(Continued...)
“Who sings this? It sounds familiar.” She asks as she sits down.
“The guys behind us.” Answers her sister while looking at the menu. “You’ve probably heard some of their stuff, they’ve been blowing up on Social Media. This is their latest.”She sits down next to her friend. “How do you know?”
“Oh, they asked us before playing it to be sure we wouldn’t mind the loud sound.” D answers without looking away from the menu.
“That’s considerate of them.”
“They seem very nice. I hope they make it.” Says S staring at their mighty little speaker. “The sound is so crisp, I wonder if I can ask them about their speakers.”
“Dum da di di di di” She starts absentmindedly mumbling the rhythm “Di di di di — that is one catchy tune.”
“Right? I fee like I’ll have it with me all through grading papers.” S
D finally puts down her menu and fully joins the conversation, “I like their sound.”
The waiter Mark, stops by. He knows them by now and they know not to call him Mark but Marcuz. The restaurant blotched his name on the name tag and he is trying to stay consistent with his brand. “Hello ladies, the usual?”
They all answer in unison a different version of “Yes, please!” More was probably said but the tune caught her attention and she tuned out as the song in the background became clearer to her: “We wished upon a star… you were my dream come true… Haven’t we met before? All I can see is you… We walk along the road, your laughter in the air, and then the sun comes up… and I can’t find you anywhere…”
“Right?” Says D taking her away from her reverie.
“Right?” she answers as she returns to her daydream excitedly realizing she may have a breadcrumb to finding him after all. Perhaps it’s the season… perhaps the odds are in their favor, perhaps the stars are aligned… “perhaps” is a lovely thought…
She turns to the table behind hoping to recognize one of the people sitting there. A paid receipt is left to the side as they stand up to leave. No one she recognizes is amongst them. She sighs and returns her attention to her own table, hoping her distraction wasn’t too noticeable.
“So how are things with you?” She asks S.
“I was just telling Dee I have a week to finish grading before winter break starts.”
“Are you going home?”
“I leave next Thursday and come back on the 28th.”
“I thought you were going to spend New Year’s at home.”
“That was the original plan but I was able to be home for Diwali and now I can go there for Christmas and come back here for New Year’s with you guys.”
“Oh, I think you did tell me this. I’m sorry I’ve been bit distracted lately.”
“Yep” chimes D.
“I’ve heard.” She sighs.
“What? It’s true, you’ve been off somewhere else lately.”
“You have been a bit aloof these past few weeks, is everything alright?” S asks.
“I am fine. D just thinks I need to eat something.”
“Hey that is just my first thought. You know how I get when I am hungry. You get dreams, I overeat and get nightmares.”
“Who could forget the great Sevillian hunger of 2010.” She says.
“Some of us have dreams,” says D looking straight at her.
“Fun dreams? Do tell!” Says S
“I’ve been having these amazing dreams with a man I’ve never met.” She shares
“What kind of amazing?”
“Soul to soul kind of amazing.”
“Not what I was expecting.” Says S
“Nothing about this is something you could expect. They are magical and wonderful, and feel completely real. There are things I know there is no way I could make up and others that come right out of my favorite stories. It’s like they blur a fine line between dreams and reality.”
“I am thinking she may be low on some nutrient, or overdoing dinner.” Says D.
“Seriously?” She says
“You know I say it with love. I am concerned. Besides, you’ve been keeping to yourself a lot lately, maybe that’s why the fine line is looking blurry.” Suggests D.
“I see you every day” she turns to her friend “and I see you almost every day.”
“Yes, but that’s because we live across from each other, I am family and S is practically family. When was the last time you met someone new, or more to the point went on a date?”
“What is the point? I fall asleep when I date and I date when I fall asleep. Besides I prefer the later. I love every second I am in them and they free up my day to do all the other things I want to do with my life.”
“That’s what worries me. It seems like you are starting to rely on those dreams a bit too much.” Says D.
“I wish I could argue with that.” She says. “I am fine though, I promise. You know I am not shy of asking for help if I need it.”
“That’s true.”
“Why don’t you tell us the dreams? Perhaps there is something they are trying to tell you?” Says S.
“I’m not sure I am ready to share them, they are still a bit of a wish blown on a birthday candle.”
“Ummm maybe you are on a journey and it is this meeting that brings about that new stage in your life?” Suggests D
“Or you could be on a a journey to meet the love of your life? Journeys end in lover’s meeting you know?” Offers S
“Perhaps” She smiles. “I appreciate the love guys, I just want to hold these moments closer to my heart for a little longer.”
“That’s fine as long as you come out with me next time. I want to be sure you don’t get stuck living in a daydream.” Says D
“Ok. That sounds reasonable.” She says.
“I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic is ridiculous, they blocked half the street for a taping and I had to go all the way around.” J says as she sits down next to D.
