Chapter 11

What a beautiful dream

  The doctor had told me that would be a while before I could walk normal again. I didn’t argue with him, thinking he was being logical and me; well I was just a complete and total mess. Mom came to visit me one day, maybe a week after the accident, and everything seemed to go smoothly. She talked about her family, how her youngest daughter joined the local chorus, and how her husband had gotten a promotion. She didn’t have a job yet, but promised me that things were looking bright, and how pretty soon she’d be the boss of her own company. I told her how proud I was of her anyway. Dad walked in though, and mom straightened up, probably nervous of what he would say, but he didn’t say anything. He just took a seat next to the bed. And I noticed mom began smiling at him. How odd it seemed; I had forgotten what it was like with both my parents in the same room. And even if I knew that they were only being courteous because of me, I still felt happy.  
       She ended up staying for dinner, and since I couldn’t get downstairs easily, the family decided to eat in my room. Kevin sat at the end of the bed and both my parents pulled up a chair and took a seat next to me. I enjoyed their company; there was no hostility between us. Kevin became bored though and wanted to go play outside; it was getting dark and I didn’t think dad was up to the idea. Mom though, thought it would do no harm, and decided to take him outside herself. So, hand in hand, they left the room. I wasn’t upset. They were merely catching up on time they had lost, just like I had done. I glanced over to dad, who at the moment, was picking up the plates that they had left. Lately, he had seemed older, probably from the stress that I had created, but now he seemed calm; as if everything that had bothered him had dwindled down into a problem that he could manage.
       He told me he would be back, but I urged him to hang out with Kevin and mom. I would be fine, wouldn’t I? So, I was left alone.
       “Hello,” he greeted me. I looked over to Angelo; the sun had begun to set, and the few remaining rays seemed to cast golden reflections on his face. He smiled gently.
       “Hi,” I replied softly. I waved him over, wanting him to come closer. He seemed hesitant but soon took a seat near me. “Mom’s here,” I mentioned.
              He nodded in recognition. “I know. I saw her playing with your little brother.”
              “Were they having fun?”
              “Yes, I believe so. They both were smiling.”
       “Well, that’s good. I don’t know if Kevin realizes what has happened.” Angelo ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head.
              “So, how do you feel?” He asked, changing the subject.
              “I’m fine. Doc has me on pain killers, which I must say, work great.” I flashed him a playful grin.
              “Be careful with those,” he chuckled. I waved it off.
              “Why are you still here?” I suddenly questioned.
              “You still have your wish, don’t you?”
              “But Angelo—“
       “I’ll stay until then…” And he didn’t need to explain further what till then was, because deep down I already knew. Sadly, I had known all along that this is what it added up to; this stupid wish.
              “Where will you go after?”
              “I’m not sure. Mother has a list somewhere. I’ll just read off of that.”
       “Oh,” was all I could say. Angelo quickly retreated back to the window, smiled an apologetic smile and then left without a trace. Dad walked in shortly after that.
              “Sorry, I took so long. Kevin fell and your mother and I had to clean him up,” he explained resuming his seat next to me.
              “Oh, that’s okay. I was just catching up on some reading,” I lied.
              “It must be boring stuck in bed all day, huh?” he asked, pressing for idle chat.
              “Actually, I’m enjoying it. It’s peaceful up here.”
              “Your mother was right.”
              “Huh?” What was he talking about?
              “You have grown up. It’s strange actually. It just seemed to happen over night,” he elaborated.
              “Ya well, what can I say? It’s about time,” I laughed. He chuckled in amusement.
              “She’s right where we left her,” mom joked, walking in with a very dirty boy.
       “I thought you had said you cleaned him up? I asked, eyeing my brother head to toe. He must have fallen in a huge puddle, because there was not a spot on him safe from mud.
              “We honestly tried.”
       “Kevin is definitely my child,” mom laughed, swinging him around. He began to giggle. Dad smiled sweetly. Standing up, he kissed me on the forehead and said, “I think it’s about time we left Hope alone. I bet she is tired of us taking up all the air in here.” I looked at him in appreciation. Mom let go of Kevin and walked over to me, where she hugged me the best she could.
              “I’ll be back again, honey. And when your leg’s all better, how about you and I have a girls’ day out?” she suggested.
              “That’d be fun, mom.”
              “Goodnight, sis,” Kevin called out, running to his bedroom.
              “Goodnight,” I yelled back, as dad shut the door.
      
