Auld Lang Syne

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot, And Never Brought To Mind?

Winter, Year 5
Jack is 40, David is 30, Ryan is 27, Rebecca is 26, Ellie is 26 and Richard is 21

The snow was falling thick and fast as the year rushed to an end. Rebecca was out enjoying the weather, and her own publicity, when she almost bumped straight into an old flame.
“David?” She exclaimed. “By Watcher, it’s been a while!”
“Rebecca! I didn’t expect to see you out in weather like this!” David was surprised.
“Well, you know how it is,” she said vaguely. She gave him a quick once-over. “You’re looking good!”

“Well, I got a new job,” David said hesitantly. “I’m not a repo man any more.”
“You’re not?” Rebecca said with some surprise. “What are you doing now?”
David grinned. “I’m a style influencer.”
Her eyes widening, Rebecca stared at David. “Get out. You’re not?”
“Yeah, I thought you’d be surprised.” David grinned.
She was thoughtful for a moment. She had missed David; he was dependable and quiet and didn’t like dramas. “I have missed you, David.” She said quietly.
He smiled. “I’ve missed you too, Becca.”

Back at her flat, Rebecca was glowing. She had a meet and greet later at the theatre in Willow Creek and she wanted to look perfect. Then that evening, she was planning on having David over for a visit. Him being a style influencer was simply perfect because she knew she could get access to top style ideas and suggestions via him. Everything was falling into place with impeccable precision.

It wasn’t until she arrived at the venue that she remembered the meet and greet wasn’t entirely just for her. She was being interviewed with Jack about an upcoming film they were starring in and it was simply a press opportunity. Still, it was always her chance to shine and look good for the cameras and phones while Jack handled the questions.

After the press event, Rebecca caught the train home and changed hastily to look sleek and perfect when David arrived.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you’d been home all day,” David smiled as Rebecca greeted him at the door. “You don’t look the least bit hassled, even though I know you raced back from Willow Creek this afternoon.”
Coyly, Rebecca invited him in.

“A drink?” Rebecca offered. “I’m sorry things are still a little disorganised. I get so busy, I haven’t had the time to get unpacked properly!”
“Becca, you don’t have to do that with me. You forget, I’ve been here loads of times before. I know you can barely afford this place. I also know that’s why you started modelling.” He smiled again. “So none of the fake stuff, okay?”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. She wasn’t used to somebody knowing her so well and it felt so awkward all of a sudden.

Her awkwardness didn’t last long once she got him on the sofa beside her. It was as if the last few years hadn’t happened and they talked, laughed and kissed well into the night.

The following night, she was doing a mini tour of some of the nightclubs and she ended up heading towards Muse. She strode into the club as if she owned the place and felt smug when she instantly had fans recognise her. It was wonderful, being famous.

She posed for pictures with her fans and even bumped into an old University friend, Ryan. She was surprised to see him in such a venue; she’d not known of army officers to frequent clubs like this before but she supposed Ryan was hardly your average army officer. He’d been dating a pop singer for quite a while now and that hadn’t gone down well with his navy-veteran father.

She was really able to let her hair down after a few drinks and she started to really enjoy herself. She’d felt amazing since David had come back into her life and this was only the beginning. Next year was going to be incredible, she could feel it.

The end of the year was fast approaching and Rebecca had a couple of work projects to finish off before she could start setting up for her New Year’s Eve party.
In spite of the rocky start, she felt her acting career had begun to pick up a little more lately and she was pleased. She loved modelling but she loved acting more and being in the spotlight all day, every day made her very happy indeed.

Sadly, her agency disagreed and her performances had, in fact, been getting worse. While she’d had a few film gigs with Jack, Daniel and Dale, she’d ended up in more adverts than films or serials and even then, her acting had been lacklustre at best. Maybe it really was time to think about a permanent career change after all.
Feeling a little low, Rebecca hit the yoga mat to lift herself. She had a party starting in a few hours and she wasn’t going to allow her agency to ruin the night for her.

The party got underway and the countdown started. Rebecca was suddenly pleased David hadn’t been able to come when she spotted Dale talking to Daniel. She couldn’t handle the new year beginning with another disaster.

As the clock struck 12, the room exploded with a cheer. Rebecca spotted her ex-flame, Richard, flirting shamelessly with her sister Ellie. Smiling, she winked in her sister’s direction. It was time Ellie had a little fun.

As the party carried on, Rebecca danced joyfully with Dale. In the new year, she realised she’d have to make some decisions about Dale and David but right now, she was having fun. The time for sensible thought was not now and she was determined, for once, to have a positive start to the new year.