Dreamscape

We didn’t have enough time, he would be here any minute it was almost 7:00pm. I paced back and forth in our store, every so often peeking between the white lace curtains and down the street. I saw the guys we hired, they looked nice, I was impressed. Dressed in white suits, they stood in a semi-circle and talked among one another. I don’t remember how it all came together, all I knew was he was coming and I was nervous. Maybe I was afraid of what he would think of me, of my store, of my life. Maybe that was why I paid the men on the street corner to dress nice and greet him like a gentleman. The clock struck 7, where was he, and where was Terry. I made a quick dash around the counter of the store and down the stairs to our living quarters. It was a mess, shoes and papers everywhere. I should have been mad, but I could only laugh at my loves quirky behavior. I knew she was nervous too. I ran back upstairs and took a look around the store, it looked good, spotless.

There was a commotion outside. I looked out and saw him coming, the guys on the corner started in on their song. They sounded good like an old barbershop quartet, they tipped their hats as he passed by, one of them was a woman who curtsied. He seemed intrigued and turned around as he went by; he gave out a laugh and lifted his hat and gave a quick bow before turning back to the store. I was temporarily angered, where was the Trumpet, it sounded so much better with the Trumpet. My anger quickly subsided and nervousness set in as the door bell rang. I quickly looked over at Terry and she smiled, it was beautiful. It gave me the courage to move forward and open the door. He smiled as we greeted then made his way into the store and up the stairs. He moved as though he had always known this place and where everything was. I looked around at everyone who had the same confused expressions I did, I just shrugged there was too much I needed to do.

I made my way into the bathroom where I sat on the edge of the bathtub and watched a friend clean the toilet. I could see in the living room where the guests had settled with their drinks and began conversation. I could clearly see Terry sitting on the floor and he sat in a chair in a dark corner of the room, slowly sipping his drink. I couldn’t see the rest of the guests who sat across from Terry. I didn’t care about them anyway. I could see the two most important people. My friend kept talking, but I wasn’t paying attention I was focused on him and Terry. He had no facial expressions and he sat seemingly motionless except for his hand which moved up to his face to take a drink. It was in sharp contrast of Terry, whose facial expressions I had memorized. I loved to watch her as she interacted with others.

One of the guests mentioned my depression. I kept my eyes focused on Terry, but I could feel his eyes on me. The guest proceeded to say it was tough for me to have something so good only to have it ripped away so many times. They obviously didn’t know I could hear them. Terry lowered her head and her hair fell in front of her face, I knew she was crying. Those stupid guests they had no idea what they were talking about. They didn’t understand so I really couldn’t blame them. I know Terry thought it was because of her. She had died so many times, only to come back to me. Didn’t she know I would do it a thousand times over, just to have one more second with her? I wanted to comfort her so bad, but it didn’t seem right. I glanced at him, I could barely make his features out, but I could see it in his eyes he just knew.

Mask

I parked along the street, grabbed the black mask out of my trunk and put it on. It was vinyl, hot and hurt my face. There was quite a bit of activity on the street. People walking dogs, strolling along with kids in tow. They didn’t notice me, as I invisibly made my way down the street. I approached the house and went inside. I had almost made it to the stairs, when I was stopped by a man. He wanted to show me something on his computer. He started to boot up his Vista laptop, I started to get impatient. He fumbled around trying to find what he wanted, clicking icons, closing and opening items; all the while jabbering about computers like he knew them. He was an idiot, he didn’t know, but I didn’t care, I wasn’t there for this. We were thankfully interrupted by a knock on the door, the guests had started to arrive. He was distracted and him and his wife greated their guests. I quickly made my get-away heading for the stairs.

I ascended the stairs and found my way to a wood beam above the living room. I knew I had to cross it. The beam was about 6 inches wide, I felt unsteady walking across it, so I bent down to crawl to the other side. More and more people arrived at the house, and I could see everyone milling around making small talk below me. I made it to the other side and reached up to grab the banister so I could climb over, but the banister was wobbly and unstable so I was forced to go back. The party was in full swing when I reached the stairs. I decided to take off my mask to look less conspicuous and it was hurting my face. I joined in on the party, I didn’t know anyone. Everyone wore holiday attire and drank while kids ran around and played. A stereotypical republican elite party. It was time for the gift exchange, I had brought a gift, but thought it too risqué for the party. It was a whip, a black whip that matched my mask. It didn’t matter anyway, I had to find her.

I dreaded putting my mask back on, it was still wet with perspiration and my face still hurt. I went out the back, away from the party and ended up behind the scenes. Dressing rooms adorned the halls and the curtain to the stage was off to my right. I fumbled my way between scantily clad actors, stage hands, and the red velvet curtain, but I found her. I pleaded with her to come with me, we had to go, start new, we could make a new life together. She said no. I tried again, we had to leave now if we were going to have a chance. I told her to meet me outside. Her faced showed sorrow, but she still said she couldn’t leave. I watched as she slowly slipped out of sight, her hand in my own until I could no longer hold on. I went out the back into the ally, defeated I slowly made my way back toward my car. I heard her call my name, I turned around to see her running toward me. My mask now gone, I smiled as I took her hand as we ran down the street.