The Ball was dropping on the year 1970 and bringing in the year 1971. It was going to be a new start for everyone. Darlene Richards had traveled with a group of friends and was counting down when she saw a longer haired man sitting at the bar looking sad. Frowning for a moment, she told her friends she'd be right back before making her way over to him. The cheering had stopped and everyone was going back to what they were doing. She slid into the stool next to him and smiled as he looked over at her.

"Hello! My name is Darlene Richards and I would like to buy you a drink." Dan looked up at her in confusion, his gaze moving back and forth between her and Forrest. Forrest smiled again and cleared his throat. "I'm goin' back to the room, L.T. Dan. I'll see you in a lil' while." Darlene smiled and looked back at Dan. "What'll you have?"

Dan frowned and leaned back in his wheelchair, his eyes tracing over her form. "Why on Earth would you ever want to buy ME a drink?" Darlene blinked for a moment and looked at herself in the mirror behind the bar. After a few moments, she turned back to look at Dan. "I guess it's because while everyone else was celebrating the new year and a new start, you looked as if you didn't want to be here. You looked very sad and I guess I just wanted to be nice."

Dan bit his lip and looked down at his legs, feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed. "You don't mind being seen with a cripple?" He asked, his voice causing Darlene to gasp. "Not at all! I see your tags and I know that you got them serving our country." Looking up at her, Dan wanted to tell her that he didn't deserve for her to think of him honorably, but her grateful smile gave him pause and he found himself returning it.

"I appreciate you saying that. Now I believe you said something about having a drink?" Darlene laughed and ordered them two drinks. As the night wore on, they talked and laughed until the bar closed. When they left the bar, Darlene helped him back to his room and she left him at the door, smiling softly as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you for the talk, Dan. I had a lot of fun getting to know you."

Dan didn't really know what to say, he just grabbed the sides of his wheelchair. Darlene bit her lip and looked down at him. "Could we...is there a chance we could...maybe have lunch later today? After we get some sleep of course." Dan was shocked to his core and smiled up at her, brushing the hair from his face. "That sounds nice, Darlene. Um, do you want to just meet here? Say at around 4?"

Darlene thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure, I can do that. See you later L.T. Dan." She teased, before making her way towards the stairs. When she got back to the hotel room and met her friends, she giggled and answered their questions before changing and climbing into bed. She had only just met Dan but something felt different about him. Her friends thought she was crazy but Darlene didn't care. She was excited to see him again.

(should I continue?)