hours with human beings over the age of four. Frank approaches the table looking none too happy.. something is definitely askew, amiss, a** backwards (alliteration again.. & again right there.. ha! .. ok.. I'll stop) in 'Reunionville'... Patti grabs Diane & beats a hasty retreat. She engages a puzzled Val, who was on her way to the ladies room, in conversation... Patti, recognizing another photo op when she sees it, grabs Julie from a nearby table & our roving photographer (who's also just passing by & still a little off balance) & strikes yet another pose with Diane. Poor Val still hasn't made it to the ladies room... Patti darts out into the hallway & is confronted by Pat, Debbie & Peggy. They've become suspicious & demand to know what exactly is going on. Unaware of what has been transpiring up to this point, Helen comes to Patti's defense... In the meantime, Frank, with the help of Ellen's investigative info, has figured out Patti's plan (alliteration.. I lied.. :) & promptly notifies & discombobulates Karen & Diane who have been so busy that they are as clueless as Helen as to what's been going on. Now only one question remains.. when will she do it? ... OOPS! ...looks like she's doing it now.. fearing that her months of planning will not come to fruition & catching everyone off guard, Patti frantically releases handfuls of rare & exotic Floridian fireflies (sorry.. not.. :) into the darkened banquet room... Aahhh.. our very own indoor fireworks display! The effect is overwhelming. Alumni stand in awe gazing at the ceiling. Dave is actually brought to tears as a group of fireflies attempt to form a halo above Patti's head. Leave it to that Patti to come up with such an original reunion surprise for all of us. What a sweetie-pie! ... The lights in the banquet room come back up.. & as Addie snaps a last photo of Lynn, Manny, Frank & Cheryl...& while Robin, Bob, Coach & Mrs. Sam Patton chat over a reunion nightcap.. we see Glen, our resident environmental coordinator & self-proclaimed nature-boy, smiling satisfactorily for a job well done. He not only accompanied those rare & exotic Floridian fireflies (still not sorry.. :) on their trek north, he also had the daunting task of herding each & every one of them back into the containers from whence they came... ... THE END :) & here we find a beaming Jim (hmm.. wonder if he's drinks Jim Beam).. Patti's cohort since the beginning. What, you may ask, does this mortgage broker have to do with rare & exotic Floridian fireflies (definitely not sorry.. :)? .. Well, it seems the reason that these flies are so rare & exotic is that they are found on only one small acre in all of Florida.. & just take a guess who holds the deed to that land?! Jim is becoming internationally renowned (& independently wealthy) by renting out those little buggers for movies, royal coronations, & celebrity weddings.. but, of course, the reunion was a freebie. Thanks, Jim, we owe you one! ...now on to Patti's brunch pics... NEXT