Jenn and Brian work together at the same company. Today is the first morning back at work after a two day break over New Year. It’s their coffee break. Are they happy at the start of a new year?
Jenn: Well, I did nothing special on New Year’s Eve. I just stayed in and cooked myself a fantastic meal. And it was brilliant. I felt really glad that twenty seventeen was finally over. It wasn’t the best year for me. When twelve o’clock came round, I raised my glass and said ‘Good riddance, two thousand seventeen!’
Brian: Me too. I was glad to see the back of twenty seventeen. It wasn’t the happiest year for me either. I went out to dinner with my sister and her husband, and at midnight I sighed a sigh of relief that the year was finished. It was a great year for my sister. She got married, got promoted at work and had a fantastic holiday in America. She ended the year really happy. I was just happy it was all over.
Jenn: You were out of the office, ill, for almost three months.
Brian: I was. March, April and May. I had to have my appendix removed. Then after that, I developed stomach problems and neede two more operations. It was a bad, bad time. But I’m okay now. But I haven’t been able to eat fatty food since then.
Jenn: At least some good came out of that awful experience. You do look fit and well. The worst time for me last year was when my grandma died. She had a sudden heart attack and that was that. I still miss her so much. I was her only grandchild and she spoilt me from the day I was born. A few weeks after she died, my dad lost his job. He’d worked for thirty years for the same small American export company in their office here. But out of the blue, the company shut down. There was no warning. He still hasn’t found another job. It’s been hard for him.
Brian: Let’s hope something comes along for him in the new year.
Jenn: His age is against him. He’s in his late fifties, but he’s not ready to retire yet.
Brian: Of course not. My mum and dad are the same age and they’re both still working. And they enjoy it.
Jenn: And then to top it all, back in September my brother’s girlfriend dumped him. They’d just got engaged and were planning to get married this spring. She just announced one weekend she wanted to call the whole thing off and didn’t want to see him anymore. He was devastated. He still hasn’t got over the shock.
Brian: Ugh, that’s awful.
Jenn: Around the same time, I caught this bad cold, which I could not shake off. The medicine the doctor gave me cost a fortune and made no difference at all. I still had the cold at Christmas and it ruined the holiday for me. Instead of going out and enjoying myself I just stayed in sneezing and coughing. It’s only just started to clear up!
Brian: So, it’s good riddance to twenty seventeen for both of us. Here’s to twenty eighteen. May it be a good one!
Jenn: I second that! Here’s to the new year, new beginnings and good things to come!