A Dream
“Do you want to go do something…together?” Her question was full with meaning both of us understood.
“No, I’m good. I’m married.”
She and I continued the conversation for a bit talking about the men we liked.
“Well, I married a man 13 years older than me.”
She laughs and makes a comment best left unwritten.
I heard Kris on the front row beside me talking to an older gentleman who had come closer to the front row of the classroom to seemingly ease drop on the conversation I was having with the woman to my right.
He was asking Kris questions about me.
The woman and I stopped talking and looked over at Kris.
“What are you saying about me, Kris?” I stood up and moved to the other side of Kris, blocking his exit to the door in case he decided to try to leave.
“I told him you worked on books.”
The woman spoke up, “What do you mean worked on?” She moved closer to Kris as if daring him to say something false about me.
Kris nervously looked from her to me and then down at his watch, “The teacher is late.”
“Uh huh.” I turn to the woman, “He is a stickler for time and being on time.” I look back at Kris, “What did you tell him I did, Kris?”
We both lean in.
“I said you were a publisher, of books, no my books,” he looked over at the woman, “she’s never published anything of mine, but she edits.”
“I’m a Developmental Editor, Kris, do you know what that means?”
Kris shook his head no.
“I do deep edits in books to fix structural issues in the book. I basically fix problems, Kris.”
Kris looks at me and smiles not saying what he wants to say.
“I fix problems I see in books.” I explain, “and elsewhere. Anywhere.” My mouth forms a slight smile and the corners of my eyes crinkle at the secrets we both know.
“That’s what I told him.”
I feel tears come to my eyes. I look back at Kris and he jumps up, feeling emotions neither of us want to feel. I watch him leave.
The woman beside me says, “Huh. Well, hmm.”
I take my seat beside her. “Yes, indeed.”
Several more minutes pass and the teacher arrives in the room and comes and stands beside me loading up her files from her computer. She is mumbling lines from her lesson as if warming up her voice and practicing how much projection she needs for the room.
“Do you need help?” I hold out my hand and she takes it and information passes between us.
History.
“Thank you! Exactly what I needed.” She pats my hand, “You can have that bit back.” She says with a smile.
The teacher looks up as Kris enters the room. She nods at him, not exactly smiling as it seems he is even more late to the class than she was.
She completes her lesson and then explains what we will be doing next. Kris leaves the room. I seem unsure of whether I should stay or go. I stay but my mind is distracted and I have to ask someone what we are doing. The man my age explains and I ask questions.
I finally join the two lines of people greeting each other by facing off like two opposing teams.
I am the last or close to the last in the line and I realize I am paired up with a blond-haired boy who couldn’t be more than 3 or 4 years old.
I asked him if I could give him a hug.
He doesn’t say yes and his body language says no.
I laugh. I smile at him, “Fist bump?”
He smiles and he and I bump one fist then two.
“Can I shake your hand?”
He seems confused.
“What about the Fish Swim?” I hold my hands together in a praying form and tilt them horizontally moving my hands in a side to side gesture.
He understands that one and does the Fish Swim movement with me.
“Fist bump again?” I ask.
He nods and we tap two fists then one. He begins chewing on his fingers like a toddler.
“Hug?”
He shakes his head no and then smiles at me, extracting his slobbery fingers from his mouth and then extends his hand to me to shake.
Of course.
I laugh and shake his hand and then cheer, “Yay!” While shaking my hands in the sign for “All done.”
He moves on.
“Do you want to go do something…together?” Her question was full with meaning both of us understood.
“No, I’m good. I’m married.”
She and I continued the conversation for a bit talking about the men we liked.
“Well, I married a man 13 years older than me.”
She laughs and makes a comment best left unwritten.
I heard Kris on the front row beside me talking to an older gentleman who had come closer to the front row of the classroom to seemingly ease drop on the conversation I was having with the woman to my right.
He was asking Kris questions about me.
The woman and I stopped talking and looked over at Kris.
“What are you saying about me, Kris?” I stood up and moved to the other side of Kris, blocking his exit to the door in case he decided to try to leave.
“I told him you worked on books.”
The woman spoke up, “What do you mean worked on?” She moved closer to Kris as if daring him to say something false about me.
Kris nervously looked from her to me and then down at his watch, “The teacher is late.”
“Uh huh.” I turn to the woman, “He is a stickler for time and being on time.” I look back at Kris, “What did you tell him I did, Kris?”
We both lean in.
“I said you were a publisher, of books, no my books,” he looked over at the woman, “she’s never published anything of mine, but she edits.”
“I’m a Developmental Editor, Kris, do you know what that means?”
Kris shook his head no.
“I do deep edits in books to fix structural issues in the book. I basically fix problems, Kris.”
Kris looks at me and smiles not saying what he wants to say.
“I fix problems I see in books.” I explain, “and elsewhere. Anywhere.” My mouth forms a slight smile and the corners of my eyes crinkle at the secrets we both know.
“That’s what I told him.”
I feel tears come to my eyes. I look back at Kris and he jumps up, feeling emotions neither of us want to feel. I watch him leave.
The woman beside me says, “Huh. Well, hmm.”
I take my seat beside her. “Yes, indeed.”
Several more minutes pass and the teacher arrives in the room and comes and stands beside me loading up her files from her computer. She is mumbling lines from her lesson as if warming up her voice and practicing how much projection she needs for the room.
“Do you need help?” I hold out my hand and she takes it and information passes between us.
History.
“Thank you! Exactly what I needed.” She pats my hand, “You can have that bit back.” She says with a smile.
The teacher looks up as Kris enters the room. She nods at him, not exactly smiling as it seems he is even more late to the class than she was.
She completes her lesson and then explains what we will be doing next. Kris leaves the room. I seem unsure of whether I should stay or go. I stay but my mind is distracted and I have to ask someone what we are doing. The man my age explains and I ask questions.
I finally join the two lines of people greeting each other by facing off like two opposing teams.
I am the last or close to the last in the line and I realize I am paired up with a blond-haired boy who couldn’t be more than 3 or 4 years old.
I asked him if I could give him a hug.
He doesn’t say yes and his body language says no.
I laugh. I smile at him, “Fist bump?”
He smiles and he and I bump one fist then two.
“Can I shake your hand?”
He seems confused.
“What about the Fish Swim?” I hold my hands together in a praying form and tilt them horizontally moving my hands in a side to side gesture.
He understands that one and does the Fish Swim movement with me.
“Fist bump again?” I ask.
He nods and we tap two fists then one. He begins chewing on his fingers like a toddler.
“Hug?”
He shakes his head no and then smiles at me, extracting his slobbery fingers from his mouth and then extends his hand to me to shake.
Of course.
I laugh and shake his hand and then cheer, “Yay!” While shaking my hands in the sign for “All done.”
He moves on.
2/ I overhear the teacher talking to another woman, “Oh, she is good!”
I stand up and the teacher says, “A lot of people leave early.”
“I was taught differently.”
She nods. “The next service for the evening is at 4:30, see you then.”
__________🍃🌱🪴🌱🍃__________
I stand up and the teacher says, “A lot of people leave early.”
“I was taught differently.”
She nods. “The next service for the evening is at 4:30, see you then.”
__________🍃🌱🪴🌱🍃__________
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