The Palm Oil Reunion

Art Lobaugh received an invitation to his 20th high school reunion, and after spending nearly 20 years living in NYC, he convinced his best friend Dave to travel with him back to Iowa to attend the festivities. Neither friend had been back to their hometown in years, but upon arrival, Art and Dave reconnected with old friends and worked their way down memory lane, visiting old haunts, family farms, old friends, and their old high school. The reunion was planned at the most distinguished hotel in town and was expected to be a grand affair with drinks, dinner, music, and dancing. The reunion turnout of over 200 alumni was a triumph for the planning committee. Once Art and Dave were seated at their table of 12, each person was asked to spend a few minutes talking about the past 20 years. Dan Ivey, seated at their table, began to tell his story of how he fell in love with Maria, a foreign exchange student from Trinidad whom he met in high school. Dan, a well-known alum, captivates his former classmates with a tale so bizarre that no one dares question its provenance or truth. Dan's story begins in high school when he meets a beautiful foreign exchange student from Trinidad. He asks for her hand in marriage after college, but on one condition from her father: he must move to Trinidad and work for her father's shipping company. For hours, Dan's story of love, loss, heartbreak, murder, fear, and revenge transports his former classmates on an unbelievable journey.