“Not a problem, we are just catching up.” She says
J grabs a menu as she turns to her friends “Did you order the usual?” Says J as she peruses the menu with expert voracity.
“We did and today’s specials are on the back!” S answers knowingly.
J turns the menu over, nods, and places it down on the table. “Ok, I’m set. “So, what did I miss?”
“S will be here for New Year, I am just hungry, oh and waiting to hear back from an audition, and she is having some amazing dreams that are making it hard to wake up in the morning.” Says D, pointing at her sister as she ends her sentence.
“It’s almost like you are accusing me of this” She says laughing. “It’s not exactly as daunting as that. Yes, I am having these amazing dreams, and yes I don’t want them to end, but no, I am not having trouble with my day to day thank you very much. I thought we covered that.”
“That’s not what I meant, or how I meant it.” Says D.
“I know.” She answers smiling at her sister.
“Dee thinks she may need to eat better and not over eat later in the day, I think it’s a journey to love or self-discovery, what do you think?” S
“I think dreams can be powerful. You know my cousin started having these dreams just before her wedding. Not those kinds of dreams just dreams that were really rilling her up. She went to a dream specialist. Let me get you her name.”
“Thanks for the offer J, but I am not sure I want to share any of this with a professional. This town is filled with professionals for all kinds of inexplicable things and I just don’t want to fall into an accidental rabbit hole.”
“No, no, this woman is not like that. She is a trained psychologist, she just also happens to be a dream guru. Trained in the orient somewhere.”
“There’s a lot of ground to cover in that sentence.”
“I know, I know, you know I don’t mean anything by it. I would fall under that umbrella too. I just have absolutely no idea where exactly. This way I am covering all my bases.”
“Hello babies,” A walks up to the table still finishing a text. Placing her bag on the chair in front of her, and keeping her right hand moving with alacrity she asks “What did I miss?”
“Dream talk.”
“Oooh sounds great.” Another text comes in to her phone. “I want to hear everything but I have to take this. They sent me the wrong patterns. Can you order for me?”
“Sure. What do you want?” She says.
“Anything that’s not too fishy.” A’s phone rings. “I trust your judgement.” She rushes out and answers the phone “Alo.”
J’s phone starts to ping. “It’s my cousin, I just forwarded you the text. She cousin says you can just text her and tell her your dream and if you don’t feel comfortable you don’t have to go meet her beyond that.”
She sighs. “Thanks. Loving the support guys, I just want more time with this. I promise that when I am ready I will let you know.”
“Of course, do it on your time, just know you have the resource. I just sent you the contact info.”
“Thanks. So about New Year’s ?” She says changing the subject…
“Dum Da di di di di di di dum da di di di di” the melody is still on her mind when she arrives home a few hours later. With all her Christmas and holiday to do officially done, she is looking forward to falling asleep and maybe bumping into a nice dream. She walks into her bedroom, in the rush of the morning she forgot to make the bed. The bed. Just like that everything clicks and she realizes, the melody, it’s the one she’s been humming the last few weeks when she wakes up. Could this be it? Is this a breadcrumb?
She walks over to her bookshelf. Months of research line every part with books and articles on dream meanings and dream theories from quantum enigmas to folklore that spans the globe. She absentmindedly reaches out for one of the books and bumps into the side of the shelf. The rolled yoga mat that normally stands on the bottom left shelf falls to the ground and an idea quickly forms. “I wonder…” She sits down right where she stands, closes her eyes and breaths deeply…
“Hello? Are you there?” No response. Not even a visual cue to show location.
She takes a deep breath and tries again. “I am not sure if you can hear me. I was thinking… if we really are communicating in dreams, perhaps, perhaps you can hear me like this too… Perhaps…I know this sounds silly, for all I know I am just talking to myself… Would this be considered talking to myself? I don’t know…” She shakes her head and returns to the original train of thought. “Ok, I thought of something… I need a sign, something clear that can’t be misconstrued. Something that shows me you are living this too. I need to know this is not just me or my imagination giving me a new avenue to process love. I’ll never know if I don’t try right?”
She takes a deeper breath. “I’m here. I am listening. I just need a sign from your end. Show me this is a two-way street and I will find a way to answer back… I was thinking… I had an idea… if you can hear me… I think I’ve found out a way to know who you are… I think I heard your song… what if you make a video to that song?… And to ensure it is a sign and not just a plausible misunderstanding… How about, in your video, you show me you are looking for me? Or looking for someone? Let that be the message… Look… do anything that shows me you are searching… That you are looking for a way back…Run, swim, drive, sail, anything that shows me you are in pursuit… I will keep an eye out and if you send this signal I will find a way to answer. I’ll know this is real and I will find a way to meet you half way. I promise…” She slowly opens her eyes and hopes with all her heart that her words find their intended destination.
Once that is said, once that is done, she makes a conscious choice to return to her life with an open heart, leaving everything else to be, as the hope for possibility effervescently delineates her mind...
