Dream
Slowly turning onto his back and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Adam tries to grasp the shadowy remnants of his dream with his waking mind – but, they quickly fade away. “Damn, I can still feel them – so close”, he thinks. He smiles with a sigh at the beginning of his daily routine. Every morning he wakes up – hoping to capture the memories of his dreams. Why do so many of his friends seem to remember their dreams in vivid detail – and not him, he wonders?
Every now and then he remembers – which always spark creative writing thoughts for him. Capturing lightning in a bottle comes to mind when he thinks of those mornings. But not this morning, though something is definitely teasing the edges of his mind – he can sense it. It’s just out of reach – something important.
Overcoming the natural inertia of his body, he slowly swings his legs over the side of the bed – “almost up”, he smiles. A voice in his head says “sleep in five more minutes – maybe you’ll remember your dream.” Adam almost laughs out loud at the thought – another daily argument with himself … and sometimes he loses. Not today though, as he stands up and heads to the bathroom.
A little later and a little more awake after a shower and a shave, he dresses and walks into the den. The familiar musky smell of books greets him – he pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath. “Who will I read today?” he wonders as he traces his fingers over the bindings of the books along his bookshelves. He stops at Anna Karenina by Tolstoy – “Hmm, wonder why this one feels right today?”
Adam pulls the well-worn book off the shelf and opens it at the first page. He reads aloud, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” With a sigh, “Yes, I always liked that first line”, he thinks. Closing the book, he absently walks over to the window and opens it to feel the cool autumn breeze. He smiles at the sight of glistening maple leaves still clinging to their branches – defiant to the end, radiant with bold and vibrant colors.
The fresh smell of wet leaves waft through the open window and makes him think of coffee – and the cafe. Closing the window, he heads out the door with Anna Karenina firmly in his hand. Thoughts of her form in his mind as he breathes in the fresh autumn air – walking through the park on his way to his favorite café. As he nears the café, he feels something different is afoot … though he’s not sure what … perhaps something he saw in his dream … and for some reason he can’t help but smile at that thought.
Cafe
Walking into the café, Adam spots Angela taking an order from one of the early morning customers. She gives Adam a surprised look and takes a quick glance at the clock on the wall. Adam follows her glance to the clock – yes, he is here earlier than usual today. He smiles at her and starts towards his usual table in the back, but quickly sees that it is occupied.
Well, today will be different he thinks – and takes an empty table near the front. He sits facing the front screen door, laying his book on the table – and begins to read. After a few minutes, Angela comes over with his usual coffee and states the obvious, “You’re here early, Hun.” “Yes, I guess I needed to see you earlier today”, he teases knowing it will make her smile – and it does.
As she already knows what he will order, Angela leaves without asking and Adam returns his attention to Anna Karenina. Albeit at a different table, he slips comfortably into his normal routine – letting the words take him away as the buzz of small talk all around slowly fades away. He is vaguely aware of the soft breeze flowing through the screen door – yes, a comfortable flow.
A sudden gust of wind blows the screen door open, momentarily breaking his flow in Anna’s story. As he looks up towards the door, a vision walks in as if directly out of the pages of his book. Her aura of beauty envelops him on first glance. She starts to glide past him without notice … ah, but then with a flash of recognition “Anna Karenina?” she beams “I love Tolstoy’s stories.”
Without prompting she sits down beside him – and that’s when a shadowy remnant of his dream from last night smiles in his consciousness. They chat over cooling cups of coffee as their story is written. Perhaps, it is predefined destiny that she walks in this day at this time. Perhaps, it is random chance that he brings Anna Karenina with him today.
Whatever the reason, the sweet fragrance of soggy leaves on the autumn breeze agrees with them as they begin their life together in the dream café.
Artist: Leonid Afremov; Author: Mike Evans
