He has an "S" on his chest...

   Recently I attended the high school class reunion of a woman I was dating.  It was my very first class reunion, and I was surprised at the number of people who returned for the class reunion.  Everywhere I turned there was people hugging and shaking hands.  Women screaming as they saw old high school friends. Classmates exchanging business cards while talking of their old high school days. 
 
    Sometime during the evening I met a gentleman by the name of Ethan, a classmate of my date, a very handsome man.  Now Ethen was in his early thirties, single, and a young executive with a marketing firm.  Ethan was articulate, funny and very charming with the ladies. Had he had an "S" on his chest and a red cape on his back it wouldn't have surprised me. He was gonna be somebodies Superman. During dinner several people commented on how attractive Ethan was and didn't understand why he was still single. Then a bomb exploded,
 
     "Hey Ethan, there's Kelly!", Ethan's head swivel so fast. I was sure it went around completely twice.  I was waiting for it to fall to the floor.

     "Where?", Ethan said. Almost spilling a glass of red wine on himself.

     "Over there at the table by the wall.  Damn, she's looks good. Hey... whatever happened with you two?   For awhile everyone thought you two were dating." asked one of the men at the table.

     Ethan's head turned back around, shoulders lightly hunched and head dropped a little.  And quickly mumbled, "Nothing, we cool.  I just haven't talked  to her in a while."  It was clear to everyone Kelly was Ethan's kryptonite.
  
After a few questions, and comments it finally came out that Ethan had been carrying a thing for Kelly since they were back in school, but didn't pursue her cause she was seeing another guy at the time.  Ethan explained how close he and Kelly had gotten as friends, but because she had a boyfriend at the time he never expressed how he felt about her.

      "Well there she is now, and she's still single.  She's divorced now with two children. You should go say something to her.", my date said excitedly.
   
      "No. Things have changed. People change, and I'm sure she wont even remember me or how close we were?", Ethan sounded defeated.
  
     As the evening continued, I couldn't help but to think of how Ethan was feeling about Kelly.  It was obvious he still adored Kelly, but I was puzzled by his response to the suggestion.  I thought this might have been a good moment.  I mean, this was a second chance for him to chase his heart's desire and he talked himself out of it.  He didn't even take the chance to find out how Kelly felt or for that matter if she even remembered the attraction the two of them had together. Ethan was letting his opportunity slip again.
  
     I've heard stories like Ethan's all the time of someone letting an opportunity for self growth and happiness slip away from them.  Although I know it's especially hard in Ethan's case because he was trying to be a friend and not bust up her relationship with her boyfriend, but it was obvious he hadn't let go of his feelings.  In such a situation the risk he had to take to just speak to Kelly, would have been well worth the small amount of disappointment. At the very least it could bring closure to his feelings and he could stop caring a torch for her.  Then again, the risk he could have taken, could have change his life forever for the better.
  
     Given a second chance would you take the risk?  Even some ten years later.