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“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMFpXsSyQ2
and never brought to mind?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNssPgjWmJ
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0NbPBMCNr
and auld lang syne?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQttoyAM0K2
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Alone on the balcony, the song became the Scotsman’s recital in Jessica’s ears. It took her back to her wedding day. Her surroundings shifted, and she returned to the pub. Jeremy placed his arm gently around her shoulders. The words of Robert Burns poem enraptured them and took on a musical tone. The never forgotten memory struck her heart, causing her tears to flow faster. Jessica wanted to recapture that moment and cling to it for dear life.
Jessica could not endure another year without Jeremy. Placing her hands firmly on the wrought iron banister, she lifted herself upward. It seemed a long way down. Behind her, the party continued. Her co-workers blew their horns and shouted, ‘Happy New Year.’ Her back stiffened. There was nothing happy about it; not for her.
The Scotsman continued to speak in her ear—his brogue thickening until she could barely understand. Then, miraculously, they shifted and became Jeremy’s imitation accent. Jessica’s body hung suspended over the street below. One of her high heels slipped off, clattering on the patio. She could see her husband beckoning her, inviting her to join him.
“He has come back to help me into heaven,” she thought as she propelled herself forward. “I’m coming, Jeremy. I’ll join you soon.”
“Jessica!” her husband’s voice shouted. Strong hands encircled her waist, pulling her backward.
Jessica struggled against the pull. She wanted to leave the world and all the heartache it brought. Nevertheless, she couldn’t resist the man’s strength that jerked her body in reverse. Together, they collided with a patio chair and sat down hard. She tried to stand but her rescuer pulled her onto his lap.
Robert Burns words filled her ear and the warm breath tickled her senses. The brogue wasn’t quite perfect but to Jessica it was. She finally looked at her redeemer and grinned broadly. It was the first happy expression to cross her face in ages.
“Jeremy!” Jessica exclaimed, drawing her breath ecstatically. “But…but how?”
“I was a prisoner of war,” Jeremy responded, tightening his embrace. “I wrote to you in England but apparently not all the letters came through. It took ages to finally track you, but I found your address. Your landlord told me where to find you, and here I am—just in time apparently.”
“I couldn’t live without you, Jeremy,” Jessica wailed, burying her face in his chest.
“I couldn’t live without you either, my dearest,” he responded, capturing her lips with his.
Inside the partiers lined the French door windows and gazed out at the young lovers. Their celebration forgotten; they cheered the reunion. Jessica and Jeremy waved at them, grinning from ear-to-ear. They didn’t care that they were observed—they lived only for each other. 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TcazDLAQP
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*Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns (1788)
