Dreaming a Reality (15 page)

“You’d better,” he said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and shaking my hair around.

“Or what?”

“Or, I won’t tell you anymore.”

I started laughing as we both joked around, him giving me a bear hug while I tried to tickle his shoulders.

“Stop, Ma.”

“You stop too, dude!”

After we both let go of each other, he smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll let you know what’s going on. Just don’t grill me about it every day. Deal?”

“Deal!”

I was satisfied enough with that answer. I wasn’t about to go pushing his buttons on his personal life. I was just lucky to be involved in any way possible, and I loved him like there was no tomorrow. I enjoyed it so much when he did open up to me.

After I finished the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, it was well after 11:00 p.m. I told Jeremy I was heading to bed, after I checked and locked all the doors.

I took one last look at the roses, feeling their soft petals and thought why Dean hung up on me after I thanked him for what seemed like a sweet gesture. Too tired to analyze it all, I walked into the bathroom, took my meds and turned off the lights. I was now finally able to lie down.

I fell asleep instantly.

* * * *

It was summer, and I could see the afternoon sunlight glistening off the lake. The air was tepid with the soft wind touching my face like warm hands. I could hear people laughing and playing in the water, but no one was there—no one except her.

She was wearing a white dress, dancing around the trees, dropping rose petals. In her hair she wore a crown of thorns.

I went for a closer look as I watched her dance. She seemed happy and content.

As I approached the girl, I asked, “Are you lost, little one?”

She had to be only four or five. Her golden hair hung loosely, shaping her face in curls as purple ribbon flowed down along with it.

“I am not lost.”

“No?”

She proceeded to dance again, singing soothing melodies of the moon and the stars.

I asked again, “You’re not lost?”

She stared at me as we locked eyes, and I could feel her beating heart within my belly. I heard a whispering murmur of her thoughts, but it was hard to make them out.

“I am not lost,” she said. “I am found.”

Puzzled by what that meant, I felt compelled to touch her. I reached out my hands and gently cradled hers. There we stood, both rocking our arms back and forth.

“Let me show you,” she said as she guided me to the lake.

The blue sky hadn’t a cloud in it, and the sun’s rays were filtering through the trees onto the path in a glistening light. I felt amazing, like I could fly, as if we were drifting above the forest.

“Come, I will show you,” she said again.

We came to the edge of the lake, where land and water met. The gritty sand stuck between my bare feet as we continued to hold hands.

She pointed to the water, urging me to look.

“See, I am found,” she said.

When I looked in the water, I could only see my reflection. I was standing there alone as my mirrored imaged floated above the surface. I turned back to the girl and knelt down beside her. “I don’t understand.”

Before I could say another word, she vanished. When I glanced back at my reflection, the image’s lips where moving. I crouched down to the water to hear better, skimming the water with my hand. Suddenly, I felt another hand clamp down on mine.

“Good-bye, Mother,” the image said.

Just about the time I was pulled in, I awoke, but this time it was early morning as the sun rose—light beaming everywhere. I checked the time to see: 6:45 a.m. I’d slept through the whole night. Finally, my meds were kicking in. The doctor did mention it would take up to six weeks for the medication to fully work.

Jeremy was already up and getting ready for school.

“I didn’t want to wake you, Ma. You looked so peaceful.”

“Thanks, Jeremy, but you didn’t have to do that.”

I must admit, I did feel better rested, and the dream was just a dream. I thought of what my mother said about the girl being my child. It all became clearer now. That was it, but the eerie words jaded me. “Good-bye, Mother,” was the last thing she said.

The phrase made me think of saying good-bye to my own mother. Her doctor had mentioned she only had a few weeks left—a month at most. I promised myself I would go visit her again sometime today.

Once Jeremy left, I started up the computer to work.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The day went on as usual, and I was happy to get a lot of work done. I felt more on track, and during the day I received an e-mail from John letting me know he was on his way home. Relieved, I started to get excited about finally seeing him after so many months.

I worked on different packages for my clients and talked to Mr. Ming. He was overjoyed to hear that I was better again and in good spirits.

At noon, I got an e-mail—from Mitch.

In the subject line it read: Thinking of you.

Honestly, I thought that was all over, but apparently not. I did want to talk to him and ask him what really happened that night in the Bahamas, so I opened it:

Sorry things turned out the way it did. Hope you enjoy the flowers I sent you.

Oh, God! Dean wasn’t the one. What was he referring to when he said that about “the gift?” I started to worry. Just what was he implying?

Eager to find out, I decided to go through my trash inbox and read some of the messages he sent me. The first one I opened was the most current one:

So you liked my deer! Then you’ll like what comes next.

Just as I finished reading, sitting there shocked, I heard the back door open. Good, it’s Jeremy, I thought.

I turned everything off and ran downstairs into the kitchen.

“Jeremy? Where are you?”

I heard nothing and found it odd the door was still open. I circled the house, checking his room first, then mine, and went back into the front room and around to the kitchen again.

“Dear God! It’s you!” My heart was racing faster and faster, and I felt a tinge of fear course through my blood.

“Yep, it’s me, Kat. Miss me?”

“Dean! Get out!”

Just as I was about to turn, he grabbed me by the wrist and swung me toward him.

“Oh, you know you like this. You liked that bloody deer behind your garage, I know you’ll like this!”

