Part 2 – 'The Time of Our Lives' – sequel to 'More Than a Feeling'
Chapter 1 - Brenda leaves for London
'Okay, Mom. I think that's the last of it,' Brenda says, as she puts the bag she was carrying on the floor in the foyer of the Walsh house.
'Oh, honey. I am going to miss you so much. I want you to have the best time possible while you are there and learn as much as you possibly can, and then come back to us,' Cindy says as she puts her hand on her daughter's shoulder.
'I will Mom. I promise.'
The door to Casa Walsh opens and Brandon walks in hand-in-hand with Kelly.
'Well, Bren, it looks like you're leaving me again to go gallivanting around Europe,' Brandon says.
'Brandon, come on, I will not be gallivanting. This is a very strict, hard, intensive, and emotionally draining 6-week training program. There are professional actors that still go through this training because it is the best. It's going to be anything but gallivanting,' she says.
'Yeah, yeah, fine. You're still going to be in another country enjoying your freedom.'
'Brenda, I am so happy for you that Roy could get you into this program. I heard that it's really hard to get in,' Kelly says to her.
'Yeah, me too,' Brenda laughs, 'This is my chance to show him and everyone else that I am really serious about this and I can't wait to get down and learn everything.'
Jim comes down the stairs with his car keys in hand.
'Okay, let's get going or you are going to miss your plane and you'll be stuck putting on plays for us in the living room,' Jim laughs.
'Right, okay, Dad. Well, bye!' Brenda says as she hugs Brandon and Kelly. She walks over to where her mother is standing and hugs her. 'Don't worry Mom, I'll be back before you know it. And just for good measure,' she whispers, 'I think the box should go back in the garage until I get back. I'm not ready to open it yet.'
Jim and Brenda wave as they make their way out to the car. They drive to the airport in silence. Jim pulls up in front of the arrival doors and gets out of the car to remove Brenda's bags from the trunk.
'Brenda, I just want to tell you that I am so proud of you. Look how much you have grown up from just a year ago. I love you so much. Shine like a star in London and come back to us a seasoned veteran of the stage,' Jim says to her.
'I will, Dad,' Brenda smiles and gives her Dad a hug.
She grabs her bags and begins to make her way through the airport to check in. She stands in line, checks her bag, and begins to make her way over to the security area. She looks in her carry on bag to make sure that she has her ticket, her boarding pass, and her passport. As she zips her bag up and gets ready to make her way into the security line, she hears a voice behind her.
'Didn't you forget something?'
She turns around with a smile on her face and stares at Dylan. 'No, I did not forget anything. I was just about to call you to find out where you were.'
He walks to her and takes her in his arms. He kisses her gently and pulls away slowly trying to keep contact with her.
'Well, it looks like you are all ready to go, then,' Dylan says.
'Yes, I am,' she smiles up at him.
'So, you're going to let me know when I can come out and see you, right?' Dylan asks.
Brenda laughs and says, 'Yes, as soon as I know what the schedule for the course is, I will let you know when it will be over.'
He smiles and pushes her slightly toward the security line. 'You better go or you are going to miss your flight.'
She hugs him tightly, gives him a quick kiss, and gets in the line. He watches her for a few seconds, and then turns to leave the airport.
Dylan pulls up in front of his house and marvels at the fact that he doesn't really remember the drive from the airport. He was thinking about Brenda and how excited he was that she loved the relationship roller coaster he had prepared for her last night. After they left the BelAge Hotel, he took her back to his house. He had ordered food from one of the fanciest restaurants in town and had someone prepare the dining room table with linens and candles and flowers just for Brenda.
Flashback to the night before
'Oh, Dylan, this is beautiful,' she said as he led her from the door to the dining room table.
'I was hoping you would like it and I figured after all of that running around I made you do, that you are probably starving,' he said as he looked at her. He thought that he could almost hear her stomach growl, but he wasn't sure.
They ate in almost silence. After dinner they shared the pie from the Peach Pit that Brenda had picked up while she was there. They moved to the couch after the meal and he grabbed her hands in his.
'Brenda, I want to show you that I really have thought about all of this all the way through this time.'
'Dylan, from what I have seen tonight, I know that you have. Please understand that I want this to work and be a fantastic relationship filled with love and friendship. We need to make sure that our goals are the same this time and not some fantasy idea,' she pleads.
'I agree,' he says to her. 'Tell me what you are thinking.'
'Well, I'm leaving tomorrow to go to London for a little over a month. This is the time where we find out how committed to this friendship we both really are. If we really want this to work, we need to be honest with each other. If something comes along and there's an opportunity to grab it, I don't want you to feel as though I will be let down if you do it.'
'Okay. I know that you are over there to learn and that the course you are taking is really important to you, but I would like to spend some time with you this summer. Somewhere that's not Beverly Hills, you know? I think what we really need is a break from all of this and some time to figure out if we are mature enough to handle anything that may come at us,' Dylan says.
'Well, it's a 6-week course. Maybe I can work something out to stay there another week and you could come then. But, Dylan, things may change in 6 weeks, and I think we both need to be prepared for plans to change at a moment's notice. I don't want to jump headfirst into the pool this time. I think it's time we just dabbled our feet in and see what we can come up with,' Brenda says. She looks up at him to try to gauge his reaction to what she just said.