       I didn’t take me long to fall asleep after that. And for once, I didn’t have a nightmare; instead, I had a dream. One I could remember so vividly.
       Amber was there, sitting softly in the green meadow that surrounded us. It seemed strange, but she wore a sailors dress. A small blue ribbon fluttered in her hair, as the wind blew from the opposite direction. I peered down to the dress I wore. It was red, with tiny blue dots scattered across the hem. I felt my head, realizing that a sun hat rested there. Glancing over to where Amber sat, I realized she was waiting for me. I skipped over to her and she held out her hand. I took it and sat down next to her, where we began to pick wild flowers. Looking up, I eyed the horizon, noticing millions of flowers that swayed to and fro. The sun sat atop of us, shining its radiant light downward on us. I waited for the blistering heat it would cause, but, instead, the temperature never did change. The wind itself, smelled as if it were an ocean breeze. But we weren’t near an ocean and I didn’t know why.
       I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth that wasn’t overbearing, and smiled. It was beautiful here and everything was so peaceful. The rush from the wind, made the flowers sing and the birds join along. Amber began talking but I couldn’t make it out because I was too preoccupied enjoying this heavenly place. I think she knew I wasn’t listening because she suddenly stood up and pulled me along. I continued to keep my eyes closed, running along with Amber. She was laughing and soon, I found myself joining in. And so we laughed until I could feel a dark shadow loom over us and Amber stopped. I abruptly opened my eyes to the most colossal tree that I had ever seen. My eyes shot up; it was almost too tall to even see. I reached my hand out to the trunk; it seemed so small, like an ant, compared to it. I awed in amazement. I glanced over to Amber, who did the same as I. I was about to say something when she, once again, grabbed my hand. I felt my self fly as we began to prance around the giant, feeling as if I were only a little girl. We kept on our little dance, twirling and laughing so much that I felt like my legs were going to give out. I lost site of Amber, but I wasn’t bothered. There was no where to be lost. I gave out a high pitched squeal, delighted in this magical shelter. I felt unstoppable.
       It was as if the tree sent out only tranquility and peacefulness. But soon I became tired and took a seat right in front of the tree, taking in uneven breathes. The sun never did move from its place among the clouds. I gave out a little laugh, thinking how silly I had just been. I glanced over to where a daisy stood, yearning for me to pick it; and so I did, leaning over. With the daisy in my hand, I retreated back to the upright position, my eyes focusing back on the tree. But it wasn’t the tree, my eyes found. No, it was Angelo. I quickly stood up, dusting off the dirt that had gotten on my dress. I could feel his eyes on me, and when I gazed at him, he gave me a warm smile. I peered him over, noticing that he wore a suit, black as night. He tilted his head, smiling brightly, offering his hand. This felt like the very first night I had met him. The very first night I had touched him. Carefully, I laid my hand on his, but was swiped away in emotion. We began dancing, his hand resting in the small of my back, his suit tail dancing with us. And for the very first time, had I ever been so close, intentionally. Around the tree, we danced and laughed. No words were needed for this occasion. I wanted to savor it all. In the corner of my eye, Amber returned, clapping to the non-existent beat.   I could feel a smile stretch its away across my face.
       The time came when none of us could stand anymore, and so we sat down, enjoying a nice picnic that just seemed to appear. Even if no one talked, we didn’t need to. The message was very clear: this could not get any better. I ate without protest, gobbling up the food in which I thought was tasty, but in reality, I could not taste. Time seemed to sit still, waiting for our signal. The sun continued to shine above us, the wind continued to play with our hair, and the flowers continued to fill our noses with their deep fragrances. Everything just seemed to last forever. I looked over to where Angelo sat, his hands placed neatly on his lap. An apple rested in front of him. He saw my glance and offered the apple, in which I couldn’t refuse. I took a bite, the juices filling my mouth; it was the only thing I could taste. He stood up then and pointed in my direction. Turning around, trying to see where he pointed, it filled my ears: the sound of the ocean. I thought my eyes had deceived me. What lay in front of me was the ocean. The blue clashed with the green, creating an abyss of water. It sparkled under the sun, calling out to me. I jumped to my feet, running towards it; my hand holding my hat in place. And I could not stop laughing, running to this body of ocean. I heard Amber call after me, following me, but I didn’t stop. As my feet touched the first signs of water, a sensation crawled up my leg. I reached my hand towards the sun, letting the water rise up. It was weird how I didn’t float. Instead, I stood in place, wallowing deeper and deeper. I couldn’t hear anything now, for the water filled my ears.
       My vision became clouded as the water enveloped over. I could breathe through. Amber appeared in front of me and I shrieked in delight. She took my hand, the warmth still radiated from her. Angelo appeared beside me and with instinct, I took his hand. I slowly closed me eyes, listening to the soft curls of the waves. I fell asleep, safely among my friends.

Author's Note

Rough draft