DAY 7
Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Twenty-Five Years
SERIES: Never Too Late (2015 Daily Dose)
AUTHOR: Rob Rosen
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 19 Pages
BLURB:
Sometimes letting go of an obsession leads to something better instead.
A twenty-five-year high school reunion is Conrad’s chance to finally come face-to-face with his unrequited love, Todd. Instead, he discovers he himself was an unrequited love for Gary, his friend from the chess club. When the two return to their old gym locker room, long-lost friends at last become found loves. As for Todd, well, let’s just say that karma can be quite the bitch.
REVIEW:
Oh man, I swear I’ve chosen the shortest stories in this anthology! However, despite the fact that this story was only nineteen pages, I did really like it.
When Conrad receives the invitation to his twenty-five year school reunion, his first response is to screw it up. Nope, he’s not interested in revisiting his high school days. But then he notices that the invitation has been sent from their class president – Todd Smith. And that is one part of his past that he would be more than happy to reconnect with. But when Conrad finds himself sitting beside his old friend Gary, he realizes that he may have spent the last twenty-five years fantasizing about the wrong man.
It takes a better person than me to fail to find delight in realizing life has been better to you than to your old high school bullies. Call me shallow if you will (actually I think Conrad says the very same thing) but I feel so much satisfaction when I discover that the “beautiful people” now have outsides that reflect their nasty insides. And I adored Conrad for feeling exactly the same way. I was already a fan of Rob Rosen’s biting humor, but I just read this short story and thought – yep, this guy’s snark speaks to me.
As for the plot, honestly it reads like a porno. And I liked that too. Two men meet up at a school reunion, head to the locker rooms together and proceed to get down and dirty, bent over at the lockers and in the showers. It ends with some hope and a promise.
Despite its short length this short is one of my favourite stories in the anthology so far.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Dreamspinner Press – Anthology Link
Dreamspinner Press – Twenty-Five Years Link
I love stories with unrequited love, it just makes it all the sweeter when the couple get together =)
Oh, unrequited love, I do so remember that phase in life.
Interesting and helpful review, as I often wonder if I should to one of my high school reunions (just to see what the bullies are doing now, but not sure if I ever will) and I am happy that Conrad connects to the right person in the end when he does 🙂
This one sounds just perfect. Thanks for reviewing and i definitely put it on my TBR list 🙂