'You know, I think that is a great idea,' Dylan smiles at her.
Present Day
Dylan sits at the table and realizes that he isn't entirely comfortable with the decision that they made last night, but figures that if he wants to make sure that Brenda is always in his life in some way or another that he'll have to give it a try.
He pulls out a piece of paper and begins writing about the events that had taken place the previous night in hopes of getting some clarity.
Heathrow Airport
Brenda arrives in London and picks up her bag at the baggage claim. She walks out from the terminal area and looks for someone from RADA that was supposed to pick her up. She spots tall handsome man, who looks like he's about her age, with a sign that has her name on it. She walks up to him and introduces herself.
'Brenda, it's nice to meet you. I'm Paul. Do you have everything?' he says.
'Hi Paul, it's nice to meet you too. I believe that I do have everything and am ready to go.'
Paul leads her through the airport to the parking area where he puts her bags in the trunk. They get in the car and drive into the city.
'Have you ever been to London before this?' he asks.
'Um, no, but I did spend a summer in Paris in an immersion program two years ago.'
'Oh, that's great. Did you like Paris?'
Brenda thinks back to her experience with Donna in Paris. 'Yeah, I loved it,' she smiles.
'Well, I think that you are going to love London then. The school is right in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, which happens to be right in the middle of everything.'
'Great, I'm really excited to get started.'
He drives to the school and parks the car. He helps her get her bags out of the trunk and leads her into the dormitory where she will be living for the next couple of weeks. He shows her to her room, gives her the key, and a schedule of classes.
'So, classes take place right downstairs in the main theatre or on the second floor where the actual classrooms are. I'm actually an assistant at the school, so I should see you in passing. Here is a list of everyone in the program, where they are living, and their contact information. Well, today is Sunday, classes start tomorrow morning. I hope you don't have too much jetlag to perform,' he laughs.
'Yeah, me too. Thanks so much for your help.'
'No problem, see you around,' he says as he closes the door.
She looks around at the place where she will be spending a lot of time. It's definitely bigger than she thought it was going to be. She puts her bag on the bed and begins to unpack.
The night passes uneventfully for Brenda, and when she wakes up the next morning to get ready for class, she almost forgets where she is. She gets herself ready and makes her way down to the theatre for the introductory seminar.
There are three instructors standing on the stage and the students are sitting in the audience seats. She takes a seat near the front, opens her notebook, and tries to suppress the butterflies in her stomach. 'I can't believe that I am really here!' She looks around the room and notices a few other people that most likely are thinking the same thing she is.
The Peach Pit
Brandon and Kelly walk in to the Peach Pit and immediately spot their friends in the corner. They walk over to where Steve, Andrea, Dylan, and Donna are sitting.
'So, what are we going to do to keep ourselves busy this summer until school starts again?' Steve asks.
'Hey guys,' Brandon says as he and Kelly sit down.
'Hey B,' Dylan says.
'Hey D,' Brandon replies as they high five.
'Well, I'm working, I don't know about any of you, but I'll be busting my butt all summer,' Brandon reveals. 'Dylan, what are you going to be doing?'
'Ah, I don't know. Probably head on down the coast for a while,' Dylan says.
'I'm going to be helping my mom with Erin probably and just relaxing until someone decides that he's worked enough for one summer and wants to hang out with me,' Kelly says, as she smiles brightly at Brandon and playfully elbows him in the side.
'Oh, really? Then I guess I'll have reconsider working all summer,' Brandon says.
Dylan notices the look that Kelly is giving Brandon during their exchange. He remembers that look and gets a slight pang in his chest when he sees that it is no longer directed at him.
'Well, I'm going to take off. See you guys around,' Dylan says, as he throws some money on the table and walks out.
Dylan drives back to his house and immediately goes to the dining room table and pulls out another piece of paper. 'What the hell? Why am I feeling like this? I know that Kelly decided that she would be better off with Brandon and that I decided that I couldn't handle her crap anymore, but I shouldn't be feeling this.'
He begins to write and continues to write until he realizes that it's dark outside and he hasn't turned on any lights. He flips the light on, goes into the kitchen for a glass of water and returns to the table. He picks up the paper that he had been writing on and begins to read it.
I thought that maybe, after all that we had been through, that just maybe I was falling in love with Kelly. I tried to see past her insecurities and horrible family life that had caused her so much pain. I had thought that we could bond over having to live through some pretty awful stuff as children and young adults. There are definitely parts of her character that I connected with on a real level. On the other hand, Brenda brought out parts of me that I had forgotten about. I wasn't sure that I could be a whole person again with the drugs and the booze and the nameless sex, but she taught me so much about life and the right way to live. I guess there were good and bad things about both of them. Pro for Brenda being that she stood by me and believed in me through some of the hardest times in my life. Even after we separated, I found myself still running to her or thinking of what she would say if she were around to help me through the tough times. Pro for Kelly being that she gave me the freedom to do what I wanted and was always patiently waiting when I was done, well except when it came to Brenda.
Dylan continues to read and realizes that he has written out a Brenda vs. Kelly pro and con list from his experiences with both of them. He's not sure if this letter is particularly therapeutic in any way, but he does realize that he needs to either get over his jealousy of Kelly's happiness with Brandon or act on it now before it's too late.