“Dean! Let me go, you bastard!” I started kicking and screaming as he held me tightly around my waist. I thrashed about as I tried desperately to grab onto something.

“Dean, don’t!” I screamed, as he began to rip my sweat pants off and then squeezed my breasts.

“You know you like this, you bitch!”

I heard the door open. Jeremy?

“Let go of her now!”

“If I don’t, what the fuck are you gonna do?”

Dean swiveled my body around so that I was facing him.

He whipped out a knife and started swinging it in the air. I still couldn’t make out who had come into the house. Dean let me go, and I was able to see who it was. John!

Dean pounced at John, almost stabbing him in the leg. They struggled hard as John put Dean into a head-lock. “Here, you sick fuck!” John shouted, punching him in the sides. Dean continued to struggle and swung feverishly in the air as John reached over to the sink.

“John! Be careful!” I screamed as I moved out of the way of the two of them.

John grabbed whatever he could and picked up something sticking out of the sink drainer. Trying not to look, I gasped in fear, and heard an “Uhh” from Dean.

He dropped to the floor, blood spurting everywhere. John had plunged the meat thermometer into his neck.

“Call the police! Now!” John urged, standing over Dean’s broken and bloody body.

“Is he dead?”

“Yes.”

* * * *

Once the cops arrived they questioned me and John. I mentioned that Dean had tried something like this before and must have been stalking me for months. Everything fitted the story. I also said he confessed about the deer and that I had an e-mail to prove it.

After they investigated the crime scene, taking pictures and walking all through the inside and outside of the house, one detective said, “If there’s anything else, please contact me immediately.” Both John and I nodded our heads in agreement as the detective handed us a card.

The paramedics placed Dean’s dead body on a gurney inside a huge dark bag and zipped him up.

By now it was after 4:00 p.m. and Jeremy still wasn’t home. After checking my cell, I noticed he’d left a voice-mail message telling me he was with Mallory again. It was a huge relief to know that, enabling me to put my worries aside.

John and I continued to embrace as everyone left.

“It was a good thing I came straight here after the airport.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“How did you know?”

“Well, Jenny informed me that you were talking to someone online and, well, I was curious. Actually, I thought you were with him and that you guys were just dating. I didn’t know―”

“That this would happen?”

“Why didn’t you tell me he tried this before?”

“I was ashamed, to be honest.”

He kissed me on the forehead and cradled me some more, rocking us both back and forth. “It’s okay now, you’re safe.”

* * * *

Days later, I got an urgent call from Todd.

“You need to come to the hospital, now!”

“Okay, I will be right there.”

I put on my coat and rushed out the door, speeding down the street. I was at the hospital within five minutes.

I raced to the doors, and then to the elevator, pushing the number four button.

They were all standing around the bed in her room. Martha was crying softly as Todd walked up to me and said, “She’s gone.”

I swooned and nearly collapsed. Todd reached out and grabbed hold of me to stop me from falling.

I approached the bed and saw her lying there, eyes and mouth open. She had lost all color, and her eyes were no longer the beautiful blue hue they had been in life.

I caressed her bald scalp and took hold of her cold hand as I said to my father, “I never got a chance to say good-bye.”

Even though our relationship had been rocky over the past year, I still loved her; nothing would ever take that away. In the last couple of weeks before her death, I knew she loved me too, and that’s all that mattered now. My mother was no longer in pain.

“I will always love you,” I whispered in her ear, and with that, I let go.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

A week passed since my mother’s death. The funeral service was beautiful with lilies, carnations, roses, daisies and all the other flowers you could think of. Everyone came, including friends she had when she was young. John and Jeremy kept close by my side throughout that entire day. Todd seemed to be strong, but Martha couldn’t stop blubbering. My dad just sat in the corner praying, while I remained in a daze.

“I will never forget you,” I said, looking at the array of pictures of her. She had been cremated and was placed inside a slender golden urn propped on the flower-laden table.

“Good-bye, Mother.”

* * * *

The house was quiet as Jeremy was gone. Now mid-January, the cold seemed to stick around like a drab feeling inside the house.

I showered and applied my make-up, brushing my lashes with mascara and painting my lips with an icy pink gloss. Although I was having bad bouts during the day, thinking of my mother, I didn’t want to ruin my date with John.

The plan was for him to pick me up, and then we would go to a quaint restaurant in the Bayfield area. I loved the views up there, and it was a place we went to while we were still married.

John pulled up and got out of the car. He looked amazing, dressed in a thick leather jacket, jeans and black construction boots. His hair draped down the nape of his neck, and his eyes glowed from the reflection of the snow. His chiseled cheeks and arched eyebrows reminded me so much of Jeremy; just twenty years older.

I opened the door for him as a gust of snow came. He walked in and shook the snow off his boots as I wrapped my arms around him. John towered over me, smiling, and then he kissed me on the cheek.

“Your hair smells nice, like strawberries and cream,” he said as he nestled his face in my soft curls.

“Oh, thanks. You look great,” I replied, smiling.

I went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. “You want anything to drink before we go?”

I yelled loud enough for him to hear in the other room, but he was standing in the doorway with his coat off, giving me a certain look—a familiar look.

“Wanna just stay here tonight?” he asked, drawing me in close.

“Yes, I’d like that,” I said.